A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1375, 1375
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Handwarsil, -warcelle, n. [ON. *hand-varzla, f. hand-, hand + varzla surety: see Warsil n.] Surety; a pledge or guarantee. — 1249 Acts I. *85/1.
Si aliqua querela sit in marchiis inter regna … & defendens apparet, debet transire marchiam & debet accipere handwarsil … de tribus hominibus ad testandum secum quod sufficienter comparuit ad diem suum 1280 Cal. Doc. II. 59.
[A writ from the sheriff of Cumberland to the … sheriff of Dumfries, that he let him have] handwarcelle [regarding the robbery]
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"Handwarsil n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/handwarsil>
