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.
Quotation dates: 1478-1656
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Burd(e)clath(e, Buirdclaith, n. Also: bwrth, buyrd, buir and clath(t, claith(t, clayth(t, cleith, cleth, pl. clais; burcleth, bor(d)claith, boordclath, boardcleath; buird-, boordcloth, boordcloath, buird-, bordcloyth. [e.m.E. bourde cloth (1552), borde-, boardcloth, ME. boorde clothe, early ME. bord cloð (c 1200). App. rare in Eng. use compared with Sc.] A table-cloth.(a) 1478 Acts Lords Auditors 83/1.
A burd claith; a sark 1502 Acts Lords of Council MS. XII. 83 b.
Ane burd clath of linnyng c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 206.
Oft for ane caus thy burd claith neidis no spredding 1516 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 161.
Ane burdclath of dorne werk 1521 Fife Sheriff Ct. 222.
The thyftwys steilling … of ane burd claytht 1530 Balmerino and L. Chart. ii. 32.
Fyf pairs of schets, … ane new bwrth clath 1548 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 136.
Ane lynnyng burdclath and ane towell 1558 Rentale Dunkeld. 353.
For xxvj ellis cammes to be burdclais 1561 Inv. Wardrobe 141.
Ane burd claith of violett broun velvot 1562 6th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. 649/1.
Of Dornik burcleth v, … of linning burdcleth iij 1564 Invent. Q. Mary 58.
Ane burdclaith of claith of gold reingyeit with reid 1567 Bamff Chart. 70.
The haill nepry and coveris of the thre burdis with thair burd clathis and servottis 1580 Coll. Hist. Aberd. & B. 392.
Thre lytill grein burde cleithis for chalmeris a1597-1617 Hist. Jas. VI 143.
He fortounit to espye a hoill in the burdclaith 1605 Edinburgh Testaments XL. 269.
Ane burd claytht of lynning(b) 1519 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II. 176.
The pantre witht … iij ald buyrdclathis of hardin all riffin 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 145/21.
Ane key ȝe sall into the buirdclaith knit 1562 Will Agnes Betoun 224.
x buirdclayths of small lyning 1569 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 261.
Ane Dornik buird clayth 1580 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 36.
Twa buirclaythtis 1598 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 236.
The communioun claithis … contening … aucht lang buird claithis [etc.] 1616 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 84.
The kirk officier … to gett grene buirdclaythis … for serving of the saids buirdsattrib. 1583 Edinburgh Testaments XIII. 76 b.
Twa buirdclaith wobbis of lynning(c) 1498 Halyb. 159.
Item 24 ellis borclathis, cost 4 s. the ell 1561 Inv. Wardrobe 129.
Foure bordclaithis of Scottis lyning 1561 Ib. 150.
Twa great mekle bordclaithis of dornik a1598 Ferg. Prov. 106.
Quhen the good man is fra hame, the boardcleaths tint 1630 Bamff Chart. 223.
Twa grein boord claths, ane for the hall boord and the uther for the chamber boord(d) 15.. Clariodus v. 109.
The buird cloth of the samin was but dreid 1609 Wemyss Chart. MS.
Twa damask bord cloythis. Ane damask buird cloyth 1626 Rec. Old Aberd. II. 4.
The boordclothes of the communion table 1627 Mun. Univ. Glasg. III. 529.
Sax boordcloaths to the hie boord 1634 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II. 423.
Twa fair Netherland boordcloathes 1649 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 780.
Tua new greene boord cloathes 1652 Stirling B. Rec. II. 316.
A cover to the said boord cloath 1656 S. Leith Rec. 105.
The comunion boord clothes
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"Burdclath n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 23 Jun 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/burdeclathe>
