A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1500-1660
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Tapessery, -ie, Tapissery, Tapestrie, Tapistrie, n. Also: tapeserie, tapeschery(e, -ie, tapesseré, tapesschery, tapessaré, tapessarie, tapessary, tapescharye, tapeschray, tapesry, -ré, tapeȝré, tapischery, -chrye, tapisry, tapysry, tapiȝaré, tappesscheré, tappessarie, tappissery, tapestrye, -tré, talpestrie, tapesterie, tapistre(e, tapystry, tapastrye, -ie, tapastré, tapisteir, tapestour, tapassyr. Pl. also topstoires. [Late ME and e.m.E. tapecery (1426), tapcery, tapissery (both c1430), tapstri- (1434), tapstery (1467), tapistry (1545), tapestrie (1573-80), F. tapisserie.] Tapestry. Also attrib.For many further examples, see Inv. Q. Mary 38-40.(a) 1513 Doug. ix vi 120.
Prowd tapysry [Sm. tapystry, Ruddim. tapisry] 1538 Criminal Trials I i 293.
Tappesschere 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 385.
For furnessing of thre cartis to Striveling at Pasche, with the kingis tapeschray and uther geir 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 395.
For furing of … tapesschery … fra the abbay to Leith 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 419.
Tapescherye 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 420.
Tapischrye 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 433.
Tapeschery 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 433.
Tapescherie 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VII 88.
Tapessery 1539 Treasurer's Accounts VII 267.
Witht claytht of gold and small tapischery 1539 Treasurer's Accounts VII 257.
Tapescharye 1542 Reg. Privy S. II 718/2.
M. Williame Huntar … principale maister kepar and rewlar of all and sindry oure soverane lordis hingaris and tapessery within his realme 1545 Treasurer's Accounts VIII 386.
Tapiȝare 1545–6 Treasurer's Accounts VIII 439.
For haikkis and nalis to hing the said tapiȝare 1546 Reg. Privy S. III 295/2.
Ane lettir … makkand him ordourar of oure soverane ladyis tapessarie and kepar of hir wardrop 1546–7 Treasurer's Accounts IX 63.
Tapessare 1548 Treasurer's Accounts IX 175.
Tapesre 1548–9 Treasurer's Accounts IX 281.
Tapeȝre 1570 Cal. Sc. P. III 303.
Tapissery a1570-86 Maitland in Maitland Folio MS 28/25.
And all ȝour stairis with tapessarie gar hing 1578 Cal. Sc. P. V 283.
Tapesserie 1588 Exchequer Rolls XXI 369.
Kyninmont, aid to the keipar of the tapeserie(b) c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 136/49.
The streittis war all hung with tapestrie 1513 Doug. ix vi 120 (Sm.) (see (a) above).
Tapystry 1533 Boece 283b.
Wallis of grete lugeingis and small with tapestrye war hungin 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VII 17.
Gevin to George Steill to pas in Flanderis for bringing of certane tapistre 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VII 28.
Tapastre 1546 Treasurer's Accounts IX 35.
To handill and tak doun the tapestre hingand in my lorde governouris chalmer 1561–2 Treasurer's Accounts XI 152.
To Pier Martene, tapescher, to amend the quenis grace tapestrie 1563 Cal. Sc. P. II 83.
Tapastrye 1558-66 Knox II 134.
Tapistree a1578 Pitsc. I 336/16.
Tapistrie 1597 Bk. Rates 11b.
Tapesterie the eln … [£3] 1624–5 Misc. Spald. C. V 100.
For upputting of tapistrie about the croce … at hir Majesties hamecomeing 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 29 Oct.
A not of 6 peics of tapestrie of Cesars historie bocht from Jan Ruffelaer at the Hag 1632 Inv. Newark 2a.
Of rowghe harden for lyning of tapestrie 1632 Inv. Newark 2a.
Item of gilt tapestrie 1660 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 187.
His maiesties loft in the old church to be all hung ouer with tapestrie(c) 1603 Reg. Privy C. VI 576.
Talpestrie(d) 1555 Edinb. Hammermen 200b.
Tapassyr(e) 1546 Treasurer's Accounts VIII 478.
Tapisteirattrib. 1537 Treasurer's Accounts VI 354.
Gevin to Patrik Wemys to gif the tapessary man that past to Franche vj li. a1578 Pitsc. I 368/8.
He … commandit hir to tak quhat hingaris or tapistrie warkis … as scho pleissit 1610 Hist. Kinloss A. xi.
7 pieces of tapastrie heingenis, whiche did hang in the grit chamber
b. An instance of this, a tapestry. 1531 Bell. Boece II 56.
The kirkis and housis decorit with flouris, claithis of arres, and tapestreis 1542–3 Reg. Privy S. III 21/2.
Ane letter maid to [etc.] … makand him maister kepar of all oure soverane ladeis tapestreis 1554 Acts II 604/1.
Tapesryis 1554 Inv. Q. Mary xi n. 1.
Tappessaries 1561 Inv. Q. Mary 21.
A tapestrie of the historie of aippis 1561 (1566) Inv. Q. Mary 38.
Ane tapestrie of heich cullourit crammosie velvot maid in broderie quhilk is not yit compleit (note brokin to mak a claith of stait in anno 1566) 1565 Treasurer's Accounts XI 430.
Thre coveris of smale tapestreis a1586 Lindsay MS 8b.
The officiaris of armes … and pursevantis berand cottis suld haue thair pauilȝoins cowartouris tapestouris and trapouris of the horsis 1590 Burel Queen's Entry 15.
In tapestries ye micht persaue Young ramel, wrocht like lawrell treis c1610 Melville Mem. 85.
The Quen of Scotland and hir husband had tane on the styll of England and Yreland, and also the [English and Irish] armes vpon ther siluer plait and tappisseryes(b) 1629 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 286.
For four horse hyre that caryit the vij topstoires and tua knappeld … to Falkland
c. transf. 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 20.
The fragrant flouris blomand in thair seis, Ouirspred the leuis of natures tapestreis c1552 Lynd. Mon. 180.
Quhen fresche Flora spred furth hir tapestrie, Wrocht, be Dame Nature, quent, and curiouslie 1580 Hume Promine 84.
Besilie the bummand honie beis, Tuik nurischement on natures tapestreis
d. Tapessere vark, ? painting in imitation of tapestry. 1587 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II 389.
For paintin of the bak of the rud loft in tapessere [ed. tapessene] vark
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"Tapessery n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/tapessery>


