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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

STIMPART, n. Also -pert, -pard, stumpard. [′stɪmpərt]

1. The fourth part of a peck, in dry measure, gen. of oats, a Forpet or Lippie (Ayr. 1779 J. Swinton Weights, etc. 58, 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 585, 1880 Jam.; Slg., m.Lth., wm.Sc., Dmf. 1971). See Peck, n.², 1.Ayr. 1787 Burns Letters (Ferguson) No. 112:
She [a mare]'ll whip me aff her five stimparts o' the best aits at a down-sittin.Ayr. 1821 Galt Legatees iv.:
Buying coals by the stimpert.Ayr. 1868 J. K. Hunter Artist's Life 92:
I ate a stimpart o' potatoes.Lnk. 1880 Clydesdale Readings 194:
Like a Clydesdale roadster after a heatit stimpart o' aits an' beans.Ayr. 1906 Scottish Review (22 Nov.) 571:
The usual order to the grocer was for a stimpart of oatmeal.

2. (1) A measure of land sown with flax, of an extent requisite to produce a stimpart of seed (Ayr. 1880 Jam.).Lnk. 1880 M. Gebbie Strathavon 158:
On “feeing” girls, it was stipulated that a “stimpart” of lint should be sown, so that they could claim it on their own account.

(2) the fourth part of a rig, which would correspond roughly to (1). Hence comb. stimpart-shearer, a young person, usu. a girl, whose allotted task at harvest was to cut this area of crop with a sickle, and in later times to act as a bandster. Also in reduced form stimpart, id.Ayr. 1868 J. K. Hunter Artist's Life 6:
The young shearers through course of time come forth as a stimpart or fourth part of a rig.Ayr. 1895 H. Ochiltree Redburn xix.:
The puirest stimpart-shearer in a' the muirlands could hae shorn the haill o' the lang riggs.Ayr. 1924 J. Innes Till a' the Seas vii.:
For the harvest workers worked in couples — a lad and a lass — a halflin and a stimpart. The stimpart bound the stooks after the mower with bands made of corn-stalks, while the halflin set the stooks in coils to dry.