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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Kne-hede, -heid, n. Also: kney-, knay-, kny-, knee, keney- and -head. [Kne n. 4; Hede n. 5. Only Sc., and also in the later dial. of Shetland (Jakobsen).]

A piece of naturally bent timber used to secure parts of a ship together.? Orig. applied specifically to a knee-piece which joined a ship's beam to its rib, as also appar. in the later Shetland use, and ? hence so-called as the ‘knee’ which formed the ‘head’ or end of the beam (= OSc. Balk). 1494 Treas. Acc. I. 246.
To the rowbarge … for xv kne hedis iij s. ix d. 1561 Ib. XI. 116.
For … ane midschip balk, twa dalis, … and twa kne hedis to the said bote 1588 Dundee Shipping L. 215.
260 gairownis, 60 kny heiddis [pr. knyfeiddris] & crokit tymer 1595 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 71 a.
Of keney hedis xxii gret and small 1605 Edinb. Test. XL. 56 b.
[John Lowry, skipper:] xxvij peices of auld cruikit tymber price of all xxxvij li … , … Item, tua auld schippis balkis … , Item, xiiij peices of auld knayheidis price of thaim xiij li. 1662 Orkney Antiq. Soc. V. 15.
Ane great boat … with thrie oaken balks and sex iron bolts with sex knee heads upon the said balk[s]

b. As used for other purposes. 1604–5 Ayr B. Acc. 226.
For … a kneheid for the tron 1613–4 Ib. 58.
To William Nicholl tymmerman for ane kneyheid to mend the gallowis