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 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sarg(e, Serg(e, n. (adj.). Also: sair(d)ge; s(c)harge, s(c)hairge; serdg(e; seirg(e; searg(e, shearge; serige; sereich; cierge; sirge; (? Surage adj. or n.). [Late ME and e.m.E. sarge (Wyclif), seerge (Lydgate), serge (1599), OF sarge, MF serge (c1175 and 1360 in Larousse), pop. L. *sarica, L. sērica, belonging to the Seres (i.e. Chinese).]

A. noun. Woollen fabric (also, occas., silk) of various sorts and manufactures; serge. Also pl., chiefly, indicating different varieties of the material, also, occas., different quantities.sing. c1500 Coll. St. Salvator 153.
Of quhit sarge ij s. standis 1505 Comm. Univ. IV (Aberd.) App. 137.
Cappis nigris de panno laneo vel de ly sarge 1530 Balmerino and L. Chart. ii 32.
ij syed jaceits ane of tham of sarg and the twy of say 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 57, etc.
For twa pecis of fyne sarge for hosing 1551–2 Dundee B. Ct. II fol. 134b (22 Feb.).
Ane werdur bed with twa courtingis of sarge 1580 Coll. Aberd. & B. 391. 1667 Lauder Jrnl. 180. 1684 Edinb. City Archives Letters Vol. II (25).
4 ells of sarge at 14 s. the ell 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 361.
A bed hung with gray sarge. 3 knups upon the top of it lyned with gray sarge(b) c1555 Crail Ch. Reg. 64.
Thre pendikillis to the hie alter, ane of greyne byrgh satyne, ane of blew sairge, and ane of reide sairge Ib. 65.
Twa wallis of reid sairge for the ymages in lentrone 1659 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 228.
To weive twentie elnes of sairge 1691 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 22 May.
Siven ells of litted and wacked sairdge(c) 1665 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I 47.
Three quarters of scharge thre shillings nynpence 1694 Lett. in Annandale P.
4 ells 3 qtrs fine broad sharge for lyning the coat all throw(d) c1640 Tailor's Acc. Bk. B 42.
Maid to ȝour wyfe ane govne peitticoit & schankis of blacke schairge(e) 1533–4 Treas. Acc. in Crim. Trials I 282.
To be him ane gowne and ane hugtoune, vj elnis serge 1538 Treas. Acc. VII 4.
For the thrid pece of claith of gold fresit, sett apoun serge Ib. 89.
xxvij elnis of reid, ȝallow, and grene serge … to be ane cannabie to Lady Jane 1540 Ib. 310.
To be stremaris to the kingis schippis, ix score elnis reid and ȝallow sey … and till complete the samin, xv elnis serge 1562 Ib. XI 180.
viij elnis stamyng of serge, the elne iij li. 1565–6 Ib. 461.
Ane furnesit bed, viz., xl elnis of grene serge, xx li. 1572 Ib. XII 308.
j elne ij quarteris of reid armosene serge, price of the elne iij li. x s. 1575 Ib. XIII 61.
Ane elne incarnat serge to be schankis, price thairof v li. 1580 Ib. MS 12.
Reid crammosie serge tobe thame mandillis 1672 Dumfriesshire Valuation Bk. MS 15 April.
For mounting of each man in his blew cloath coat weel lyned with sufficient whyt stuff or serge 1676 Cunningham Diary 68.
To James Moody for weaving 26 ells of serge to my wife(f) 1680 Foulis Acc. Bk. 59.
Blew serdg to lyne Geordies coat 1690 Ib. 122.
To Meg to pay for 10 ell serdge to be her Lissie and Grissie 3 under pitticoats black £15 Ib.
For the use of serdge to hing around at Raevelston £2 4 s.(g) 1588 Cal. Sc. P. IX 671.
xiiij ellis blak seirge at iiij l. xvij s.(h) 1586–7 Acc. Lady Bellenden 1.
To lyn a clock to my lord iiii els unwalket searg at xxviii s. the ell 1676 Douglas Corr. 276.
[To] cause William Douglas, the taillor, … line the coat well with good searge 1679 Sc. Ant. IX 108.
For whit searge 1687 Berw. Doc. fol. 1, No. 7.
5 yeardis 3 qrteris of milde searge 1688 Douglas Bequest 24 July.
5½ ells finn searge(i) 1579 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 115.
Ane govne of fyne blak chamlett of silk of cierge(j) 1664 Edinb. Test. LXXI 258b.
Ane old wastcoat of sereich worth iiij lib.(k) 1667–9 Home Clothing Acc. MS (Earl of Home) I.
Sirge for plying the 2 vestispl. 1342 Exch. R. I 504.
Sex vlnas de serges 1587 Acts III 507/2.
The saidis strangearis ar cum within this realme to exercise thair craft … in making of searges growgrams fusteanis [etc.] 1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 97.
For the alledgit stowth of ane pakatt contening seargeis and uther coistlie wairis of the schipe 1620 Reg. Privy C. XII 339.
Stuffis of thrie quarteris breid and xxij elnes of lenth … Seargeis, double and single 1642 Edinb. Test. LX 41b.
Ane hundreth … ellis of severall sortis of seargis at xlj s. x d. the ell 1644 in Spalding II 312.
On ilk elne of narrow clothe, sarges, and vther worset or hair stuffis 1661 Acts VII 256/2.
His maiestie … doth prohibite & discharge any weaver … to make any searges vnder the breadth of an ell & a naill 1670 Ure Rutherglen 43.
At the exporting of a pack of cloathe woollen or sarges etc. to be payed by the bwyer sex schilling Scotts 1697 Dundee B. Laws 561.
For litting by weight such as small fingrin searges, which will taick four ell to ane pund

