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”
in the Church calendar, Whitsun or Pentecost was the seventh Sunday after Easter, but as a term day was fixed in 1693 as 15 May; one of the term days (with Martinmas) when contracts, leases and tacks began and ended and rents fell due; and one of the quarter days (with Martinmas, Lammas and Candlemas) when bills were settled.