Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Byre, n. Also: bire, biir; byr, byir, byer, bayre. [Northern e.m.E. byre, bire (1521), OE. býre (rare), possibly related to búr Bour n.]

1. A cow-house or cattle-house. (See also cow-, oxbyre.)(a) 1437 Reg. Dunferm. 285.
Saufand the yhate betuix the bern & the biir 1458 Reg. Great S. 135/2.
Item de decimis de les Barnis et de les Biris juxta Hadingtone 1473 Acta Aud. 28/1.
The wrangwis occupacion of a berne, a bire, and a berneȝarde 1491 Acta Conc. 173/1.
The accioune … for the brikin of the said Johns biris(b) a1500 Henr. Fab. 2732.
Thow in barn and byre sa bene and big a1500 Rauf C. iii.
Knap doun capounis of the best, but in the byre a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 32.
With outin beilding of blis, of bern or of byre 1535 Stewart 56552.
Bayth hall and chalmer, bakhous, barne and byre c1540 Lynd. Syde Taillis 69.
In barn nor byir scho wyll nocht byde c1550 Id. Meldrum 96.
The admirall … set Craigfergus into fyre, And saifit nouther barne nor byre 15.. Christis K. 124 (B).
He ettlit the bern in at the breist The bolt flew our the byre 1560 Rolland Seven S. Prol. 90.
Her pyat tong … Micht suffice weill to preiche in barne or byre 1564 Edinb. B. Deeds 137.
To big ane sufficient byre and … to leif the samin … watter ticht 1572 Sat. P. xxxiii. 253.
In barne or byre, in hall, girnell, and seller a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. xcv. 49.
He neuer tyris for to brek byris 1591 Crim. Trials I. 238.
The charming of the ky and oxin … by going vp betuene twa and twa of thame in thair byre 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 179.
Ane of the cotteris … cumand to the byr, and seing tua oxin bund in on seill [etc.] 1641 Kirkcaldy Presb. 205.
For … righting the gavells of the byre, and bigging the back wall of it 1657 Lamont Diary 102.
Two great elme tries … which grew … betuixt the bayre and coall horse stabell 1682 Decis. Lords F. 15.
The Lords would not decern him to cast down the dovecoat, in regard there was a byre under the same

b. transf. An abode, dwelling. c1590 J. Stewart 202, st. .
Far haif I past and craifs no vther byre Bot heir till enter 1587-99 Hume iv. 166.
O ye accurst into the hels ye go; For vglie devils a iust prepared byre

2. Attrib. with chist, door, grene, man, wife, woman. 1575 Edinb. Test. III. 257 b.
The manis of Kilmaronnok … with tua hors … in the byremennis hand Ib. 261.
I leve … x s. to the byre wyf 1580 Liber Dryburgh 312.
Unam domum edificatam in lie Byregrene de Dryburgh 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 367.
Some old timber trash lying above the byre chist 1694 Lanark Presb. 118.
John M^cWat came to the byer door c 1699 Thanes of Cawdor 395.
To the byrewomen … , to the sheepherd