[1] His usual business was exporting goods to Flanders and importing into Scotland, items bought by the King James IV included blue damask cloth, and timber for the ceiling of the chapel at Holyroodhouse in 1504.
[3] The Barton brothers had a letter of Marque, originally granted to their father in 1485, which gave them legal protection in Scotland to prey on Portuguese shipping.
John Barton died at Kirkcudbright in 1513 after taking ships of the Royal Scots Navy to France.
[5] In 1519, a ship of Robert's, the Black Barque was captured by Spanish sailors near Yarmouth and the crew abandoned on the English coast.
Magnus had been given a copy of a letter from John Stewart, Duke of Albany, Margaret's rival for power, giving Barton instructions on provisions for Dunbar Castle, which he believed to be a forgery.
"[9] In 1532 he was required to pay the wages of the royal gunner, Henry Borthwick, who had been killed at the siege of Tantallon Castle, to his children.
The gift narrated;"his great services to the navy in time of war for the defence of Scots lieges and merchants against the English and other pirates, occasionally bringing himself into great expense, and other praiseworthy acts in the time of James IV and himself in his minority, as a comptroller and treasurer.largis sumptibus naves tempore guerre pro liegiorum et marcatorum suorum contra Anglos et alios piratos defensione, ejus personam quibusvis temporibus necessariis periculis exponendo: et pro aliis laudabilibus actis patri suo et sibbi in minori sua etate factis in thesaurarie et compotorum rotulatoris officiis.