SCOTTISH CURRENCY, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

 

MONEY

 

The Scots currency was roughly equivalent in value to that of England till the later 14th c. when it began to depreciate by stages till at the time of the Act of Union in 1707, by the terms of which the Scots currency was abolished, the following values obtained:

 

            Scots                                                    Sterling                         Decimal

 

            1 penny                                             1/12 penny          

            2 pennies = 1 Bodle                           ⅙ penny            

            2 bodles = 1 Plack                             ⅓ penny            

            3 bodles = 1 Bawbee                          1 halfpenny                  

            2 bawbees = 1 Shilling                     1 penny                         ·24 penny

            13 shillings 4 pence = 1 Merk              1s. 1½d.                         5½pence

            20 shillings = 1 pound                             1s. 8d.                          8 pence

 

 

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

 

There was much confusion and diversity in early Scottish weights and measures and a succession of enactments from the 15th c. failed to improve matters till in 1661 a commission was set up by Parliament which recommended the setting up of national standards, the exemplars of which were to be kept in the custody of certain burghs, the Ell for lineal measure to be kept by Edinburgh, the Jug for liquid capacity by Stirling, the Firlot for dry measure by Linlithgow, and the Troy stone for weight by Lanark. These recommendations in the main prevailed throughout Scotland, though there was some irregularity between commodities in dry measure; a further recommendation that Tron weight should be entirely abolished was ignored and this measure fluctuated within fairly wide limits as between 22 and 28 ounces per pound. By Act 5 Geo. IV. c.74, 1824 uniformity of weights and measures was statutorily established and gradually this was conformed to although the names of the older measures like Firlot, Forpit, Lippie were transferred to fractions of the Imperial hundred-weight and are still sometimes heard. See articles s.v.

 

 

WEIGHTS

 

1. According to the standard of Lanark, for Troy or Dutch, q.v., weight:

 

Scots                                                    Avoirdupois                   Metric Weight

 

1 drop (see Drap, n., 3.)                      1·093 drams        1·921 grammes

16 drops = 1 ounce                                1 oz. 1·5 drams    31 grammes

16 ounces = 1 pound                              1 lb. 1 oz. 8 dr.              496 grammes

16 pounds = 1 stone                               17 lbs. 8 oz.                   7·936 kilogrammes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. According to the standard of Edinburgh for Tron, q.v., weight:

 

Scots                                                    Avoirdupois                   Metric Weight

 

1 drop                                                   1·378 drams        2·4404 grammes

16 drops = 1 ounce                                1 oz. 6 drams                39·04 grammes

16 ounces = 1 pound                              1 lb. 6 oz. 1 dram           624·74 grammes

16 pounds = 1 stone                               1 stone 8 lbs. 1 oz.         9·996 kilogrammes

 

 

CAPACITY

 

Liquid measure according to the standard of Stirling. See Joug, 2.

 

Scots                                                    Imperial                               Metric

 

1 gill                                                      ·749 gill                        ·053 litres

4 gills = 1 Mutchkin                         2·996 gills                     ·212 litres

2 mutchkins = 1 Chopin                      1 pint 1·992 gills            ·848 litres

2 chopins = 1 Pint                                2 pints 3·984 gills          1.696 litres

8 pints = 1 gallon                                    3 gallons .25 gills                     13.638 litres

1 pint = 104·2034 Imp. cub. ins.    1 pint = 34·659 Imp. cub. ins.                   1 litre = 61.027 cub. ins.

 

 

Dry measure according to the standard of Linlithgow, q.v.

 

1. For wheat, peas, beans, meal, etc.

 

1 Lippie (or Forpit)                       ·499 gallons                                   2·268 litres

4 lippies = 1 peck                                1·996 gallons                                  9·072 litres

4 Pecks = 1 Firlot                          3 pecks 1.986 gallons                               36·286 litres

4 Firlots = 1 Boll                             3 bushels 3 pecks 1·944 galls.         145·145 litres

16 Bolls = 1 Chalder                     7 quarters 7 bushels 3 pecks                     2322·324 litres

1·07 galls.

