Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1779
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BAR(R)ON(R)Y, n.
(1) “A Barony is an estate created by direct grant from the Crown erecting . . . lands embraced by the grant . . . into a freehold barony. . . . A grant of barony carried with it both civil and criminal jurisdiction. . . . The extent of the jurisdiction [in ancient times] . . . was governed by the terms of his charter of erection” (Sc. 1927 Green's Encycl. Law Scot. II. 155). [′bɑrən(r)ɪ̢]Sc. 1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 13:
Johny Bell, as cliver a little fallow, as in a the barronry where he bides.
(2) Used also to indicate the freehold estate of a territorial baron. See Baron, quot. 1, and cf. quots. 3, 5, 6 under Bar(r)on-bail(l)ie.
[The -ry forms occur also in O.Sc.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Barony n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Aug 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/barronry>
