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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Schakill, Schaikill, Schekill, n. Also: schakhill, schakle, -all, -yle, (schankill), shake(l, -le, shacle; chakil, chalkill; schaikhill, s(c)haikle; shekel(l, -le, scheckill; chekill; schikill. Also Hopschakil and * Hupschakyll. [ME and e.m.E. scheakle (Ancr. R.), schackle (1342), schakel (a1400), OE sceacul a fetter. Also in the mod. dial.]

1. A fetter for the ankle or wrist of a prisoner.(a) 1595–6 Sc. Hist. Rev. X 303.
Ane pair of grit irnes wit sewin schankills 1603 Black Bk. Taymouth 338.
Off lang chenyeis in the presoun heich and lach with thair schakhillis, iiii 1613 Sc. N. & Q. IX 117.
Ane lang rod of irne with ten schakillis of irne, for keiping of prisoneris 1636 Banff Ann. I 74.
For making of the guid schakillis and lock therof 1647 Ib. 92.
For recepting … of certaine shakellis of the long gaid of the said burgh c1650 Spalding I 53.
Heir wes thair lodging takin wp, and the schakles lovsit fra Ballindallochis arme … bot [he] had still ane strong man vpone ilk gardie 1676 Stirling Common Good 106b.
For 2 locks to the shakles … 10 s. 1690 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. II 46.(b) 1560 Edinb. B. Rec. III 68.
Tua irne roddis with xij irne shaikles vpoun thame … deliuerit to Thomas Hall javelour 1579 Ib. IV 116.
Yrnes, lokis, schaiklis, fetterris [etc.] … belonging to the office of javeloury 1585 Ib. 418.
Schaikills 1592–3 Ib. V 79.
Ane irne rod with schaikills of fyve stayne wecht or thairby 1603 Black Bk. Taymouth 338.
Off glaslawis chanyeit with four schaikhillis(c) 1557–8 Edinb. Old Acc. I 246.
Twa pair of gryt irn bands with ane rownd chekill of irne 1597 Misc. Spald. C. V 69.
Scheckills 1601 Edinb. B. Rec. V 293.
To caus mak tuelff schekillis of yrne, and sax small chenyeis betuix tham to put idill vagaboundis thairin to beir red 1630 S. Leith Rec. 19/2.
J[oh]n Hunter distracted of his wytte to be put in a darke howse and shekels to be put on hime 1638 Aberd. Council Lett. II 106.
Ane of those who wer in presone hard bund in shekellis 1649 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 94.
To goe to the scaffold, and ther stand with the shekells on his hands from ten hours to tuelff 1667 Cranna Fraserburgh 198.(d) 1636 Dumbarton B. Rec. 49.
[To] caus mak a pair of boyis [ed. bogies] of ae grit gaid of irne and sex irne schikills to ryn thairupoune for keiping malefactors

2. = Schakil(l)-bane.Also in later north. Eng. dial. 1590 Burel Queen's Entry 245.
Thair bodies skantly culd be kend For cheins quhilk ouer thair shoulders hang; Gold bracelets on thair chakils hings, Thair fingers full of costly rings

3. a. A hobble for a horse. 1510–13 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 287.
[Purchase of 28] schaikillis [for the work-horses, delivered to the keeper in summer] 1513–14 Ib. 290. 1516 Ib. 301.
[6 pairs] lie schaikillis 1529 Treas. Acc. V 366. 1537 Ib. VI 356, etc.

b. A tether for securing an animal. 15.. Lichtoun Dreme 64 (B).
Thre quhyte quhailis … Thair tedderis wer maid weill grit to graip With silkin schakillis [M. chalkillis] and sowlis of quhyte saip 1684 Symson Descr. Galloway 16.
At both the wells they leave behind them … a thank-offering. … at the second, they leave the bands and shacles wherewith beasts are usually bound

4. a. A coupling for a plough, wagon, carriage, etc. 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. fol. 236b.
The making of ane plewch band the price vj d. … The making of ane schakall the price iij d. 1649 Edinb. Test. LXIV 220.
Tua long waynes twa bolts twa schakles fyve irone somes [etc.] 1692 Foulis Acc. Bk. 147.
For 2 transum plaits, 1 swibar plait, a perch plait, a mainshekell, a houkit clout to the poull end 1705 Ib. 373.
For a shekle and buckle and mending to the coatch 3 sh.

b. ? ‘The hinge of a flail joining the souple to the handstaff’ (SND, s.v. Shackle n. 4). (In mod. north-east. dial., 1920, 1926.) 1556 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 29 Oct.
That na wandis, sowpills, schaikills, & siklyk geir, pay na thing, bot alanerly custume

5. Appar. transf. in a place-name. 1420 Liber Calchou 447.
A pese of lande … lyand betwen ij bowrnis … the qwylk is callyt the abbotis crwic schakyle