1 Firlot = 2214·322 cub. ins.       1 gallon = 277·274 cub. ins.             1 litre = 61·027 cub. ins.

 

 

2. For barley, oats, malt.

 

1 Lippie (or Forpit)                              ·728 gallons                                    3·037 litres

4 Lippies = 1 peck                               1 peck ·912 gallons                         13·229 litres

4 Pecks = 1 Firlot                                1 bushel 1 peck 1·650 gallons          52·916 litres

4 Firlots = 1 Boll                                 5 bushels 3 pecks ·600 gallons         211·664 litres

16 Bolls = 1 Chalder                            11 quarters 5 bushels 1·615             3386·624 litres

                                                               gallons

1 Firlot = 3230·305 cub. ins.


MEASURES

 

According to the standard Ell, q.v., of Edinburgh.

 

Lineal

       1 inch                                               1·0016 inches                   2·54 centimetres

       8·88 inches = 1 Sc. link            8·8942 inches                 22·55 centimetres

      12 inches = 1 foot                            12·0192 inches                 30·5287 centimetres

       3 1/12 feet = 1 Ell           37·0598 inches (1 1/37 yards)    94·1318 centimetres

       6 ells = 1 fall (Fa, n.)                        6·1766 yards (1·123 poles)           5·6479 metres

       4 falls = 1 chain                              24·7064 yards (1·123 chains)          22·5916 metres

      10 chains = 1 furlong                     247·064 yards (1·123 furlongs)          225·916 metres

       8 furlongs = 1 mile                     1976·522 yards (1·123 miles)   1·8073 kilometres

 

Square

       1 sq. inch                                     1·0256 sq. inch                               6·4516 sq. centimetre

       1 sq. ell                                        1·059 sq. yards                              ·8853 sq. metre

      36 sq. ells = 1 sq. fall                     38·125 sq. yards                             31·87 sq. metres

                                                          (1 pole 7·9 sq. yards)

      40 falls = 1 sq. rood                       1525 sq. yards                                          12·7483 acres

                                                          (1 rood 10 poles 13 sq. yards)

       4 roods = 1 sq. acre                      6100 sq. yards (1·26 acres)             ·5099 hectare

 

 

                                                            YARN MEASURE

 

                                                1 cut = 300 yards

                                                1 heere = 2 cuts or 600 yards

                                                1 heid = 2 heeres or 1200 yards

                                                1 hank or hesp = 3 heids or 3600 yards

                                                1 spinle = 4 hanks or 14400 yards

 

                                                See Cut in Suppl., and the other articles in Dict.

                                                The above applies to linen and handspun woollen

                                                yarn in the early 19th c. Earlier the measure was

                                                considerably shorter, and varies considerably with

                                                the kind of yarn spun.

 

                                                For Coal Measure see Mett, n., 4.

 


ABBEVIATIONS

 

1. AS USED IN THE DICTIONARY

 

a. (with date)                     ante = before

A. = Author                       (after an author’s own note)

abbr.                                 abbreviated, abbreviation

abr.                                   abridged

absol.                                absolute(ly)

acc.                                   accusative

accord.                              according

ad.                                    adaptation of

Add.                                  Addenda

adj.                                   adjective, adjectival(ly)

adv.                                  adverb, adverbial(ly)

affirm.                               affirmative(ly)

Angus Gl.                          Glossary of the Shetland Dialect, by J. S. Angus (1914)

Anon.                                Anonymous

ante.                                  antecedent

aph.                                   aphetic

App.                                  Appendix

appar.                                apparent(ly)

Arab.                                Arabic

arch.                                 archaic

art.                                    article

assim.                                assimilated, assimilation

assoc.                                association

attrib.                               attributive(ly)

aux.                                   auxiliary

A.V.                                 Authorised Version

 

B. and H.                          A Dictionary of English Plant-Names, by James Britten, F.L.S., and

                                             Robert Holland (1886)

B.C.                                  Bannatyne Club

Bense                                   A Dictionary of the Low-Dutch Element in the English Vocabulary,

                                                by J. F. Bense, Lit. Ph.D. (1926–38)

Björkman             Scandinavian Loan- Words in Middle English, by Erik Björkman,

                                             Ph.D. (1900–02)

Bk.                                    Book

B.R.S.                               Burgh Record Society

 

c. (with date)                     Circa = about

c.                                      century

cent.                                  century

centr.                                central

cf.                                     confer = compare

chron.                                chronological(ly)

Cleasby and Vigfusson       Icelandic–English Dictionary based on the MS. collections of the

                                             late Richard Cleasby, enlarged and completed by Gudbrand

                                             Vigfusson (1874)

C.M.                                 Cursor Mundi

cogn.                                 cognate

coll.                                   collective(ly)

colloq.                               colloquial(ly)

Colville                              Studies in Lowland Scots, by J. Colville (1909)

comb.                                combination

comm.                               common(ly)

comp.                                compound

compar.                             comparative

Concise Eng. Dict.             The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, adapted by H. W.

