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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.

Quart, n. Also: quarte, quartt, qwart, qwartt; quhart; quairt; quert. [ME quart (c1325), F. quarte (13th c.), repr. L. quarta, quartum, fem. and neut. of quartus fourth.]

1. A quart, quarter of a gallon, as a measure of capacity.Also abbrev. qw. 1624 Huntar Weights & Measures 1.
Our liquid metts, as the choppin, the pinte, quart, and gallon, for metting of wine, ale, beere 1628 Goudie Shetl. Antiq. 178.
Ane can oyllie is the measure of a Scottis quart c1630 Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 170.
Ancient men do testifie that the Scotts quart of wyne, which is asmuch as four English quarts was sold for Scotts eighteen pennies which is but thrie English halfpence(1) a1500 Prestis of Peblis 29.
Be thai had drunkyn about a quart [: art] c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvii 59.
Ane quart of blek Ib. xl 29. 1510 Rentale Dunkeld. (S.H.S.) 7.
And vi lag. of Gaskane and ane quhart 1512 Household Bk. Jas. IV 2a.
The seller spendit ix gallonis ii quartis aill 1513 Doug. viii Prol. 139.
Sum langis for the luffyr ill to lyk of a quart 1528 Stirling B. Rec. I 33.
All metloumis pyntis, quhartis and chopynnis 1537–8 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 215. 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4355 (B).
Till scho had cassin a cuppill of quartis 1555–6 Edinb. Old Acc. I 175.
Twa quartis wyne and twa mainchottis 1562 Inverness Rec. I 95.
Ane meddyr contenand ane quart wyth the lyd 1574 Ib. 237.
I wald haif coft him for ane quart aquawytie 1576 Orkney Oppress. 49.
The can that thay ressaive the ulie … with, is neir weill ane Scottis quart 1580 Inverness Rec. I 278.
Being accusit for selling of xij d. aill efter the samyn was cunnycht and sett for x d. the quart 1588 Crim. Trials I ii 164.
And that scho maid ane quart att anis, quhilk he drank att twa drachtis 1598 Household Bks. Jas. VI 24 Oct.
To ane Dainsman brocht Rainsche wyne ane galloun ane quart 1615 3rd Rep. Hist. MSS App. 413/1.
Qwart 1618 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 115.
For sex quartes of tarr 1631 Peebles B. Rec. I 417.
Quartt 1640 Mouswald Kirk S. 1 July.
Thair shall none of the gossepis bring in thair quartis aill under pain of tuentie shilling 1645 Galloway P.
Ane quarte of butter c1641–54 J. Gordon in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 524.
The Scots quart of wine for 18 pennies Scots a quart of aill a quart of hasill nutts and a quart of oat meal for thrie pennies Scots(b) a1568 Bann. MS 139b/10.
Sum of vlly spewis ane quairt Off fowll sowttar blek 1556 Elgin Rec. I 30.
The quairt of guid aill … for … viii d.(2) 1488 Acta Conc. I 97/2.
For a qw[art] of Rinsch wyne xxxiiij li.

b. A vessel with the capacity of a quart. 14.. Acts I 333/2.
At thai [the brewsters] haf nocht thar mesuris that is to say quart pynt [etc.] 1457 Peebles B. Rec. I 119.
A bassyn and a lauar, a qwart and a pent and a chapyn Ib.
Thre qwarttis 1478 Acta Aud. 67/1.
A quart a chopin of tynne c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvi 95.
Him followit mony fowll drunckart, With can and collep, cop and quart 1525 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 78.
All metlumes … that is for to saye … pynt, quert, halff pek [etc.] 1528 Stirling B. Rec. I 33.
All metloumis, pyntis, quhartis and chopynnis 1534 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 144. 1540 Lynd. Sat. 148.
Wald sum gude fallow fill the quairt 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. fol. 189.
Ane pair of pepir quernis … ane peudir quart ropit to vj s. 1570–1 Canongate Ct. Bk. 325. 1571 Misc. Spald. C. II 79.
Tua quartis of tyn, price of the pece xiij s. iiij d. 1583–4 Crail B. Ct. MS 10 March.
Ane treine pynt ane treine quarte price v s. 1589 Edinb. B. Rec. V 381.
Thair pynts, quarts and choppins 1591 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XXXI 175.

c. Attrib. with flac(c)on(e, stoup. 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX 44.
xxxiij quart flacconeis, … twelf pynt flaconeis — 1526–7 Edinb. B. Rec. I 230.
A quart stop of tyn, ii pyntis and a chopin 1563–4 Prot. Bk. Thomas Johnsoun 138.
Tua treyne quhart stoupis 1615 Reg. Privy S. 21 Nov.
Ane tyn quairt stoup 1643 Tayler Hist. Fam. Urquhart 32.
This potioun was in a quairt-stoup provydit for him 1645 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. III 44.
A quart stowp

2. A quarter, in other applications. a. = Quarter n. 10. (But ? erron.). b. ? Cf. Quarter n. 13.a. 1548 Edinb. Guild Ct. 12 April.
Fyve quartis of ane elne & twa inchisb. 1630-1651 Gordon Geneal. Hist. 32 (Jam.).
In that institution also ther peculiar landward (or rurall) churches, together with the particular tithes, crofts, manses, gleibs and quartes, ar severallie appoynted to everie one of the dignites and channons, as therin is at large recorded