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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.

Land-mercatt, n. Also: mercat(e, -katt, -ket; market. [Land n.¹ 9 b. Also Landis-merket.] In some burghs, A flesh-market for the unfree fleshers from the country, or the place where this was held. = Land-flesch(e)-mercat(t. Also attrib. with man.In Edinburgh surviving as the street-name, (the) Lawnmarket.(1) 1524 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 218.
All the fleschouris quhilk vssis the land mercat, fremen and vnfremen that duellis within this toun 1550 Ib. II. 148.
That na maner of flescheoures within this burgh, in the hie merkatt nor land merkatt … sell ony darrer flesch … nor [etc.] 1585 Ib. IV. 407. 1594 Ib. V. 119.
Quhair thai fynd any flesheour wyffes of the landmerket flyting … that thai puneis thame be dischargeing thame the said merket in all tyme cuming 1596 Ib. 156. 1633 Mill Mediæv. Plays 213.
[Cleaning the place that the fleshers took] quhair the staige stuid on the landmercat [in Edinburgh] 1656 Ib. IX. 33.
The countrey mercatt callit the landmercatt may stand as formerly 1665 Ib. 380. 1681 Misc. Maitl. C. III. 123.
When the Members alight, the servants and horses are to remove and to stand in the Land Mercat, betwixt the Tollbooth and the Weigh-house 1684 Edinb. B. Rec. XI. 101.
The new muttone mercate called the land mercate at the foot of the old provosts clos 1684 Ib. 103.
The unfreemen fleshers in the land mercate to pay to the freemen fleshers of the beiff mercate [etc.] 1685 Ib. 143.attrib. 1656 Ib. IX. 32.
The … incroatchments of all sort of unfriemen quho call themselfis landmercatt men Ib. 33.
That the haill landmercatt men keip onlie thrie mercat dayes a weik(2) 1564 (c 1650) Dundee B. Laws 30.
The deacon of the flesheors crafts … sall appoynt two masters … to appryse all skaithes of all flesh in the land mercat(3) 1676 Glasgow B. Rec. III. 213.
That there be made a streit … from the landmercat to the Candle streit 1681 Ib. 295.
That … the haill fleshouris in the land mercat … goe aff the streit to the new mercat built for them 1690 Ib. 445.(4) 1696 Berw. Nat. Cl. XXXIII. 5.
That non shall … buy … aney sheep skines from aney countrie butcher belonging to the land market untill they be brought to the mercat plaise