                                             Fowler and F. G. Fowler from The Oxford Dictionary (1929)

condit.                               conditional

conj.                                 conjunction, conjunctive

conn.                                 connected

cons.                                 consonant

constr.                               constructed, construction

contr.                                contracted, contraction

corr.                                  corresponding to

Cotgrave                           A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, compiled by

                                             Randle Cotgrave (1611)

Curriehill                            John Marshall, Lord Curriehill (1794–1868), judge of the Court of

                                             Session, who wrote marginal notes in a copy of MacTaggart’s

                                             Gallov. Encycl. now in the library of the late Mr. E. A. Hornel,

                                             artist, Kirkcudbright. (Gall. a.1868 Curriehill)

 

d.                                      died

(D)1                                              dialect, dialectal

D.A.E.                              A Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles, compiled

                                             at the University of Chicago under the editorship of Sir William

                                             Craigie and James R. Hulbert (1936–)

Dan.                                  Danish

Danneil                              Worterbuch der altmarkischen platt-deutschen Mundart. by Johann

                                             Friedrich Danneil (1859)

dat.                                   dative

def.                                   definition

def. art.                            definite article

 

1 In introducing quotations, (D) after the name of the county implies that the local dialect is more strongly marked in the whole or in some definite part of the writer’s work than in the case of those books or authors that have merely the local designation.

 

 

dem.                                  demonstrative

deriv.                                 derived, derivative, derivation

dial.                                   dialect, dialectal

Dict.                                  Dictionary

Dieth                                 A Grammar of the Buchan Dialect (Aberdeenshire), Descriptive and

                                             Historical. Vol. I. Phonology–Accidence, by Eugen Dieth,

                                             Ph.D. (1932)

Diez                                  An Etymological Dictionary of the Romance Languages; chiefly from

                                             the German of Friedrich Diez, by T. C. Donkin,

                                         B.A. (1864)

Dijkstra                             Friesch Woordenboek, by W. Dijkstra (1900)

dim.                                   diminutive

Dinneen                             Dinneen’s Irish–English Dictionary

D.O.S.T.                           A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, from the Twelfth Century

                                             to the end of the Seventeenth, by Sir William A. Craigie, LL.D.,

                                             D.Litt. and A. J. Aitken, M.A. (1931–)

D.S.C.S.                            The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, by J. A. H. Murray

                                             (1873)

Du.                                   Dutch

Dwelly                              The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary, by E. Dwelly. F.S.A.

                                             Scot., F.S.G. (4th ed. 1941)

 

E.                                      Early

(E)                                    Eclectic = an artificial form of Scots, sometimes called synthetic

                                             Scots or Lallans

e.Ang.                               east Anglian

ed.                                    edited, editor, edition

E.D.D.                              The English Dialect Dictionary, by Joseph Wright, in six Volumes

                                             (1898–1905)

Edm. Gl.                           Glossary of the Dialect of Shetland and Orkney, by T. Edmonston

                                             (1866)

E.E.P.                               Early English Pronunciation, by A. J. Ellis (1869–1889)

E.E.T.S.                            Early English Text Society

ellipt.                                 elliptical(ly)

E.M.E.                              Early Modern English

Eng.                                  English

Eng.–Welsh Dict. Spurrell’s English–Welsh Dictionary (1926)

erron.                                erroneous(ly)

esp.                                   especial(ly)

etym.                                 etymology, etymological(ly)

euphem.                            euphemism, euphemistic(ally)

evid.                                  evident(ly)

ex.                                    example(s)

exc.                                   except, exception

excl.                                  exclamation, exclamatorily

expl.                                  explained

expr.                                 expression

 

Fær.                          Faeroese

Falk and Torp                    Norwegisch–Danisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, by H. S.

