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

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Onset(t, n.² Also: onsette, -seit, -sait, -seat, onsset, onesett, ouensett, unset. [OE. set a seat, a place of sitting or settling, a residence or a camp, also, a place where animals are kept, a stall, fold, pasture; OE. ᵹesete a seat, habitation, house.Chiefly in south Scotl. and in Orkney. In the mod. dial. only south Sc., north. Irish and north. Eng. (Cf. Onsted.)]

A dwelling-site, esp. one pertaining to a ‘forester-stead’, to a tract of farm-land or to a mill; a steading with the dwelling-house and outhouses built upon it; also onset of ane hous, of houssis, id. Also plur. in sing. sense. Also attrib. 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Messuagium.
And the dwelling house or place, or courte-hall thereof, to be called sit, from the Latine situs: quhilk wee call the seate, or on-sette(1) 1423 Reg. Great S. 11/2.
Twa forestar stedis … with the gamyn onsetis and dwelling places that thai now haff 1428 Liber Melros 521.
Touchande Baris landis … thai fande the onseitis tharof lyand at the west end of the toun 1520 Douglas Chart. 219. 1533 Prot. Bk. M. Carruthers 18.
[Excepting the house] lie ouensett [or] oversett [in which Michael Hendersoun presently dwelt] 1534 Liber Melros 628.
With the onset of the said myll 1535 Acts II. 343/2.
Euery tennent … to plant vpoun thare onset ȝerelie for euery mark land ane tree c 1536–7 Rec. Earld. Orkney 220.
The … udall land … with the onsets, outbraks and pertinents 1544 Haddington Corr. 260. 1554 Liber Dryburgh 290.
Our twa onsettis and twa aikaris of land 1557 Prot. Bk. Gilbert Grote 22. 1559 Prot. Bk. J. Robeson MS. 37.
Hes set … to the said Thomas Prat … the saidis landis with toftis croftis onsett and vthir pertinentes 1562 Liber Dryburgh 301. c 1567 Liber Calchou 526. 1572 Ayr & W. Coll.V. 178. 1572–3 Reg. Privy S. VI. 359/1. 1581 Reg. Privy C. III. 418.
[An armed force] come to the onsettis and houssis of the saidis landis [of Borthwick] 1582 Edinb. Test. X. 324.
Ane xx s. land lyand in the manis of Moffet … togidder with ane place & vnset & ȝaird with half ane darg of medow Ib.
Haf ane merkland … lyand in the toun of Moffet with ane onsait vpoun the foirgait 1583–4 Rec. Earld. Orkney 156.
Of the four penny land … lyand in the toune of Sabay, with thair partis of the onsettis 1587 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. I. 210. 1590 Edinb. Test. XXII. 167 b.
He leuis to his said spous his rowme and onset in Kelso 1590 Exch. R. XXII. 528. 1592 Reg. Privy C. V. 19. (In Duns); 1597 Edinb. Test. XXXI. 219. 1599 Craig-Brown Selkirkshire II. 225.
[A feu or] onset back and fore with the yaird of the same pertaining to him [the minister] as ane part of his mans 1601 Stewart Mem. 123.
Ouatuordecim mercatis terrarum de Rorow cum singulis suis … edificiis onsettis hortis toftis croftis outsettis 1607 Edinb. Test. XLIII. 281.
I leif … the said Johnne Scott my sone my eister onsett eftir my wyfis deceis 1614 Stewart Mem. 126.
Omnes … predictas teiras de Balnavaird et Balnavert cum omnibus … lie onsettis et outsettis hortis pomariis [etc.] 1622 Milne-Home MSS. 217. 1634 Orkney Bp. Ct. 92 b.
Housis biggingis … toftis croftis … outbreckis onsettis … of the said half of all the said landis 1641 Acts V. 548/1. 1669 Burnett Fam. P.
Moores meadowis pasturages onseatis inseatis annexis connexis [etc.] 1672 Fraser Hist. Laurencekirk 71.
For infefting him in the lands and barony of Haulkerton … and the onsset called Waineyford(2) 1552 Prot. Bk. M. Carruthers 55.
[Their kindness in a piece of land containing] the rowme of ane onesett of ane hous [lying … between the houses of (etc.)] 1569 Peebles B. Rec. I. 312.
That all the dykis within the wall, baith syde dykis thortour dykis and croce dikis by onsettis of houssis be takin for bigging and edifying of the said wall 1627 Milne-Home MSS. 218. 1627 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. II. 22.
He … has brunt ane whole onset of houses 1671 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I.276.
[Reserving] the onsett [of houses situated at the] kirkyeardattrib. 1543 Acts & Decr. I. 561.
The said vmquhile Richert … biggit the said onsett housis bakside forsyde kill & barn 1545 Prot. Bk. Sir Wm. Corbet 7.
In to the towne of Dryburgch of his onset housis and ȝard and ane akyr of land 1551 Ib. 19.
Taxis and kyndnes … in and to the onset house and ȝard wyth ane akyr of land 1558 Prot. Bk. J. Robeson MS. 249 b.
All and haill his quartar of the landis & toun of Sauchton with the onsett housis and pertinentes of the samin