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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Kane, Kain, n.¹ Also: kaine, kayn(e, kaynne; kein(e; kean(e; ken, ken(n)e. [Var. of Cane n.¹ (Gael. cáin).]

1. a. A portion of the produce of a tenancy payable as rent; a rent in kind. b. Payments of this sort, collectively.(a) 1533 Boece vii. vi. 231 b.
Callit Buchquhane be resoun of the kane ȝerelie payit to the Kingis chawmerlanis 1629 Dundonald Par. Rec. 279.
The foresayd kow was drunken in of her milke quhairthrow they wer not able to pay kane for her(b) 1530 Carnwath Baron Ct. MS. 62.
xvij scheip vitht the profettis thairof, voll, kain & melknes 1587 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 437.
Fruitis, fermes, annuelrentis, martis, kaynis, customes [etc.] 1617 Acts IV. 548/2.
Manye of his ma[jesties] subiectis whiche of old wer inriched with sufficient store of goodis … and thairby made his hienes and vtheris haveing richt thankfull payment of their maillis, kaynnes and dewties 1659 Hay Diary 161.
That he wold dispone Deuchar … to me, … , and in the meantime to devyd the kaine betwixt him and me 1669 Kirkudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I. 256.
To milk her ky and ewis for the kaine eftermentionat, viz. for ilk old new calff kow two staine cheis, … for ilk ferrow kow … ane staine cheis 1673 Melrose Reg. Rec. II. 355.
[To pay £3/7/6d.] for kayne and cariadg 1706 Foulis Acc. Bk. 440.
3 yeirs rent and kains for the said milne [infra, the 3 yeirs rent, hens and poultrie](c) 1554 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 27.
Centum quadraginta oues matrices in lie keine soluendo 1594 Black Bk. Taymouth 272.
He is chairgit with the kein of ten new calfit kye(d) 1578 Wemyss Chart. 302.
[The said lands to be worth 8 chalders of victual besides] keanes [and other duties] 1594 Misc. Spald. C. I. 9.
Ony maillis, fermes, custumes, keanis 1636 Urie Baron Ct. 81.
The haill tennentis … to pay ther haill keanis, customes and vther dewteis 1648 Elgin Rec. I. 184.
George Steinsone [to pay] … for the keane of tuo kair 13s. 4d. and James Glas 6s. 8d. for the keane of ane calf 1650 Boyd Fam. P. 1 Apr.
On stane butter out of ilke new calvit kow and halfe an stane cheis out of ilk ferrow kow yeirly at the ordinar terme of payment of keane a1699 Skene Agric. MS.
Some tymes ky payis a full kean to their master, somtymes half a kean, as they be nucle or forrow, the first kean they pay at midsommer, the second at lambes; ky payis butter, yowis payis cheiss Ib.
Yowis pays always the full kean: everie five paips payis in the yeir a stane of cheis and everie yow hes two paips(e) 1641 Acts V. (1817) 449/1.
Fewmaillis, fewfermes, kennes, customes Ib.
Kens, … kenes

2. Attrib.: Paid as ‘kane’.With aittis, beir, buttir, cheis, claith, colis, fisch, hay, hen, hering, lamb, lyme, mert, peittis, pultrie, salt, spelding, stirk, vedder, wild guse, and in Kane foul. 1537 Reg. Privy S. II. 349/2.
The tua Manis of Douglas … with kane aittis, kane fowlis, kane colis and commoun cariage of the haile barony of Douglas 1542 Ib. 742/2.
The gift of twa chalderis of aittis … , to be taken up ȝerle of his hienes kane aittis of his landis of Ovir Dynmure 1632 Reg. Great S. 558/1.
Pro Halwitstoun … 24 lie pultrie, 24 bol. lie keane-aittis; … pro Littill Witstoun … pro gressumis, lie kaine-foullis, kaine-aittis, arriagiis et aliis servitiis 32 sol. — 1553 Prot. Bk. A. Gaw (S.R.S.) 32.
[To pay 10 firlots bear with] cherite [called] kane beir 1601 (1610) Reg. Great S. 156/1.
Lie few-maillis terrarum de Balmano et lie kaine beir earundem — 1617 Montgomery Mem. 262.
The compter charges him with all the kane buttir payit in the said barony — 1521 Stirling B. Rec. I. ii.
Allexander Murray … has … oblist him … to pay tharfor kane cheis extending to fyfti stane 1553 Prot. Bk. A. Gaw (S.R.S.) 32.
[With 20 s. for] kane cheis 1617 Montgomery Mem. 263.
All the kane cheis — 1596 Brechin Test. I. 145.
Of keine claith aucht ellis — 1537 Reg. Privy S. II. 349/2.
The tua Manis of Douglas … with … kane colis — 1580 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. 107.
To pay to Johnne McClellane at the Nethermyln fyve salmond fishe yeirlie … for the kene fische of the stane vndir the moit set to the said Alexander 1669 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. III. 59.
[The said Earl has right … to the bailiary of the Water of Forth and] of uplifteing fourtein salmond as kayne fish out of the trout holl over against the Abbay of Cambuskenneth — 1683 Martine Reliq. Divi Andreae 203.
To the principall archdeacone … 20 sh. for the kane hay of Wilkiestoun as the old ferme — 1606 Dunblane Test. III. 97.
Awand be him tualff keane henis pryce of the peice v s. 1658 Stitchill Baron Ct. 12.
The payment of 3 lib. with 4 kayne hens for the maill of a coatt hous for a yeire — 1554 Montgomery Mem. II. 150.
The samyn [lands, etc.] … to be ȝeirlie worth … five hundreth merkis, by kane fowlis and kane hering — 1593 St. A. Test. II. 359 b.
Ane kane lamb … xiij s. — 1632 Reg. Great S. 663/2.
6 celdras 14 bol. lie keaine lyme invehend. ad locum de Dunfermline 1636 Ib. 221/1. — 1561 Reg. Dunferm. 444.
Kayne mert silvir extendis be ȝeir to … [£427] — 1588 Reg. Great S. 516/1.
Terras dominicales de Grenelaw, cum lie kane peittis et lie bonda-warkis integre baronie de Corsmichaell 1698 Maxwell Mem. II. 347.
Having … caused cast my kain peats in the moss properly belonging … to me — 1630 Reg. Great S. 558/1
Reddend. pro Nether Witsoun … pro 1 bolla avenarum, gressumis, 8 lie ken-pultrie, arriagiis et carriagiis 43 sol. — 1563 Reg. Neubotle 338.
The kane salt of the salt of the salt pans 1621 Reg. Great S. 49/2.
Cum manerie et villa de Prestoungrange, carbonibus, lapicidiis, salsis patellis, decimis et lie kayne-salt earundem — 1630 Reg. Great S. 558/1.
Pro Fischerhill 40 sol. pro lie kaine speldingis — 1617 Montgomery Mem. 263.
The compter charges him with … all the kane stirkis — 1668 Dunkeld Presb. I. 199.
Tua keane wedderis, [price of both, £4] 1701 Foulis Acc. Bk. 295.
To Jonie Telfer choised the 16 wedders and for bringing 6 of them to Raevelst. with Ja. Hedleis kain wedder. This kain wedder and another broke away from Jonie Telfer and went back to Bonaley — 1542 Reg. Cupar A. II. 203.
[Certain land,] with preuilege of fowling and fysching … , sum tym pait vj s. viij d., iiij pultre, twa kayn weild geis