                                             Falk and Alf Trop (1910–1911)

fam.                                  familiar(ly)

Farmer and Henley            A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English, by John S. Farmer and

                                             W. E. Henley (1905)

fem.                                  feminine

fig.                                    figurative(ly)

fl.                                      floruit = flourished

Flem.                                 Flemish

Flom.                                 Scandinavian Influence on Southern Lowland Scotch, by G. T. Flom

                                             (1900)

foll.                                   following, followed

Fr.                                     French

Francisque-Michel              A Critical Inquiry into the Scottish Language, by Francisque-Michel

                                             (1882)

Franck                               Franck’s Etymologisch Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal (1912)

freq.                                  frequent(ly), frequentative

Fris.                                  Frisian

fut.                                    future

 

Gael.                                 Gaelic

Gamillscheg                       Etymologisches Worterbuch der Französischen Sprache, ed. Ernst

                                             Gamillscheg (1928)

gen.                                   genitive; general(ly)

Gen.Sc.                             General Scots = known generally wherever Lowland Scots is spoken

Ger.                                  German

Gl.                                     Glossary

Gmc.                                 Germanic

Godefroy                           Lexique de LAncien Francais, by Frederic Godefroy (1901 ed.)

Goth.                                 Gothic

Gr.                                    Greek

Gregor D. Bnff.                 Dialect of Banffshire, by W. Gregor (1866)

 

Hatz. and Darm.                Dictionnaire General de la Langue Francaise, by A. Hatzfeld and A.

                                             Darmesteter (1926)

Hebr.                                Hebrides

(Highland)                         representation of a Highlander’s speech by the author

hist.                                  history, historical

 

Ib.                                     Ibidem = in the same place

Icel.                                  Icelandic

Id.                                     Idem = the same person (esp. when referred to as authority for a

                                             word)

Idg.                                   Indogermanic

I.E.                                   Indo-European

imit.                                   imitative

imp.                                   impression

imper.                                imperative

impers.                              impersonal(ly)

impf.                                 imperfect

indef.                                 indefinitive

indic.                                 indicative

inf.                                    infinitive

infl.                                   inflexion

instrum.                             instrumental

int.                                    interjection

interrog.                             interrogative(ly)

intr.                                  intransitive(ly)

Intro.                                 Introduction

Ir.                                     Irish

irreg.                                 irregular(ly)

It.                                      Italian

ital.                                    italics

 

Jak.                                   An Etym. Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland, by Jakob

                                             Jakobson (1908 Dan. ed., 1928 Eng. tr.)

Jam.                                  Etym. Dictionary of the Scottish Language, in two volumes (1808), by

                                             John Jamieson

Jam.1                                 Etym. Dictionary of the Scottish Language (abr. ed.) (1818)

Jam.2                                 Supplement to the Etym. Dictionary of the Scottish Language, in two

                                             Volumes (1825)

Jam.3                                 Etym. Dictionary of the Scottish Language, revised by J. Johnstone

                                             (1840–1841), in two Volumes

Jam.4                                 Dictionary of the Scottish Language, by John Jamieson, abr. by J.

                                             Johnstone, revised by J. Longmuir (1867)

Jam.5                                 Etym. Dictionary of the Scottish Language, revised by J. Longmuir

                                             and D. Donaldson (1879–1882)

Jam.6                                 Supplement to Jamieson’s Scottish Dictionary, by D. Donaldson

                                             (1887)

Joyce                                English as we speak it in Ireland, by P. W. Joyce, LL.D., T.C.D.,

                                             M.R.I.A. (2nd ed. 1910)

 

Kilian                                Etymologicum Teutonicæ Linguæ, sive Dictionarium

                                             Teutonico–Latinum, by C. Kilian (1772–1777)

Kluge                                An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, by Friedrich

                                             Kluge

 

L., Linn.                            Linnæus

lang.                                  language

Larsen                               Dansk–Norsk–Englsk Ordbog, ed. A. Larsen (1910)

Lat.                                   Latin

L.Ger.                               Low German

lit.                                     literal(ly)

liter.                                  literary, in literary use only

Lith.                                  Lithuanian

L.Sc.                                 Lowland Scottish

 

m., mod.                            modern

M.C.                                 Maitland Club

McAlpine                          Gaelic Dictionary, by Neil McAlpine

MacBain                           Etym. Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, by A. MacBain (1896)

MacLennan                       A Pronouncing and Etym. Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, by

                                             Malcolm MacLennan (1925)

Macleod and Dewar           A Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, by the Rev. Dr. Norman

                                             Macleod and the Rev. Dr. Daniel Dewar (1893)

