either the symbolic act of giving legal possession of a piece of heritable property, or the instrument by which such an act was proved to have happened. The origin of the term is the same as that for the word ‘seize’ – meaning to take possession of (in Scottish documents it is generally rendered ‘seis’). Hence, for example in an abridgement of sasine, someone who became the owner of a property (by succession, gift, purchase or whatever) is recorded as being ‘seised’ of that property. See symbols.

an early term for a child attending an infant, primary or secondary school.  The term fell out of use and was replaced by pupil in the early 20th century.

firescreen; shelter against the weather.

a statement summarising the contents of described records, such as record types and subjects, and explaining the scope of the records, such as (in family papers) which family members are represented or (in local authority collections) which functions and activities are represented.

a mark or image, often including a portrait or coat of arms, applied to documents by stamping a seal tool, or ‘die’, often into wax. Applying a seal in this way could act as a type of signature, showing who had made or agreed to the sealed record; the seal could also fulfil the physical task of closing shut a document until it was opened by the recipient. Seals could be applied on the document, or hanging from the document on a strip of paper or parchment, or on a card. See also signet letters, the Great Seal and Privy Seal.

a secure, supervised space designed to enable users to access archival items while protecting the items from loss or damage. This should normally comply with the PSQG Standard for Access to Archives. (https://www.archives.org.uk/images/documents/access_standard_2008.pdf accessed 22 Oct 2021)

Latin phrase used to indicate:

(1) present in court. The term appears at the start of minutes and is immediately followed by the list of those members attending during the proceedings.  It was first used by church courts, law courts, dean of guild courts and town councils of royal burghs sitting as courts.  It then became common practice to use this term in minutes of any local authority.

(2) Sederunt books: the records of proceedings in a sequestration and the records of testamentary trusts are called sederunt books

(3) Acts of Sederunt of the Lords of Council and Session are secondary legislation enacted by the Court of Session, generally regulating the law courts

records (in a records management system) which required by an organisation for business purposes but are no longer used regularly.

rights which arose out of the occupiers of land being bound (astricted or thirled) to use a particular mill only. Sequels were the little payments made to the miller and servants of a mill in meal, grain, or a money equivalent by those having their corn ground there; they depended on the particular custom of the mill land were variously called ‘bannock, knaveship and lock and gowpin‘. See also multures.

confiscation of a bankrupt’s assets by a court for the use of his creditors.

a set of records of the same type from the same provenance. Typically within a fonds there will be one or more series. They are most easily recognised in corporate or government fonds, such as the minutes of a committee or accounts of a department.

the process by which an heir acquired the right to an estate.  It started with the brieve ordering an inquest to determine who was next heir to the estate, followed by the retour of the inquest stating the heir’s right to succeed followed by his entry, (his formal acceptance by the superior of the estate).  It was called a ‘special service’ when the heir’s ancestor had been formerly infeft in the estate, that is, had had full legal possession of it by virtue of a sasine; if the heir’s ancestor was not infeft, then the process was called a ‘general service’.  Until the process of serving the heir had been gone through, he would be the apparent heir; see also heirs.

table napkin; serviette

obligations which went with a property, or which had to be performed to a particular person.

someone appointed by the Crown to represent them in carrying out a particular function, usually the giving of sasine; other people had baillies in that part to carry out the same function.

a change of clothing, or to change one’s clothes.

the study of seals.

a document prepared by a clerk or writer to the signet as the warrant for a royal grant to the person in whose name it was presented.

the signet was the smallest of the four royal seals, and being smallest, was used for the most routine business, such as the private letters by the king to his ‘sheriffs in that pairt’ ordering them to carry out a specific function; it was thus used to authenticate orders by the king’s court, and became the seal of the Court of Session; One of four royal seals: see also Privy Seal, Great Seal, Quarter Seal.

letters from the king’s court, authenticated by the signet seal, to its functionaries for the administration of the law, in summoning people to court or in carrying out one of the legal diligences against them, such letters were prepared by writers to the signet.