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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

MACER, n. A mace-bearer. Specif. in Sc. Law: an official who keeps order in a court of law, an usher in the Court of Session (Sc. 1722 W. Forbes Institutes II. ii. 182, 1825 Jam., 1946 A. D. Gibb Legal Terms 53). Hence macership, the office of macer.Sc. 1701 H. Arnot Crim. Trials (1785) 98:
One of the macers of council then came to the deponent's house, and required him to bring the copper-plate, and all the copies, before the Lords of Privy Council.Sc. 1732 J. Louthian Form Process 7:
The Justice Court has three Macers, tho' they are not restricted to that Number. They have their Commissions from the Justice General, . . . and each of them has a Mace and black gown. The Macer's chief Business is, to execute all Indictments, Criminal Letters, &c, citing of Assysers and Witnesses against and for Pannels, executing Warrants for Imprisonment, waiting on the Judges all the Dyets of Court, bringing out and returning Pannels from and to Prison, to inclose Juries, and attend upon them while they are drawing up their Verdict, and repeats after the Clerk all Sentences that are not Capital.Edb. 1769 A. Pennecuik Coll. Sc. Poems 56:
No macer's lungs did bawl the rolls of hell.Sc. 1800 D. Hume Trial for Crimes I. 419:
Whether the libel be in the form of indictment or criminal letters, it may equally be executed by messengers at arms, who are the ordinary executors of all the King's letters; or by macers of the Court of Justiciary, to whom the salutation of criminal letters, and also of the letters of diligence which pass on indictment, is specially addressed.Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. lviii.:
“Macers? who are they?” “Why, it is a kind of judicial Saturnalia. You must know, that one of the requisites to be a macer, or officer in attendance upon our supreme court, is, that they shall be men of no knowledge.”Sc. 1852 J. Grant Sc. Cavalier I. ix.:
Walter was conducted back to the prison-house in Gourlay's Close . . . preceded by Macer Maclutchy.Edb. 1883 Edb. Daily Rev. (6 June) 2:
Mr G. G. has been appointed . . . to the vacant macership in the Court of Session.Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xvii.:
And the very macer cried “Cruachan”.Sc. 1929 Encycl. Laws Scot. VIII. 603:
The mace is carried by the macer in front of the judge when he comes on to the bench, is hung up behind his seat during the sitting of the Court, and taken down and carried in front of him when the Court rises.