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”

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

Ra Re Ro Ru

Rea Rec Red Ref Reg Rei Rel Rem Ren Rep Res Ret Rev

reddendo

Latin phrase meaning ‘by returning’. The name of the clause in a charter which lays down what has to be returned or paid for the grant, to the superior granting the lands. The precise terms vary depending on which of the four types of charter the clause is in; if the charter is in fee or feu, the return will be a rent paid to the superior, if in free alms the return will be prayers or other spiritual services. If in ward holding the return will be the performance of service, usually military, and if in blench ferme, the return will be nominal and only required if asked for.

redeemable rights

a grant, usually made in security for the repayment of a debt, which contains a clause providing that the granter or another can recover possession of what has been granted, on the payment of a certain sum to the person receiving the grant, constitutes a ‘redeemable right’; its common form is the wadset.

reduction, reduction and improbation

the name of an action in the Court of Session whereby illegal deeds, decrees, acts and so on could be rendered null and void.