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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
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S(c)hilling, n. Also: schyll-, s(c)hil-, scill-, sill-, syll-, s(c)hel(l)-, sheill-, sell- and -yng, -eyng, -in(e, -yn(e, -en, -ein; (schinling, shillenyng). [ME and e.m.E. schillinge (Ancr. R.), ssillinge (1297), schiling (Cursor M.), shillyng(e (Piers Plowman), shelyng(e (Caxton), shilling (1549), shyllyn (1556), OE scilling, OFris. skilling, -eng, schilling, MDu. schellingh. Cf. ON skilling-r.]Abbreviated shil(l, scill and s (as in English, = L. solidus).

1. A money of account, of the value of twelve pennies, and the twentieth part of a pound. See also Penny n. and Pund n.¹Also schilling Scots, schilling usuale money (of Scotland), etc.In plural, also uninflected.See the note to Pund n.¹ II 3 on the devaluation of the Scots currency vis-à-vis the English.(1) pl. c1420 Wynt. vii 257.
Off ilke hyd that tyme off land … Sex schyllyngys he tuke 1455 Liber Scon 185. 1458 Reg. Great S. 143/1.
Of ilk crear [etc.] [supra that cumis in the hawin] … fyf schillingis 1468 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. viii 143.
The Franche crowne of gold [to pass] for allewing schillingis a1500 Henr. Fab. 1183 (Bann.). 1476 Ayr Friars Pr. Chart. 55.
Schillyngis 1478–9 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 36.
At the commoun clerk … gadder of ilk stallenger … twa shillings c1475 Wall. vi 445.
‘Xx^ty shillingis,’ Wallace said, ‘thow sall haiff’ 1491 Treas. Acc. I 167.
Hary nobillis … for thretty tua schillingis the pece 1508–9 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 4.
The price of the hid sex schillingis 1531 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 48.
Shillenyngis 1535 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 125.
Tuenty sex shilleyngis … for tuay bollis of malt 1562 Dumfries B. Ct. fol. 177b.
Ane annell rent of four schillings 1589 Glasgow B. Rec. I 142.
Twentie schillingis for ane cod and codwair 1611 Reg. Panmure I xxvii.
Ane annuel of fourtie shillines Ib. xxix.
Shillins 1615 Edinb. Test. XLVIII 214.
Fourteine pundis aucht schillingis the dosone 1686 Acts VIII 606/1.
That in all tyme comeing the species of current coyne within this kingdome shall be five shillings, ten shillings, tuenty shillings, fourty shillings and sixtie shillings(b) 1461 Ayr B. Ct. p. 187 (? 15 Aug.).
Sax schelingis of annuell rentis 1467 Acta Aud. 7/1. 1550 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 450.
Allevin schelingis aucht penneis 1552 Reg. Cupar A. II 105.
Schellingis 1590 Thanes of Cawdor 199.
Four schellens and ij d.(c) 1629 Stirling Hammermen in Stirling Archæol. Soc. (1927–8) 44.
Schileins 1636 Urie Baron Ct. 80.
Sextein shilings aucht pennes(d) 1530 Aberd. B. Rec. I 137.
Scillingis(e) 1507 Grant Chart. 46.
The sowme off ane hunderycht sax pundis thretene syllyns 1532 Wigtown B. Ct. fol. 268b.
Tre syllynnis & ix d. 1536 Breadalbane Doc. No. 46.
Thretty thre lib. vj sillingis viij d. 1540 Elgin Rec. I 49.
And sall pay fouir sillingis to the forsaid Katerine for ane amendisuninfl. pl. 1416 Red Bk. Grandtully I 186*.
Thrattene schilling and four penys 1425 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 97.
Fowre schillyng of annuale rent 1491 Treas. Acc. I 167. 1509 Liber Coll. Glasg. 208.
For his lyftyme sewinteyne schillyne and ane penne a1578 Pitsc. II 226/34. 1602 Dundee Shipping P. 73.
Sewin schillein sex penes 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 49.
Scilling 1634 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II 421. 1644 Acts VI i 76/2.
Tuentie shilline 1660 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 289.
Awghtein shilling … for expences 1676 Edinb. B. Rec. X 281. 1681 Douglas Corr. 279.
Shillen 1688 Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. 3 Ser. XXXVI 40. 1706 Lanark B. Rec. 273.
Five shilling four pennies of land maill(b) 1431 Reg. Great S. 45/1.
Twenti scheling 1598 (1599) Reg. Great S. 291/2.
Payand thairfoir yeirlie … thriescoir fyftene pundis four scheling aucht penneis 1622 Broxmouth & Pincarton Baron Ct. 17 Oct.
To poynd for thretteine sheling four pennyes(c) 1599 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 318.
For … lyme at ten shiling the laid 1679 Dunferm. Hammermen MS p. 101b.
28 shilen of mertimes box penne 1682 Corshill Baron Ct. 160.
Shiling(d) 1457 Peebles B. Rec. I 120.
xvj sellyn of anwel that scho had of Wil Bulliis land 1458 Ib. 127.
A challis the prys of honder syllyn, or ellis delyuer a honder sellyn in Wil Peblis handabbrev. pl. 1684 Insh Colonial Schemes 238.
2 shil and 6 pen 1688 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XXVII 149.
20 shill.sing. 1534 Wigtown B. Ct. fol. 294b.
The wrangus halden fra tham of quarter of ane syllyng 1670 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. 2 April.
Thriescoir punds ane shilling sex pennies money(2) 1416 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 247a.
Fourty sillyngis off gud and vsuale monay off Scotland 1448 Aberd. B. Rec. I 17.
v schillingis of vsuale monee of Scotland 1483 Acta Aud. *122/2.
Ten schillingis Scottis 1491 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 327.
Fourty schillingis Scottis mone 1526 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. I 105. 1552 Reg. Cupar A. II 103.
Tene schinlingis [sic] vsuall money c1607–15 Goudie Shetl. Antiq. 158.
Everie guidling is twenty foure shillingis Scottis 1651 Acts VI ii 657/1.
That the twelff shillingis Scottis should be cryed wp to ane mark 1655 Conv. Burghs III 400.
Thertie schillingis Scottis money 1661 Ray Remains in Cunningham Diary xl.
4 bodels 8 pennies, 6 bodels 1 shilling Scotch 1679 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS 12 Feb.
Six shilling Scots 1680 Rep. Miss Hamilton MSS in 8th Rep. Hist. MSS 310/1.
Fortie shilling Scots 1681 Irvine Mun. II 294.
Fowr pon sixth shilen Scots 1682 Dunferm. Hammermen MS p. 109.
Shilen 1696 Vernon Freemasonry in Roxburghshire 23.
Four pound ten shilin Scots(3) 1478 Colquhoun Chart. II 296.
Sax schillingis wortht off annuell 1656 Peebles B. Rec. II 198.
Hawf ane pund of butter and tua schillings worth of sape to creische the towes

