A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1375, 1375-1398, 1450-1699
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Stirk, Styrk, n. Also: stirke, stirc-, stirck, sterk, steirk, stark, strik. [ME and e.m.E. stirk (1377), styrk (c1425), strik (1448-9), OE stírc, stíorc, stýrc, stýric, appar. a dimin. of stéor Ster(e n.]
A young bovine, specif., a bullock or heifer between one and two years old. Also pl., young cattle generally.(1) 1329 Exchequer Rolls I 193.
Infracomputando quatuor stirkis pro vno marto 1398 Aberd. B. Rec. (SHS) 31.
Haberet dictam vaccam vel precium … xii s. cum uno stirk c1450 Reg. Neubotle 242.]
[Summa stircorum xjcxxv 1482–3 Acts Lords of Council II cxvi.
The wrangwis … awaytaking … of … xv stirkis 1496 Acts Lords of Council II 20.
Aucht stirkis, the price of the pece v s. 1499–1500 Acts Lords of Council II 360.
The sade Archibald tuke in contentacione ane ox, a cow, a calf and a stirk at hir fute for the sade horse c1500 Rowll Cursing 27 (B).
His wow his lamb his cheis his stirk 1505 Exchequer Rolls XII 288 n.
Item witht the scheiphird of ane yeir auld, ij stirkis a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 428 (M).
On the nycht quhilk stall thow staigis and stirkis c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) xxii 66.
Jok, that wes wont to keip the stirkis, Can now draw him ane cleik of kirkis 1513 Doug. v vi 75 (Sm.).
The stirkis for the sacrifice … War newly brittnit 1535 Stewart 43107. 1547 Misc. Spald. C. V 311.
Item, xxiiij stirks of twa ȝeir auld, cum Belton 1557 Peebles B. Rec. I 236.
To provide ane kepare to the said hill auld vsit and wont, conforme to the actis of auld, that stirkkis caulffis and hors may be pasturit thairupone and na vther bestiale nouthir nycht nor day 1567–8 Inverness Rec. I 159.
Hyr styrk com to his sled quhayr ane tartan of hys was and gnew and spylt his tartan quhilk wes worth fyf merkis 1568 Waus Corr. 40.
Stirckis 1554 Duncan Laideus Test. 153.
Then culd I nocht stand content of ane kow Without I gat the best stirk of the bow 1607 Inverurie B. Ct. 14 May.
Euerie twalf pairt man sall hald only aucht heidis of auld nowt & hors allowand twa stirkis for the auld beist wpone his in girs 1649 Scottish Notes and Queries III 123.
[The cow] … ran wode with the stirk up and down the land and could hardly be gotten in again 1657 Boharm Kirk S. 8 March.
With the sweeping of the house she did cast out some muck from stirks that stood beside the fyre a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 68.
Magdalen day … is good to buy … stirks or yong stotts or horse a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 68.
A forrow kowe is a kow that gives milk but it is long since shoe calv'd swa that shoe hes a stirke a yeir old following 1679 Hay Fleming Six Saints I 124.
Some of you will grieve and greet more for the drowning of a bit calf or stirk than ever ye did for all the tyranny and defections of Scotland 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 248.
You answered you … had gott that stirk at the kirk styll(b) 1484 Acts Lords of Council I *95/1.
Thre ky, … twa cowpindowis … and twa sterkis 1531 Bell. Boece I lv.
The steirkis, quhen thay ar bot young velis, ar othir slane, or ellis libbit to be oxin 1563 Linlithgow Sheriff Ct. 12 June.
The sowme of xxxiiij s. as for the price of tua sterkis of tuelmonth auld 1595 Paisley B. Rec. 162.
That na ky, sterks, nor utheris beists except hors be pasturet upon the Gallowgrein(c) 1603 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II 43.
He promeist nichtbourtie … and that the defender refuisit the same saying my oxin was onie stark aganis his & that he wald caus his simple beistis do his turne(d) 1566 Kinnaird Farm Bk. 51b.
