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.
Pot(t)-pece, -peice, -piece, -peece, n. [Pot(t n.1 and Pece n. 14. Only Sc. Also Pottin peice.] A gun with a large bore, a mortar. = Pott-gun, Mortar-gun. —1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 331.
At the north syid the Scottis gros culveringis … with four pott peices a1578 Pitsc. II 301/7.
Pot peices 1637 Lithgow Siege Breda 33.
Thes morters, or pot-pieces, three quarters of a yard long, but exceeding large and wide 1637 Monro Exped. ii 215.
Those peeces of cannon that are farthest hard are called pot-peeces or mortiers, such as Mounts on the castle of Edenburrough 1639 in Spalding I 223.
The prouisioun laid in the castell extraordinarlie, as granadoes, potpeices, and vtheris whiche ar offensiue and not defensiue 1640 Proceeding of the Commissioners from the Parliament of Scotland 72.
The Castle of Edinburgh … is now furnished with … potpieces, garnets [etc.] c1650 Spalding I 280. Ib. 281.
That this strong … houss sould haue … randerit without schot of pot peice or ony danger 1650 Nicoll Diary 34.
Pott peces ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. III 112.