b. Schilling gret, having a value in accordance with that of the Flemish groat. See Grete adj. 4 for further examples. 1504–5 Treas. Acc. II 287.
And giffin ilk pund Inglis for xxv s. gret Flemys monee 1508 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 2.
The hale sowm witht al uncostis by the fraucht fourty sewin pundis fourtene schillinggreit 1593 Conv. Burghs I 408.

c. Schilling sterling, the English shilling (see the note to 1 above). See Sterling adj. 1 for further examples. 1630 Justiciary Cases I 144.
Thairwith he delyuerit to the said Alexr. foure schillingis starling in Inglisch money 1640 Bk. Carlaverock II 504.
Everie chayer estimatt to fyvetein [scillingis] sterling, and evrie stool to nyne scillingis sterling

2. A coin, esp. a silver coin (perhaps in some unspecified instances after 1603 the silver English shilling).There was no Scottish coin of this denomination until after the Union of the Crowns. 1416 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 247a.
The lande liand on the suth raw, … for fourty syllingis of syluer 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2132 (B).
I haif na silver … Bot fyve schilling [Ch. schillings] 1542 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. I 76.
xvi scill. of syluer c1530-40 Stewart Bann. MS 95b/3.
The king … in my hand sled schillingis tway 1616 Orkney Witch Trial in Rogers Social Life (1886) III 299.
Ane scheret sheilling 1622 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 140b (11 Sept.).
Aucht markis of gold & threttin schillings of siluer 1650 Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. LI (1975) 55.
They fell in contest about a licht shilling 1663 Peebles B. Rec. II 56.
Ane leid shilling

3. Put to render L. solidus, or as a name for some foreign coin or money.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxiii 243.
Fywe schilling [L. quinque solidos] thane has he tane(2) 1563 Aberd. B. Rec. MS XXV (Jam., s.v. Lup).
Aucht daleiris & tuelf Lup schillingis 1570 (16..) Dundee B. Laws 113.
In Danskeine, ilk sort of cloth ane spruis schillingis, … fywe hundreth lentron waire or lamb-skinne ane spruis schillingis 1576 Orkney Oppress. 49.
Ane Dens schilling, quhilk is ane gild keling

4. = Schilling-worth (of land). 1451 11th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. vi 26.
Thuenty schelynworth in the Sandeholm … and an hunder schelyn in the Brakynreg 1662 Sc. Hist. Rev. IX 344.
The extent of Tirie is 20 tirungs or 120 merkland and 5 shillings more

5. attrib. a. Coupled with a preceding numeral to form an adjective of value.(1) a1578 Pitsc. II 198/4.
[They] tuik all the quenis siluir weschell and struik siluir quhilk straik was the xxx schiling peice 1642 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 69.
That in place of the said half merk xl and xx pennie peeces there be coynd tua shilling and three shilling peeces 1679 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 341 (9 Sept.).
That he gatt twa leggie dollors and fourtein shilling peice and half ane crowne 1686 Acts VIII 606/1, 2.
The sexty shillings Scots piece of the weight aforsaid … a five shilling Scots piece … the fourty shilling Scots piece … the tuenty shilling piece [etc.](2) 1456 Peebles B. Rec. I 113.
The sayd balye gayf grwnd sessyng with a penne of four sellyn anwal of Mechal Forest land 1580 Inverness Rec. I 285.
Ane fourtie schilling mailling(3) 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 19.
Twentie schillingis wodmell 1615 Orkney & Shetl. Ct. Bks. 72.
Tua shilling wedmell, price of the shilling xxiiii s. money 1628 Goudie Shetl. Antiq. 178.
Sex cuttellis is a shilling wodmell and ten shilling wodmell is a pak

b. Of a commodity: That costs the specified number of shillings. 1675 Cunningham Diary 49.
For 60 shilling naills, 120 6 sh: naills, and 120 4 sh naills, 16 s.

6. As a denomination of weight.After L. solidus, which was one twentieth of a pound (as was the shilling weight in English). 14.. Acts I 309/2.
The pund in King Dauidis dayis weyit xxv schillingis. Now the pund aw to wey in siluer xxvi schillingis and iij sterling penijs 1518 Edinb. Hammermen 255b.
Nyn ducattis of wecht of nyntene schillingis the pece 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 56b.
Ane pound sould wey twentie five schillings: And this was in the time of the assises foresaid: and the pound conteines fivetene vnces