Marw.                               The Orkney Norn, by H. Marwick (1929)

masc.                                masculine

Med. (med.)                      Mediaeval

Med. Lat.                          Medieval Latin

met.                                  metathetic, metathesis

metaph.                             metaphor, metaphorical(ly)

Metcalfe                            Supplementary Dictionary of the Scottish Language, with

                                             Introduction by W. M. Metcalfe (1910)

M.H.Ger.                          Middle High German

Mid. Eng.                          Middle English

midl.                                  midland (i.e. Eng. dialect of the Midlands)

Mid.Sc.                             Middle Scots

Misc.                                 Miscellany

M.L.Ger.                           Middle Low German

M.M.Sc.                            Manual of Modern Scots, by W. Grant and J. M. Dixon (1921)

Mont.-Fleming                   Notes on Jamiesons Scottish Dictionary, by J. B. Montgomerie-

                                             Fleming (1899)

 

n.                                      noun

naut.                                  nautical

n.d.                                   no date

N.E.D.                              A New English Dictionary, ed. J. A. H. Murray, H. Bradley, W. A.

                                             Craigie, C. T. Onions (Oxford, 1884–1929)

neg.                                   negative(ly)

neut.                                  neuter

nom.                                  nominative

Norw.                               Norwegian

num.                                  numeral

 

obj.                                    object(ive)

obs.                                   obsolete

obsol.                                obsolescent

occas.                               occasional(ly)

O.E.                                  English, before the Conquest; includes the four dialects, West Saxon,

                                             Kentish, Mercian and Northumbrian

O.Fr.                                 Old French

O.Fris.                               Old Frisian

O.H.Ger.                           Old High German

O.I. or O.Ir.                       Old Irish

O.N.                                 Old Norse

O.N.Fr.                             Old Norman French

onomat.                             onomatopœic

O.North.                            Old Northumbrian

orig.                                  origin(al)(ly)

O.Sax.                               Old Saxon

O.Sc.                                Older Scots

O.Slav.                              Old Slavonic

 

p. (with date)                     post = after

p., pp.                                page, pages

pa.p.                                 past participle

pass.                                 passive(ly)

pa.t.                                  past tense

perf.                                  perfect

pers.                                  personal

phon.                                 phonetic(s)

phr(s).                               phrase(s)

phs.                                   perhaps

pl.                                     plural

P.L.D.                               Phonetic Description of the Language and Dialects in Vol. I., Intro.

pleon.                                pleonasm, pleonastic(ally)

poet.                                  poetical

pop.                                   popular(ly)

Port.                                  Portuguese

poss.                                 possible(ly)

ppl.                                    participle

ppl.adj.                             participial adjective

ppl.phr.                              participial phrase

pred.                                 predicate, predicatively

pref.                                  prefix

prep.                                 preposition

pres.                                  present

pret.                                  preterite

Prim.                                 Primitive

Prim.O.E.                          Primitive Old English

prob.                                 probable(ly)

pron.                                pronoun

prop.                                 proper(ly)

Prov.                                 Provencal

Pr.p.                                 Promptorium Parvulorum

pr.p.                                 present participle

pr.t.                                   present tense

publ.                                  published

 

q.v.                                   quod vide = which see

 

reduplic.                            reduplicative

ref.                                    reference

refl.                                   reflexive(ly)

reg.                                   regular(ly)

rel.                                    relative

repr.                                  representative, representing, etc.

Roget                                An Introduction to Old French, by F. F. Roget, 1887

Rom.                                 Romance—i.e. Latin and languages derived from it

 

Sc.                                    Scots (when no indication of a particular dialect is given); Scottish,

                                             Scotch

sc.                                     scilicet = that is to say

S.C.                                  Spalding Club, New Spalding Club, Third Spalding Club

Scand.                               Scandinavian

Scot.                                 Scotland

S.D.D.                              Chambers’s Scots Dialect Dictionary, by A. Warrack (19 1)

sep.                                   separate

S.H.S.                               Scottish Historical Society

sing.                                  singular

Skeat                                 Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, by Walter

                                             W. Skeat (1911)

Skr.                                   Sanskrit

S.N.D.                               Scottish National Dictionary

Sp.                                    Spanish

specif.                               specific(ally)

Stat. Acc.1                         Statistical Account of Scotland (1791–1799)

Stat. Acc.2                         New Statistical Account of Scotland (1845)

