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”
a system of deciding, impartially, which creditors should have prior claim on a debtor’s estate; this was why it was so important to a wife to have an antenuptial marriage contract making provision for her and her children because, if she had, they would be entitled to be “ranked” among any creditors on her husband’s estate if he fell into debt.