Of strikis of ane ȝeir auld 1588 Burntisland B. Ct. 15 Oct.
Strik(2) 1534 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 120.
Item the pasturyng of xij kye profeittis peis in butter cheis and styrk 1537 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) Culros v. Crawmond.
The proffitt of ilk pece of the said ky ȝeirlie estimate in stirk butter and cheis to xiij s. iiij d. 1550 Lanark Sheriff Ct. 38b.
The profett of ilk kow in styrk mylk butter and cheis xiij s. iiij d. 1561–6 Book of Assumptions in Origines Parochiales II ii 532.
Quhen all dewteis and teindis was dewlie payit, sic as lamb, woll, stirk, buttir, cheis 1579–80 Reg. Privy S. VII 364/1.
[The vicarage of Anveth] with manse, kirk, gleib … small teindis, viz. lamb, wow, cheise, stirk, staig, guise, [etc.]
b. With various qualifiers.Cowdoch, copno, copnoche, kownoches, variants of Colpindach n. (= a young cow, heifer, a young ox).(1) 1545 Eglinton Muniments in Sanderson Rural Soc. 22.
Thre ox beistis of twa yeir auld and ane ox stirk quhilkis gudis wes of the ferm stirkis [i.e. rents in kind] of Ardrossan 1563 Protocol Book of John Robeson 14a.
In the housis … thre oxin stirkis of twa ȝeir auld 1564–75 Hamilton & Campsie Test. I 42b.
Ane ȝeir auld koye stirk price xx s. 1570 Edinburgh Testaments I 99b.
Ane cowdoch stirk 1574 Edinburgh Testaments III 75b.
Twa copno stirkis, price of the pece xx s. 1576 Edinburgh Testaments IV 281b.
Ane brandit kow stirk 1581 Edinburgh Testaments IX 285.
Ane quy & tua copnoche stirkis of ane & tua ȝeir auld 1584 Edinburgh Testaments XIII 245.
Thrie kownoches stirkis of ane ȝeir auldis 1612 Orkney Test. and Inv. 44.
1 young bull stirk 1615 Orkney Test. and Inv. 36.
Thrie quoyock stirkis 1697 Brabster Rental in Old-lore Misc. VIII 8.
A broun hacked ox steirk(2) c1564 Glasgow Test. II 12.
Ane tolmout auld stirk 1567 Edinburgh Testaments I 38b.
Sex stirkis of ane and twa ȝeir auldis … twa soukand stirkis 1572 Satirical Poems xxxiii 400.
He gaif ane greit pech lyke ane weill fed stirk 1644 Spalding II 312.
On all slauchterit stirkis of aucht pund price or above, vi s. viij d. 1681 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 15 Nov.
Six ky with their callfed stirks(3) 1562 Analecta Scotica I 3.
Resseruand to the said Sir George the teynde styrkkis and cheis bigane c1607 in Rep. Parishes 139.
The vicarage … would extend yeirlie to ten teynd lambis with alsmony fleisses of woll and four teynd stirkis or thairby 1617 Montgomery Mem. 263.
All the kane stirkis
c. attrib. and comb.a1500 Henr. Fab. 2347.
The deuill ane stirk taill thairfoir sall ȝe haif 1592 Edinburgh Testaments XXV 15.
Ane stirk follower 1593 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 506.
That part of the stirk hous quhilk wes brokin be the men that gat away 1605 Edinburgh Testaments XL 367.
Stirk skynnis 1616 Edinburgh Testaments XLIX 204b.
Tua daiker stirk skines 1696 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 633 (23 April).
[Reserving herefrom his own dwelling house], … the stirk house and the Gavill byre [etc.] 1698 Lanark B. Rec. 262.
Ilk stirk skin, 2 d.
d. transf. ? A young and clumsy or countrified person.c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 42/54.
My strummill stirk, ȝit new to spane a1605 Montg. Sonn. lxx 13.
Thou art a stirk, for all thy staitly stylis 1669 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. III 75.
Angus McDonald alias the young hatked stirk
