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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

MORT, n. Also murt(h); mo(a)rth; mor(e)-. Sc. forms and usages of obs. Eng. mort, death.

1. Combs. and Phr., now only hist.: (1) mort bell, the bell rung at funerals, the death-bell; (2) mort-brod, a wooden memorial plaque (Ork. 1963). For a description of the Ork. example see Report Hist. Mon. Comm. Ork. & Sh. II. 139; (3) mort cauld, -ca(a)ld, -kaald, a severe cold, one's “death” of cold; influenza (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII, 145, 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1963). Cf. (14); (4) mort chest, a coffin. Cf. (10); (5) mortclaith, -clo(a)th, mor(e)-, a pall covering a coffin on its way to the grave (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; I.Sc., Fif., Lnk., Kcb. 1963), gen. one in the possession of the Kirk Session hired out for funerals; a fee payable for the use of this. Also used fig. and attrib. to describe a dark, sombre material. Comb. mortcloth society, a funeral society which hired out mortcloths; (6) mort coffin, a coffin; (7) mortfundyit, stiff with cold, chilled to the point of death. See Fundy; (8) mort-guard, = (13). Hist.; (9) morthead, (i) a skull, esp. the heraldic representation of a skull (w.Sc. 1741 A. McDonald Galick Vocabulary 166); (ii) a turnip lantern representing a skull (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1882 Francisque-Michel 135), also in reduced dim. form mortie; (iii) the death's head moth (Sc. 1882 Francisque-Michel 135); (10) mort-kist, a coffin (Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. XI. 319; Sh. 1963). Cf. (4); (11) mort-light, a phosphorescent light believed to shine over the place where a corpse lay. Cf. deid-licht s.v. Deid, III. 28.; (12) mort money, the money paid to the Kirk -Session for the hire of the mortcloth (Gall. 1730 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) II. 154); (13) mortsafe, an iron grid placed over a grave to deter body-snatchers; a metal box or cage in which a coffin was encased for its protection. Cf. (8); (14) one's morth o' cauld, — cowl, murth o' call, a severe cold, a deadly chill, one's “death” of cold (Dmf. a.1838 Jam. MSS. X. 207; Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl., Uls. 1963). Cf. (3).(1) Ayr. 1824 Galt Rothelan III. vi.:
From the hour that the mort-bell was again heard in the land, men relapsed into their wonted customs.Bwk. 1911 Hist. Bwk. Nat. Club XXI. 230:
Formerly every parish in Scotland boasted such a utensil, the Mort-Cloth and Mort-Bell being regarded as essential adjuncts at every funeral.Sc. 1927 Scots Mag. (May) 148:
The town of Glasgow formerly possessed two official hand bells, to wit, the “mort” bell and the “skellat” bell.(2) Ork. 1934 The Listener (8 July):
Many tombstones with quaint epitaphs stand along the walls in the interior of the building [St. Magnus Cathedral], but perhaps the most curious exhibit is the Mort Brod. It is made of wood and is suspended diamond wise from one of the pillars.(3) Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis s.v. mortfundyit:
A mort cold, i.e. a deadly cold, an extreme cold, that may occasion death.Sh. 1897 Shetland News (12 June):
Doo's gaun neesin' an' cravin' aboot da hoos laek ane at da bicht o' a mort cauld.(4) Gall. 1702 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 84:
For a mortchest to Elizabeth M'Clenan, a stranger . . . £2 00 00.Gsw. 1719 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1909) 51:
Whereof [£268 14s.] Scots to the poor for mortchists and other supplies to them.Gsw. 1753 Ib. (1911) 566:
James Inglis, wright, for mort chests, as per act dated 1 October 1753 . . . . . . £7 17 6.(5) Fif. 1700 in A. M. Houston Auchterderran (1924) 164:
One new velvet mortcloath, two old velvet ones.Gall. 1717 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 407:
The Session considering that they have now a large new mortcloth and that the old one is very much faild they appoint the said new mortcloth to be given out for the service of those in the parish at one pund sixteen shilling Scots money and the old one at one pund Scots.Rnf. 1726 W. Hector Judicial Rec. (1878) 276:
To William Simpson keeper of the morecloath for the morecolath. £2.Rnf. 1760 Session Papers, Memorial for Wrights in Paisley (23 June) 10:
A Mort-cloth is now become so fashionable in the Burials of the Dead, that even the poorest Mortal, if he cannot procure the Loan of one gratis, and can scrape together as much money, as to purchase the Use of it, will not see his Parent or Child go to the Grave without it.Sh. 1765 J. Mill Diary (S.H.S.) 137:
Penalties and Mort Cloath. . . . £19 16 0.Inv. 1808 J. Robertson Agric. Inv. 91:
The funds for the maintenance of the poor are, the charitable collection of the parishioners every Sabbath at church, . . . and the use of the mort-cloth at funerals.Slk. a.1835 Hogg Tales (1837) II. 189:
When I saw the mortclaith drawn off the coffin, an' saw the silver kythe, Aged 21, the tears ran down ower thae auld wizzened cheeks, Janet.Fif. 1864 St. Andrews Gazette (20 Feb.):
Mortcloth Society. . . . The Committee's report bore that their cloths had been out 106 times, of which 26 were for members, 67 for non-members, and gratis 11 times.m.Lth. 1870 J. Lauder Warblings 78:
Winter's weirdly mortcloth wound him, Colder than his own dead clay.Sc. 1886 A. Edgar Old Church Life 28, 30:
Mortcloths were sometimes kept and given out on hire by trade corporations, funeral societies, and private persons as well as by Kirk-Sessions, and it was only when they were given out by Kirk-Sessions that the hire paid for them reverted to the poor. . . . First one mortcloth, then another and another was purchased, till the Session had a large wardrobe of mortcloths of all sizes and qualities to suit different requirements and different fancies.Cai. 1890 J. Sinclair Scenes 191:
Did she tell ye she had 'e eess o' 'e murt-cloth?Arg. 1914 N. Munro New Road xxvii.:
The dark was like a mort-cloth at the start, but by-and-by it seemed less thick.Sc. 1929 Scots Mag. (Dec.) 197:
Aghast I glowr't at the grousome throng In their mort claith gouns arrayed.Sc. 1943 D. Young Braird o Thristles (1947) 8:
Twenty year beddit, and nou the mort-claith.wm.Sc. 1986 Robert McLellan in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 32:
Hae the auld ane here wi the mort-claiths when the jeyner comes, and tell him the corp isna ready. Lnk. 1991 Duncan Glen Selected Poems 66:
The nicht is lang.
A mort-claith is daurk owre themorrow's sun.
Cauld haunds are laid on my spine. Sc. 1991 John McDonald in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 90:
Spain's sair syle cam drookit i their licht;
an the sair syle gruppit their smeddum
tae'ts hert - hainin a pickle; garrin thaim byde
(like Cornford, bund in Cordova's mort-claith)
tae mak growthie this sair syle fir the future.(6) Lth. 1745 D. Robertson S. Leith Rec. (1925) 63:
4 shillings Sterling for a mort coffin furnished in September 1739.Gsw. 1765 Session Papers, Petition J. Crosse (26 Feb.) 2:
Protecting Daniel Miller wright in Calton, an unfreeman, to make a mort-coffin to the deceased Mr. Hugh Brown.(7) Bnff. 1852 A. Harper Solitary Hours 59:
Poor Hodge amang the water lay, Mortfundyit, until brake o' day.(8) Sc. 1933 E. S. Haldane Scotland of our Fathers 267:
The ordinary plan was to dig up recently buried bodies, and the heavy iron grids or mort-guards placed over the graves for protection are still to be seen in old graveyards.(9) (i) Sc. 1702 Analecta Scot. (Maidment 1837) II. 260:
An emblematical picture with morthead.Sc. 1722 A. Nisbet System Heraldry 267:
Crest, a Mort-Head with two Leg-Bones, Saltier-ways proper.Arg. 1912 N. Munro Ayrshire Idylls 132:
The odd thing to me was that she spoke of many names I could see on ony Sunday carved under mort-head and cherubim in Girvan churchyard.(ii) Abd. 1900 Abd. Wkly. Free Press (29 Dec.):
Weel, boys, fat think ye o' a mort-heid an' a white sheet at his window.ne.Sc. 1959 Bulletin (30 Sept.):
Perhaps you are thinking of “Mort head” or “Mortie,” which is the name given to turnip-lanterns by the folk in North-East Scotland.(10)Gsw. 1985 Anna Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's 29:
At its peak Glasgow was a city of a million people and, since many of them went to their mort-kists before old age or retirement, ... Edb. 1999:
I know 'mort kist', but only as a kind of joke. (11) Dmf. a.1869 Annandale Observer (22 May 1885):
But the rain aye slocken'd the dim mort-light, And the win' blew wondrous hie.(13) Rnf. 1844 Justiciary Reports (1846) 33:
There was a mortsafe put over the grave.Sc. 1888 Northern N. & Q. III. 51:
The coffin is then lowered, the cage-like mortsafe put over it, and the hinged rods, the tops of which interlace, bent over and padlocked . . . the grave is then filled up.Abd. 1960 Stat. Acc.³ 240:
In the churchyard a mort safe, dated 1831, still in excellent repair, recalls the days of the body snatchers.(14) Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 350:
Those who receive a severe cold get what is termed their morth o' cauld.

