folio
used generally to refer to a leaf or page in manuscript documents.
Your Scottish Archives Glossary
The Your Scottish Archives Glossary defines archaic words and phrases, mostly Scots law terminology, commonly found in documents and records in Scotland’s archives. If you think a word or phrase should be added to the glossary, or an existing entry could be defined better, please contact us at your@scottisharchives.org.uk.
You can also use the Dictionary of the Scots Language as a further resource at https://dsl.ac.uk/ for Scots words and phrases (including legal terminology).
To find a term within the glossary, click on the initial letter of the word you are looking for, then select the relevant syllable segment displayed below.
Example: to find the term “roup” select section “R” then sub-section “Ro”
fonds
all of the documents created and used by a person, family, corporate body or government body in the course of that creator’s activities or functions.
foot
a distance of linear measurement; the foot was, traditionally, the length of a man’s foot. See Distance and Area
forestalling
the crime of buying goods on their way to a market with the intention of selling them there at an inflated price.
forfeiture
the loss of property following on the commission of a crime or on the breaking of some condition by which the property was held from a superior; usually coupled with escheat.
forisfamiliat, forisfamiliate
relating to a son or daughter separated from the father’s family by marriage, living elsewhere, or by having received a separate share of property before the father’s decease.
forisfamiliation
the separation of a child from its father’s family, by marriage for instance; it could happen if the child gave over his/her claim to legitim.
forpet
a Scots measure of dry capacity.
forsamekle, forsameikill
a Scots term meaning “for as much.”
forthcoming
a legal action ordering a debt to be paid or a debtor’s property to be surrendered to his creditor(s).