Purves does not seem to have altered the figures of the rental after compiling his work in 1667, but he did expand the section of the introduction on the Court of Exchequer. The final form which the work took in 1681 was published by D Murray Rose as ‘Revenue of the Scottish Crown, 1681’, from a manuscript in the British Museum (Addit. MS. 33,238).

The original work of 1667 is represented by this manuscript, along with a copy of it, Adv.MS.6.2.2, folios 241-273, and a copy of that, Adv.MS.25.3.4, pages 203-333. MS.201, along with a copy of it, Adv.MS.81.4.9, folio 1, have the same text (though a few of the figures differ), but the title is that of the 1681 recension (`Ane Accompt of His Majesties Proper Rent aryseing from the feu and Blensh Dueties of the severall Lands holden few and Blensh of His Majestie in his Kingdome of Scotland With The Deductions, alterations and Differences Bextwixt the Present Rentall, and the former preceeding King James of blessed memorie his goeing in to England in Anno 1603`). An intermediate stage is apparently represented by Adv.MS.31.2.14a (without title), where the introductory section is expanded though not so much as in the 1681 recension; whether or not the fact that there are small alterations in other sections which do not appear in the 1681 recension indicates that someone other than Purves had revised this recension, is uncertain. This does seem to be the case in Adv.MS.31.2.14 (without title), in which the 1667 introduction appears, but the figures and their layout are much altered.

This manuscript was written towards the end of the 17th century.