2. A dead body, a corpse. Also the mort, the dead. Rare and obs. in Eng.Ayr. 1836 Galt Rich Man (1925) 146:
He gave a glance at the mort, and said, “The man is dead — it was of no use to send for me.”Ayr. a.1839 Galt Demon Destiny 14:
The gathering myriads of the famous great — All skeletons, like morts, derisive grin.

3. The skin of a sheep or lamb that has died a natural death, esp. that of a lamb before the age of castration (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; s.Sc. 1963). In combs. mort-gatherer, a merchant who travels round buying these skins; mort-leather, mort-(lamb-)skins; mort-woo, wool of such skins (Rxb. 1825 Jam.). Also, the skin of a newly shorn sheep (Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poet. Gl., murt).Sc. 1706 Acts Parl. Scot. XI. 356:
Scotland shall be free from and noe wayes subject to the prohibitions against exporting of wool sheep and lamb skins . . . A vote was offered Approve . . . as to all except mort lamb-skins.Inv. 1720 Steuart Letter-Bk. (S.H.S.) 120:
13 small packs of lambsckins, which contean . . . on Thousand and ninetie on duzans mort lambskins.Sc. 1751 Session Papers, Petition J. Mansfield (29 July) 6:
A Parcel of Mort-Leather at Thirty-three Pounds Scots the One hundred, with four Clead to the hundred.Per. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XVIII. 520–1:
There are besides these, a good many small and slink kid, and mert [sic] lamb-skins dressed here, which are got from the north-west of Scotland . . . they have a plentiful supply of mort lamb-skins for that purpose [glove manufactory], from the south of Scotland.Sc. 1816 Scott B. Dwarf i.:
He'll be unco busy amang the morts this season.Slk. 1822 W. J. Napier Store-Farming 86:
The high-towering load of the murt-gatherer's horse is seen to issue from the mountains, a melancholy spectacle of the ravages of the tempest and the carelessness of man.