Stat. Acc.3                         Third Statistical Account of Scotland (of varying dates from 1951)

St.Eng.                              Standard English

Sth.Eng.                            Southern English—i.e. Standard English as spoken in the middle

                                             and south of England

Stratmann                          A Middle-English Dictionary containing words used by English

                                             writers from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, by

                                             Francis Henry Stratmann (ed. H. Bradley 1891)

S.T.S.                                Scottish Text Society

st.v.                                   strong verb

subj.                                  subject; subjunctive

subst.                                substantive(ly)

suff.                                  suffix

superl.                               superlative

Suppl.                               Supplement

s.v.                                    sub voce = under the word

Sw.                                   Swedish

Sweet, A.S.                        The Students Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon, by Henry Sweet (1897)

Sweet, H.E.S.                    A History of English Sounds, by Henry Sweet (1888)

syll.                                   syllable

syn.                                   synonym(ous)

 

tech.                                  technical(ly)

Torp                                  Nynorsk Etymologisk Ordbok, by Alf Torp (1919)

tr.                                      transitive(ly)

Trans.                               Transactions

transf.                               transferred sense

transl.                                translation

Traynor Gl.                       M. Traynor English Dialect of Donegal (1953)

trs.                                    transfer

T.S.D.C.                            Transactions of the Scottish Dialects Committee

 

Un. Eng. Dict.                   The Universal English Dictionary, edited by H. C, Wyld (1932)

U.S.                                  United States

usu.                                   usual(ly)

 

v., vb.                                verb

v.                                      vide = see

var.                                   variant of

vbl.n.                                verbal noun

vern.                                 vernacular

v.i.                                    vide infra = see below

viz.                                    videlicet = namely

Voc.                                  vocabulary

v.s.                                    vide supra = see above

 

Watson W.-B.                    Roxburghshire Word-Book, by G. Watson (1923)

Webster                            Websters New International Dictionary (end ed., 1935)

Weekley                            Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, by Ernest Weekley

                                             (1921)

Westergaard                      Studies in Prefixes and Suffixes in Middle Scottish, by Elizabeth

                                             Westergaard (1924)

Wettstein                           The Phonology of a Berwickshire Dialect, by Paul Wettstein (1942)

Wilson, D. Burns               The Dialect of Robert Burns as spoken in Central Ayrshire by Sir

                                             James Wilson (1923)

Wilson Cent. Scot.             The Dialects of Central Scotland, by Sir James Wilson (1926) for

                                             Fif., Lth.

Wilson, L. Strathearn        Lowland Scotch as spoken in the Lower Strathearn District of

                                             Perthshire, by Sir James Wilson (1915) for Per.

Wilson                               referring to any of the above works (differentiated by the county

                                             abbreviation)

wk.v.                                 weak verb

W.-L.                                 Word-List

W.S.                                 West Saxon

 

Zai                                    The Phonology of the Morebattle Dialect (East Roxburghshire), by

                                             Rudolf Zai, Ph.D., 1942

Zoëga                      A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, by Geir T. Zoëga (1910)

 

*                                 (in etymological notes) hypothetical form.

                           obsolete.

                          obsolescent.

[ ]                                     square brackets enclose the phonetic descriptions, the etymological notes, and explanations by editor inserted in quotations.

                                         A date in square brackets is sometimes given for the first edition of a book, when that ed. has not been consulted, but when it is known to differ in some respect from the ed. used.

                              indicates thea no evidence for the word in question has been found, beyond that quoted in the article.

 

                                        

 

2. FOR SCOTTISH DIALECT DISTRICTS

 

With the drastic reform of Scottish local government in 1975 the political map of Scotland has been much altered and the areas demarcated in P.L.D. pp. xlvii–xlviii no longer exist. New provinces called regions have been formed by amalgamations of counties or parts of counties, the counties themselves have disappeared and new administrative areas called districts have been formed within re-drawn boundaries. Shetland and Orkney form two Island Authorities.

