Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Mortcharge, n. Also: moirt-, more- and -chairge. [Cf. mod. F. (à) morte charge, (of a ship etc.) fully or overloaded.] ‘Dead weight’ goods, those commodities in a ship's cargo which have a high weight-to-bulk ratio and so pay a lower freightage. 1518–19 (c 1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I. 187.
Thair guid to be furit to … Deip in France for the fraucht of xxvj s. and xvj s. the mort chairge frie of all uther chairges except pryme gilt 1533–4 Ib. II. 66. 1541 Ib. 105.
Fra Scotis men xx s. greit the mortcharge and xxj s. greit the lycht guddis 1553 Ib. 184.
That the dene of gild … fraucht na schippis to France bot for iij frankis the mortcharge and iiij frankis the lycht gudis the ton 1574 Ib. IV. 29.
That at the frauchting of schippis the frauchtaris sall geve na hear pryces for lycht gudes or more chairge nor sevin frankis ourheid 1631–49 Conv. Burghs IV. 547.
Statut that the ordinar weight of all heavie goods which are accompted mort charge the tunn thereof shall weigh 2,000 weight Ib. 552.
If any Scots merchands shall … arrive … with any goods which are impute for mort-charge, that the said mort-charge be free of all customes ? 1641 Irvine Mun. II. 51.
That thay giff no les nor 2000 weght for ilk tune of moirtchairge as madir and allum or ony uther deid weght