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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HEBDOMADAR, -ER, n. A name formerly applied in Scottish Universities and Grammar Schools to the member of the staff whose weekly turn it was to supervise the behaviour of the students or pupils. Hist. [hɛb′dɔmədər]Abd. 1700 Burgh Rec. Abd. (B.R.S.) 330:
Fifthly, that upon every play day the hebdomader for that week shall goe along with the scholars to the hill when they get the play, and that ther be no disorders nor abuse amongst them, and bring them back to the schooll at ringing of the bell.Edb. 1704 A. Dalzel Hist. Univ. Edb. (1862) 289:
The duty and office of Hebdomadar is much neglected; which is the cause of many disorders.Fif. 1768 in Fergusson Poems (Grosart 1879) lviii.:
I deprived John Adamson of his Server's place for . . . imposing on the Hebdomader by a false pretext to get to the dancing school another night.Sc. 1807 J. Hall Trav. Scotl. I. 114:
The masters, in their turns, exercised the office of what was called Hebdomader. His business was to preside and say grace at the college table, and to go round and call at every . . . chamber at six o'clock in the morning, to see if the students had got up.Abd. 1897 Sc. N. and Q. XI. 95:
The disappearance of the office is of recent date. When I was a student at King's College [c.1870] the Hebdomader occupied a special seat in the Chapel during the Sunday services, and one of his duties was to warn the Censor (always a tertian bursar) when to begin to call the roll.Gsw. 1909 J. Coutts Hist. Univ. 177:
It was proposed [in 1695] that the regents, each in turn, should act as “hebdomaders” in supervising the students who had chambers within the College.Fif. 1946 R. G. Cant Univ. St Andrews 96:
Long before 1747, the masters of St Salvator's and St Leonard's had generally ceased to live in college, but they continued to take their turn of duty as Hebdomadar. . . . The room assigned to this use at the United College is still known as “The Hebdomadar's Room.”Sc. 1996 Herald (21 Feb) 15:
He has been invited by the Glasgow and West of Scotland St Andrews University Association, for a very nominal tenner, to a lunch which will be addressed by Dr Frank Quinault on the topic "A Week in the Life of a Hebdomadar". A hebdomadar, as regular weel-learnit readers will know, is a senior member of the University appointed weekly for the supervision of student discipline. Sc. 2000 Scotsman (15 Nov) 8:
This year, every student has received a letter from the Hebdomadar, president of the Students' Association, listing dos and don'ts to ensure the reputations of both themselves and their university emerge intact. Sc. 2001 Business a.m. 23 Jan:
" ... he went to St Andrews University and they have a hebdomadar there who doles out weekly allowances, apparently."