b. With qualifying terms, specifying the place of origin, etc.Sarge de aras, darras, darrest (= of Arras), (de) bowas, bowes, deboyes (= of Beauvais), millanis (= of Milan), of Orliance (= of Orleans), paddoway (= of Padua) serge.Sarge dropp(i)e (= spotted: see Droppit p.p. and ppl. adj.).Serge de soye (= silk serge: MF sarge de soye (16th c. in Huguet).Also Sarge-dasket n., Sarge demeen and Sargedenin.(1) 1568 Edinb. Test. I 153.
Ane steik sarge darrest contenand xxvj ellis 1574 Ib. III 150.
Sex elnis of serge darras 1582 Ib. X 331.
Sex elnis of sarge de aras price of the eln xx s. — 1584 Edinb. Test. XIV 132b.
x elnis … of blak sarge bowes, … vj elnis … sarge bowas 1586–7 Acc. Lady Bellenden 4.
Ane half ell of searg of bovas to be a nother pair of schankis 1590 Edinb. Test. XXI 286b.
Ane steik of serge de bowas 1633 Ib. LVI 358.
Thrie peices of serge deboyes — 1552–3 Treas. Acc. X 163.
Serge of Florence to be ane cote and ane cloke 1566 Facs. Nat. MSS III li.
Of sarge of florense to be ane goune and ane cloik mulis and schiuine 1583 Edinb. Test. XIII 43b.
My joup of sarge of florence pasmentit 1588–9 Cal. Sc. P. IX 673.
xx ellis seirge Florance 1610 Edinb. Test. XLVI 176.
The best schairge of Florence — 1566 Treas. Acc. XII 11.
iij elnis ij quarteris of serge of Millen to be ane cloke, the elne v li. 1579 Ib. XIII 271.
Seirge of Millane 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX 163.
Ane elne … of blak sarge millanis, … thrie elnis rid sarge millanis at xxxv s. the elne — (see (2) below).
Of Orliance Ib. 224. — 1640 Tailor's Acc. Bk. B 38.
Ane cloik dowblet & breikis of rid paidaway shairge Ib. 43. 1661 Funeral Acc. i 3.
14 ell of black paddouay serg for the eayll — 1661 Acts VII 253/2.
Searges of Scots makeing ilk fiftie ells — 1684 New Mills Manuf. 83.
Als much stirline searge as lyne the said … cloak(2) 1561–2 Treas. Acc. XI 106.
vj elnis … of serge of Orliance alias serge droppe 1565–6 Prot. Bk. Thomas Johnsoun 97.
1 blak cannope of sarge droppre [sic in pr.] 1585 Edinb. Test. XIV 233b.
I leue … to my sister Isobell Clark my goun of sarge droppie worth iiij li.(3) 1611 Edinb. Test. XLVI 252.
Remanes of serge desoye xiij elnes(4) 1575 Edinb. Test. III 360b.
Ane pece of blak counterfutit serge

B. adj. Of material, yarn or garments, etc.: Made of serge.(1) 1570 Edinb. Test. II 79b.
Thrie … steikis of serge droggie 1672 Aberd. Trades 296.
Serg yairn(2) 1567 Treas. Acc. XII 50.
[9½ oz.] of serge pasmentis for the quenis grace dowble gownis … vij li. xij s. 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII 39.
Hir serge gair cuill and the serge bodies effearand thairto 1614 Rep. Hist. MSS I 136.
Ane Flanders shairge suitt 1649 Edinb. Test. LXIV 256b.
Ane gray serge house goune 1651 Buccleuch Mun. 290.
Twa red serige bedis, … ane grene serge bed 1663 Melrose Reg. Rec. II 66.
[James Huntar to pay to Janet Young, 58 s.] for to buy ane shearge waistcoat 1669 Edinb. Test. LXXIII 292b.
Ane searge pittecot a1670 Old Ross-shire I 143.
Serg stokings and grytt stokings 1671 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct.) 17 June.
To Ketherin McClellane … one rid serg peticoat 1676 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS 19 July.
Twentie aught shilling aught pennies for twa sarge aprons 1679 Old Ross-shire I 127.
Searge bead with shelonigs on it £12 1680 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 23 July.
A stand of new seirg cloaths with a gunne and one new kep 1685 New Mills Manuf. 105.
Searge