lease
agreement for use of an asset. In Scotland, generally called a tack.
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”
leasing-making
nothing to do with a lease (which is perhaps why leases are called tacks in Scotland); this is really the same as lese-majesty, verbal contempt of the Crown.
legitim
Latin term, indicating children’s legal share of their parent’s moveable property on death; also called bairn’s pairt of gear.
leillie & treullie
phrase found in testaments, as well as other documents, meaning legally (lawfully) and honestly. In later testaments the word used was ‘faithfully’.
letters
in Scots law there were various types, those in the name of the Crown being under the signet seal; most of the types are covered under the headings, caption, cocket, diligence, fire and sword, horning, inhibition, lawburrows, marque, poinding, regress, reprisal, respite and slains. ‘Letters of four forms’ were a form of diligence incorporating successive means of getting debtors to pay up. They rapidly became obsolete; like apprising they may have been considered too abrupt for the popular taste, given that they seem to have been the horning, poinding and caption in one.