 

            The dialects of Caithness (Cai.), Cromarty (Crm.), Easter Ross and Avoch (Rs.), and the fishing villages of Nairn (Nai.), now form the only Scots-speaking areas in the Highland region; ne.Sc. corresponds fairly closely to the Grampian region; sn.Sc. and em.Sc.(a) cover the Tayside, Fife and Central regions, se.Slg. being more or less coterminous with the new Falkirk district; e., m. and w.Lth. coincide with the new Lothian region; em.Sc.(b) extends over the parts of the Borders region north of the Tweed; the Strathclyde region includes the wm.Sc. area with the dialects of Bute, Arran and s.Kintyre and the Carrick area of sm.Sc.; the Dumfries and Galloway region covers the rest of sm.Sc. and the east and mid.Dmf. areas of s.Sc.; the rest of the s.Sc. area is divided between the new Roxburgh district and the half of the Ettrick and Lauderdale district south of the Tweed.

 

 

3. COMMONLY USED FOR SCOTTISH lNSTITUTIONS, ETC.

 

A.R.S.A.                           Associate of R.S.A.

C.A.                                  Chartered Accountant (see Accountant (Suppl.)).

C.R.                                  Caledonian Railway.

D.P.                                  Univ. slang for a class certificate issued to those students who have

                                             “Duly Performed” the work of the class without distinction.

E.I.S.                                Educational Institute of Scotland.

E.U.                                  Evangelical Union (see Morisonian).

F.A.                                  Faculty of Actuaries.

F.B.S.E.                            Fellow of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh.

F.C.                                  Free Church (of Scotland). See Free.

F.D.S.R.C.S.E.                  Fellow of Dental Surgery of R.C.S.E.

F.F.A.                               Fellow of F.A.

F.F.P.S.                             Fellow of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons (of Glasgow).

F.P.C.                               Free Presbyterian Church. See Free.

F.R.C.P.E.                        Fellow of R.C.P.E.

F.R.C.P.G.                        Fellow of R.C.P.G.

F.R.C.S.E.                         Fellow of R.C.S.E.

F.R.S.E.                            Fellow of R.S.E.

F.R.S.G.S.                         Fellow of R.S.G.S.

F.S.A. Scot.                       Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

G.N.S.R.                           Great North of Scotland Railway.

G.S.W.R.                          Glasgow and South-Western Railway.

H.G.S.                               Higher Grade School (see Higher, 2. (2)).

H.L.I.                                Highland Light Infantry (see Hieland, adj., 7. (11)).

H.R.                                  Highland Railway.

I.P.D.                                   In praesentia Dominorum (see Presence), orig. I.P.D.P[arliamenti],

                                             appended to the signature of the Chancellor of Scotland on the

                                             engrossed copy of an Act of Parliament.

K.O.S.B.                           King’s Own Scottish Borderers (see King (Suppl.)).

K.T.                                  Knight of [the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of] the Thistle

                                             (see Thrissel, 2. (2)).

L.A.                                  Literate in Arts, a degree equivalent to M.A. for men, given from

                                             1876 to women students, then still excluded from British

                                             Universities, by the University of St. Andrews, later changed to

                                             L.L.A. (Lady Literate in Arts) and falling into disuse after the

                                             admission of women to Universities from 1890.

L.R.C.P.E.                        Licentiate of R.C.P.E.

L.R.C.S.E.                        Licentiate of R.C.S.E.

M.R.C.P.E.                       Member of R.C.P.E.

M.R.C.S.E.                       Member of R.C.S.E.

N.B.R.                              North British Railway.

P. & W.J.R.               Portpatrick and Wigtonshire Joint Railway,

P.R.S.A.                           President of R.S.A.

P.R.S.E.                            President of R.S.E.

R.C.P.E.                           Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

R.C.P.G.                           Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow.

R.C.S.E.                            Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

R.C.S.G.                           Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow.

R.P.                                  Reformed Presbyterian.

R.S.A.                               Royal Scottish Academy.

R.S.E.                               Royal Society of Edinburgh.

R.S.G.S.                            Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

S.C.E.                               Scottish Certificate of Education (see Higher, 1.).

S.E.D.                               Scottish Education Department.

S.F.A.                               Scottish Football Association.

S.L.P.                               Scottish Labour Party (1888–93).

S.N.O.                              Scottish National Orchestra.

S.N.P.                               Scottish National Party.

S.P.C.K.                           Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge.

S.R.C.                               Students’ Representative Council (see Student).

S.S.C.                               Solicitor in the Supreme Courts (see Solicitor).

S.W.R.I.                            Scottish Women’s Rural Institutes.

U.F.(C).                            United Free (Church). See United.

U.P.                                  United Presbyterian. See United.

W.S.                                 Writer to the Signet. See Signet.