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

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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Burding, n.¹ Also: buirding, -yng, bourding. [Later form of Birding n., with the vowel as in Burdin n.]

1. A burden; an amount carried. 1509 Rec. Earld. Orkney 83.
Paytt to the aneris for ilk leyd or buirdyng takyne awa 1533 Bell. Livy I. 136/14.
Grete burdingis of erde and sand 1560–1 Edinb. Old Acc. II. 129.
Ane burding of colis 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 291.
With burdingis of meill, malt [etc.] Ib. 302.
xxvij laid of quheit and beir, togidder with ane hundryth burding or mae a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 329.
On trimbling twistis tewch Quhilk bowed throw burding of thair birth 1589 Conv. Burghs I. 300.
[To] vplift of euery laid on horsbak … four pennies, and of euery mannis burding … twa penneis 1605–6 Misc. Spald. C. V. 80.
For thrie burding of hedder to burne Margrett Burnetts hous witht 1635 Lundie Misc. P. 14.
Lyk a nurse that charms Vith songs the tender burding of hir armes 1672 Melrose R. Rec. II. 298.
[13 s. 4 d.] for a cairt full of grains, [and 3 s. 4 d.] for ane burding of grains

b. At ane burding, at one birth. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 310/1.
His twa ȝoung sonnis … The quhilkis his wife at ane burding them bair

c. The burden of a vessel. 1602 Conv. Burghs II. 140.
Gif … the merchand … caus owirlayd the schip above hir ressonable burding 1689 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII. 397.
The shipe called The Phenix … off fiftie tunes of burding

2. fig. Something to be borne or supported.In common use from c 1560 to 1640. 1558 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 126.
Geve every man knew quhat wer his awin burding 1561 Reg. Privy C. I. 188.
Till thai se on quhame the burding of probatioun salbe laid 1573–4 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 10.
The vnfriemen … quha beris na bourding with the gude tovne 1577 Reg. Morton I. 91.
Quhair my actionis sall appeir vnhonest … lett me beare my awin burding 1589 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 2.
To grant ane propyne of twenty tun of wyne upon … conditioun to be quyte of all uther burding 1612 Elphinstone Mem. 265.
All the … stok and teind, … frie of all burding except onlie the woodseats 1648 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 92.
Finding the burding of both the saidis offices to be too weyghtie

b. In the phr. takand the burding on (oneself), assuming responsibility. (Cf. Burdin n. 2.) 1573 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 5.
Iames Inglis [and three others], haifing commissoun and taking the bourding on thame for the remanent merchantis 1574 Conv. Burghs I. 29.
The saidis commissaris takand the bourding vpoun thame, for thame selues and thair burrowis 1623 St. A. Baxter Bks. 85.
Be the said Dauid for him self and takand the burding on him for the said Johne 1640 Aberd. B. Rec. III. 223.
Articles of Bonaccord, to be condiscendit wnto be the magistrattis of Abirdeine for thameselffis, and taking burdinge wpoun thame for all the inh abitantis