Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sled, Slade, n. Also: sledd, slede, sleid, slead, scleyd, slaid(e, sla(y)d. [ME and e.m.E. sled(e (Chaucer), sled(d (Wyclif), e.m.E. also slead (1555), sleid (1644), slade (1688), also, slidd (1513), MDu. slede, MLG slede, sledde (LG slede, släde, etc.), cf. ON sleði (Norw. slede, Sw. släde, Dan. slæde), ultim. related to Slide v.]

1. A slide-car or sledge used for the transport of goods, materials, etc.A vehicle consisting, in its simplest form, of a pair of shafts, attached, at one end, to a horse, at the other dragging upon the ground. A crosspiece close to the latter end formed a placement for the load.Also, ? rarely, with wheels (see 1 (2)).For further information see ‘Transport with Pack-horse and Slide-car’ by Alexander Fenton in Land Transport in Europe by A. Fenton, J. Podolák and H. Rasmusson (Copenhagen, 1973).(1) 1374 Coldingham Priory lxxvi.
Sledys 1383 Reg. Episc. Morav. 370.
Una cum equis et sleddys 1456 Acts II 47/1 (see Ker n.). 1494 Dunferm. B. Rec. I 55.
Sled 1497 Acta Conc. II 81. 1511 Perth Guildry p. 479 (10 Nov.).
[They] sall dicht all the mercattis of the tovn & cary the muk thairof to the wattersid & clengis the gaittis … with couppis & sleddis 1531 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 115.
We dischargis all nycht waikeris cuttaris of sleddis of nychtbouris [etc.] … to be put in the stokis 1533 Boece 267b.
The king … causit cartis, sleddis, barrellis and al vthir conbustibill veschell of the cariage [etc.] 1532–8 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) No. vi (Young v. Seytoun).
11 forkis … thre flalis … ane sled 1538–9 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 251.
Sleddis ledand fre stane fra the heich quarrellis … to the hill fut quhare the cartis mycht resave the samyn 1540 Acta Conc. MS XIII 119b.
Sleddis, crelis, forkis, spaid [etc.] 1545 Treas. Acc. VIII 392.
For carage of this haill monitioun … drawin upoun sleddis and creillis 1558 Treas. Acc. X 422.
Twentie nyne barrellis of beiff … for carying of the samyn … to Leith in sleddis 1562 Knox Ressoning 172.
The reaper … cutteth it doune, the carte or sled drawen by hors or some other beast, draweth it to the barne 1568 Edinb. Test. I 114b.
Ane gray werkhors with sadill creillis and sled … ten pundis 1571–2 Canongate Ct. Bk. 354.
Ane hors langsadill with coill creillis muk creillis sled and harrow 1588 Reg. Privy C. IV 305.
For transporting and carying away of the quhilkis [sc. corn] thay brocht with thame tuenty sleddis 1602 Reg. Great S. 475/1.
Reservand … ane commoun gait … for cairt and sled 1608 Edinb. Test. XLIV 283b.
Ane gangand kairt with tua sleddis 1632 Ancram & Loth. Corr. I 74.
Sledds 1646 Elgin Rec. II 253.
Sledes 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 17.
In the pleughe, pleughe graith, harrowis cairts and sleds with all vther neat graith 1691 Foulis Acc. Bk. 139.
To the smith at Blackhall for making 3 crampits to a sled 1692 Foulis Acc. Bk. 149.
To James Bell for helping to carie it [sc. hay] in with a sled(b) 1535 Acta Conc. & Sess. MS VI 153.
Ane slaid with ane cupple of harrowis 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 213.
For xliiij hors drauchtis witht sladis ilk hors takand ane barrell, price of the draucht vj d. 1540 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 226.
Quhairby he … may haif ushe and enteray with laid, pok, sek, slaid and uther tursabyll geir 1556 Old Ross-shire I 15.
A day's leading of peats with a horse a man and a slade 1563 Inchaffray Reg. 88. a1605 Montg. Flyt. 86 (T).
Ȝour meitter mismaid hes louslie lukkit: Thow cwmelie conductit thy termes on ane slaid [H. staid, Evergreen slaide] 1603–4 Ayr B. Acc. 222.
[For timber and iron-work for the] slaidis, £8, 18 s. 4 d. 1609 Glasgow B. Rec. I 303. 1613 Conv. Burghs II 394.
The Table of the Pryces for the carieing of all sorts of geir to be payit to the warkmen and slaidis 1622 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 145.
For drawing the great stanes out of the inner clos with hors and slaidis 1656 Peebles B. Rec. II 37.
Slaide 1657 Glasgow B. Rec. II 372.
That no throwgh stone … sall be drawin in the … kirk yaird with horsses but with slaides and the help of men allenerlie 1668 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. II 555.
[They] did … imped the said Alexander … by cutting off the cairt roapes, throwing the slades of the horses 1670 Ure Rutherglen 44.
Thrie packs caryed on horsback, or on slaides, at twa schillings 1670 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. III 655.
Slad 1675 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. IV 389.
A comon hieway leading from the saids meadowes to the said bridge, both for horse, foot and slaids 1677 Inverness Rec. II 277.
Slayds 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 367.
9 furnished slaids 1686 Hawick Arch. Soc. (1868) 35/1.
They fynding ane slaide made up standing at the s[ai]d George Renwicke's, the ane tramme tharrof being of ash and the other of aicke [etc.] 1693 Edinb. B. Rec. XII 130.
Great holes … occasioned by the constant passage of the brewers their horses and slaides(c) 1365 Coldingham Priory xlviii.
Item in uno curro, in j scleyd, in ij paribus de trays 1595 Exch. R. XXIII 439.
Equitum traheis vernacule sleiddis 1689 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 544.
Fiftie horses with men, sleids, coups and others ware necessar … to accomplish the repairationes necessarie for the said castle c1700 Fugitive Poetry ii xli 3/87.
A slead came py … And dang her in te gutter 1703 Misc. Maitl. C. III 131.
That no coaches, carts, sleads, or coallhorses be seen or suffered to be on the streets(2) 1517 Misc. Spald. C. II 79.
xx sleddis, with quhelis, price of the pece xxxii d. 1666 Inverness Rec. II 231.
That no kart or slaid be carried alongs the bridge with any loades quhether on wheeles or without wheeles and that no tumbling kart or slaid on wheeles be carried empty alongs the said bridge(3) 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 184.
For … viii stirrapis to iiii stane sladis 1587 St. A. Test. II 81.
Twa gangand sleddis price xij s. 1653 Lamont Diary 77.
The Atholers … tooke a horse out of the stone slade

