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

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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Pund-land, n. Also: punde-, pwnd-; Pond-land. [Only Sc. Pund n.¹ 3 and Land n.¹ 7; corresp. to med. L. librata terre and the earlier pundis (pondis) worth (of land), Pund n.¹ 3 c, Pond n. 2 b. Cf. also Pound-land.]Also pund … land, Pund n.¹ 3 d.A piece of land which had been assessed at an annual rental value of one pound at the time of assessment (viz., chiefly, Old Extent), a poundland. In pl. chiefly without inflexion.Sometimes reckoned as equivalent to half a ploughgate or four oxgangs (see A. McKerral in Soc. Ant. LXXVIII 62–3), and in 1585–6 authoritatively declared to have this equivalence: see Oxgate n. (1), quot. 1585.The regional distribution appears to overlap with, but differ from, that of Markland n.¹a. As a measure of land. b. Freq., as part of the designation of a particular piece of land.a. uninfl. 1535 Acts II 346/1.
That euery landit man … havand … ane hundreth pund land of new extent sall big ane … barmkyn … And that all vrther landit men of smallar rent … big pelis [etc.] 1539–40 Reg. Privy S. II 489/1.
The landis of Kilmacolmis … extending to v pund land of auld extent 1541 Exch. R. XVII 648.
Of the saidis landis [sc. various lands in Tiree, in marklands] waist ten pund land 1546 Treas. Acc. VIII 469.
Lettres direct furth of Edinburght to the sheref of Forfair [etc.] … chargeing the saidis shereffis to deliver … to my lord governour … how many punde land war withtin every ane of thair sherefdomes 1547 Laing Chart. 139.
In and to [the 40s. lands of Trostan (and other lands of Sweetheart Abbey) … for yearly payment of] dowbill maill for ewerie pundland, that is to say twentie punds money of this realm for the said ten pund land 1554–5 Retours II Inq. Val. Vicecom. de Kincardine (2).
Summa totalis thrie hundreth four scoir pund land 1556 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 224.
Taxatioun of xvj d. to be tane of every pund land auld extent 1557 Aberd. Council Lett. I 3.
The rollis quhairby we may knaw quhat pund land of auld extent thair be 1575 Reg. Privy C. II 468. a1578 Pitsc. I 395/31. 1578 Reg. Privy C. III 46. 1581 Ib. 408. 1585–6 Acts and Decreets Lords Auditors of Exchequer fol. 61 in T. Thomson Memor. Old Extent (St. S. 10) 331 (see Oxgate n. (1)). 1593 Acts IV 51/1. 1597 Ib. 143/1. 1621 Ib. 617/2. 1627 Rep. Parishes 83.]
[Albeit in old extent it [sc. Kirknewton] will nocht farr exceid a fyve lib. land 1654 Retours II Inq. Spec. Peebles (135).
The halfe lands of Quhytslaid in Glenquhome extending to ane 3 pund land of old extent 1657 Ib. I Inq. Spec. Orkney & Shetland (81).
Extending in the haill to 5 pund and 3 merk land with the teinds 1671 Sc. N. & Q. 2 Ser. II 42.
Conforme to the stent roll … quhich is ten merk out of everie pund land it being tuentie lib. landinfl. pl. 1594 Acts IV 75/2.
That all few landis … be retourit and avalit to mark or pund landis 1596–7 Retours II Inq. Val. Dominii de Balmerinoch (3).
To retoure the haill temporall landis of the said abbacie … to pund landis and merk landis, conforme to the custume and practique of this realmeb. infl. pl. 1500 Montgomery Mem. 59.
I … will … frelye deliur … to the said Hew … the said ten pwndlandis of auld extentuninfl. 1564 Reg. Privy S. V i 511/1.
All and haill the twenty pund land of Rawthern, liand upoune the coist of Ireland 1577 Bruces of Airth App. xli.
The ane pund land of Bothkennare … The aucht pund land of Stanehous 1580 Paterson Ayr & Wigton II 385. 1606 T. Thomson Memor. Old Extent (St. S. 10) 193 n. 1608 Retours I Inq. Spec. Fife (189).
William Airthis pund-land in Bondhalf de Auchtermuchtie c1612 Skene Memorabilia 17.
The hundreth pund land of Slanes 1613 Bk. Dunvegan I 53.
Extending to twentie twa merkland being ane pairt of his twentie pund land in Arrasyle 1629 Retours II Inq. Spec. Fife (1563).
Septena parte terrae australis quarteriæ de Auchtermuchtie vulgariter nuncupatæ Cuikis pundland alias Ryssie's pundland 1650 Ib. I Inq. Spec. Lanark (242).
The 5 pund land of Sornisfallo and 50 shilling land of Greinhill Ib. Inq. Spec. Ayr (445).
The 10 pund land of Conery, propertie, superioritie and tenandrie 1653 Ib.
The tennandrie of Almernes, comprehending the 10 pund land of Almernes of old extent Ib. II Inq. Spec. Roxburgh (209).
Inq. Spec. Kirkcudbright (259). The 20 pund land of auld extent of Wauchop 1654 Ib. I Inq. Spec. Bute (59). ? 1657 Ib. II Inq. Spec. Kirkcudbright (425). 1684 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 126.
The haill burgesses [etc.] … within the fyve pund land of Kirkintilloch to weide … their lands 1690 Retours I Inq. Spec. Haddington (367).
Terris de Ballencreiff vocatis ten pund land