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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Culverin(g, n. Also: culveryn(e, -ene, -an, culwerin, -an, culvreine; culveryng, -wering, cullvering, culw-, culvring; col(l)vering, colwering, -voring, -voryng, coulvering, -werine. [OF. coulevrine. Also e.m.E. culverin (1590), -ing, colverin (1622).]

1. An early form of hand-gun.(a) 1489 Treas. Acc. I. 122.
To Qwariour … to pas to Stirling to get culuerinis to bring to the felde 1507–8 Ib. IV. 97.
To ane man of Iohn Bertonis that brocht ane culveryn to the King Ib. 106.
The King tynt on ane schot with the culveryne xiiij s. 1536 Lennox Mun. 242.
Ten twahandit swordis, and twa culuerynnis 1547 Treas. Acc. IX. 114.
Certane culverannes quhilk wes send to the castell of Dumbar, … for resisting of the Inglischemen c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1119.
Thai … [schot] richt manfullie With hakbut, bow, and culveryne 1549 Compl. 42/1.
Hagbuttis of croche, half haggis, culuerenis, ande hail schot a1578 Pitsc. II. 118/7.
Twa hundreith of lang culwerins (b) 1491 Treas. Acc. I. 181.
To Bwte purcyfant, to pas to Leytht for cors bowis and culueringis 1508 Ib. IV. 123.
For varnesing of the Kingis culveryng and for dighting of ane new fyre put to it ourgilt 1511 Ib. 317.
Half ane elne canves to be ane kace to ane culvering 1525 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 112.
Young and able men to get culwerings, cors bowis, and hand bowis, and ws schitting witht the samyn 1535 Acts II. 345/2.
Ilk man havand xl li. land sall haue ane culvering with cawmys c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1107.
The squyer … his baner bricht displayit, With culvering, hakbut, bow, and speir 1551 Acts II. 483/1.
That nane of our Souerane Ladyis liegis sould schute with half hag, culuering, or pistolate at deir 1557–8 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 239.
For twa silver culverings … to gif the young men occasioun to leir to schut with the culvering 1567 Sat. P. iii. 31.
Dartis about him swyftlie could he fling, … Cunning of crosbow, cutthrot, and culuering a1578 Pitsc. II. 222/30.
Ane treasonable traitour … come to Linlythgow with the abbot of Arbrothickis horse and his culwering 1580 Elgin Rec. I. 156.
It is statut that nedir freman nor onfreman … sall beir … culvering, dag, pistoll nor suord upon tham [etc.](c) 1539 Acts VII. 301.
Expensis … for dounhaving of ane balhwfe, colveringis, arrow baggis and bowis [etc.] 1549 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 275.
Beand avand to me viij lib. of mone vsuale of Scotland, for certane colwering, pulder and velwet bocht … be him 1558-66 Knox I. 221.
A certane French man delivred a coulvering to George Tod, Scottisman, to be stocked a1578 Pitsc. I. 232/9.
Sum to schut the hand bow, corsebow and collvering c 1600 Reg. Panmure I. p. xxxi.
In the takine he vos schot with ane coulwerine in the chaftes, and evil hurt

2. A species of cannon, long in proportion to its bore.Usually with qualifying term, esp. culvering bastard, c. moyan, gros or demy culvering.(1) 1515 Treas. Acc. V. 27.
[Six carts] chargit with twa culvering myance, gun stanis [etc.] 1540 Ib. VII. 357.
For ix chargis to the culverings bastardis and culvering moyanis 1541 Ib. VIII. 271.
Ane cannoun, ane culvering myoun and culvering bastart, with other small artalȝe 1545 Stirlings of Keir 390.
Grant me ane culvering bastard, tua culuering mennis, sex hagbuttis of crok, with pouder and bulletis efferand tharto 1549 Compl. 41/32.
Mak reddy ȝour cannons, culuerene moyens, culuerene bastardis, falcons, saikyrs 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 43.
How sone he felt the strenth of the culuering battred, … he randered the hous(2) 1511 Treas. Acc. IV. 303.
ij^c iij pece pellokis for the grose culveryngis 1571 Waus Corr. I. 78.
Thair is cumand twa thowsand futt men, … twa grosculweringis and tua battardis 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 107.
Ane gros culvering, monted for the wallis, and nocht for the feildis 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 234.
The capitane of Edinburgh castell causit bring owt ane cannoin and great culvering owt of the samin a1578 Pitsc. I. 400/23.
The artaillȝe and cannons, sex grose cullveringis, sex battartis [etc.] 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 248.
Ane gros culvering merkit with king Haryis armes having tua new stokkis 1585 9th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. 193/1.
Twa bandis of irne for the stok of the gros culwering(3) 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 251.
Ane Inglis demy culvering of fonte markit with the rois Ib.
Ane uther Inglis demy culvering(4) 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 255.
Thre over bandis of yron for the cannoun and the culvering Ib. 259.
Foure moppettis for cannonis, culveringis & moyanis 1615 Highland P. III. 177.
I stayit … attending the shipping of two cannons and one culwring Ib. 182.

3. Attrib. and comb. with bullet, maker, man, pouder, stok. 1626 Edinb. Castle Acc. (Reg. H.).
Cannoun bullettis, … culvreine and demye culvreine bullettis — 1541 Treas. Acc. VII. 499.
Iohnne Bikcartoun, … culveryngmaker — 1544 Hamilton P. II. 492.
Ane thowsand culveryng men a1578 Pitsc. II. 195/29. Ib. 270/3.
Thir lordis tuik vp fyve hundreith men of weir of culwering men and vthir — 1536 Treas. Acc. VI. 462.
Gevin for x li. of colvering powder to the Kingis grace 1538 Treas. Acc. VI. 391.
To Alexander Andersoun, dwelland in Elsinure in Denmark, for thre barrellis of culvering powder 1556–7 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 230.
For ane litill b[arrel] colvering powder 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 108.
Of culvering powder, thrie barrell — 1618 Linlithgow Palace 340.
For careying the cannon stok … and … the great culvering stok