b. Used to transport persons, specif. as a punishment or means of inflicting indignity upon the victim; also to transport corpses.(1) a1578 Pitsc. II 249/5.
The bischop of Sanctandros was led bakward vpone ane sled throuch the tovne of Stirviling 1573-1600 Burne Disput. in Cath. Tr. 167/12.
Murther of spiritual magistratis … be … banising, impresoning, and harling thame on sleddis 1642 Kirkcaldy Presb. 226.
I wold be content to be drawn at ane horse taill lyk a slaid [pr. astaid] so that I may sie you weill 1680-6 Lauder Observes 190.
Mr. Rumbold … was put upon a sled or hurdle, … and so drawen up to the Castle 1697 Stirling B. Rec. II 341.
To a man and a horse for taking Luckie Rugh out of the toun on a slade(2) 1585 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 432.
That nane be bureit in the mwre … and nocht careit vpoun mennis bakis or sledis for sweirnes of the buriares 1645 S. Leith Rec. 60.
Alexr. Hay agreed with Wm. Strachane for carying out of the dead corpsis out of the toune upo his slaid 1650 Black Sc. Witches 61/1.
Her corpes sall be drawn upon ane slaid to the gallows foot ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. III 261.
He … having losed a number of his men whom he carryd off in carts and sledds c1705 Nimmo Narr. 70.
The guard … did cast the two slaine lyke beasts on a slade and brought them so to Linlithgow

c. transf. A quantity or load such as might be carried on a slide-car. 1600-1610 Melvill 6.
About a thrie thowsand sleads of steanes, and fourtein or fyftein chalder of lyme 1696 Foulis Acc. Bk. 191.
To Jonie Frizell for 15 sleds of whins

2. a. attrib. b. possess.a. (1) 1544–5 Treas. Acc. VIII 360.
Ane pair of sled trammys to be lymmarris to ane of the saiddis falconis 1695 Foulis Acc. Bk. 176.
To Ja. Gourlay for … 2 dayes making sleds and sled feet and hand barrowes(2) 1540 Treas. Acc. VII 357.
For twa cart draucht and thre sled draucht of pulder 1616 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 14.
For tua singill sled drauchtis at v s. the draucht 1639 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 404.
xii^xx sled draught of wall stanes 1649 Edinb. B. Rec. VIII 197.
Upoun a reasonable pryce for the sled draught and hors laid(3) 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII 225b.
Tua laid of slaid treis price of the laid x s. 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX 57b.
Sled treis 1663–4 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 503, 504.
60 laid of slaid stones at 6 d. the laid … 64 laid slaid stones 10 d. the laid(4) 1585 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 442.
To speik the foure burialmen and twa sledmen and agrie for thair wedges 1595 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 579.
To the sledmen for bringing up out of Leyth i^cx laid sclaittis xxxij d. the laid 1612 Conv. Burghs II 363 (see Loft n. 4 a). 1612 Rooseboom Sc. Staple cxxxiii.
That of the chairges foresaid the warkmen sall haif the twa pairt and the slaidmen the third pairt 1613 Conv. Burghs II 398.
Gif any merchandices fall in the water, ather in defalt of the warkmen or slaidmen they being responsibill sall refound the same 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 27.(5) 1624 Edinb. Test. LII 189b.
Four slaide saidillis pryce of all viij s. 1707 Moncreiffs 381.
Item a cart sadle and sled sadle(6) 1689 Foulis Acc. Bk. 112.
For the sled custome, brought the puncheon, Lady Craigcruiks little barrell seck, and dues from Leith 1 s.(7) 14… Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 246.
Limites de Dulmayok … the meir burne thro the merefurde the hirde hillok the [gap] stane the sledeȝat off Ard'gyne [etc.] 1580 Milne-Home MSS 51.
Assendand … be the said stryp to the sled furde 1659 Dumfries Council Min. MS 18 April.
Reserving to the toun quarrell rowme and ane slaid gait for stainesb. 1548–9 Treas. Acc. IX 291.
For ane cairt and ane sleddis draucht furtht of the castell