A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
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Sclate, Sclait(t, Slate, Slait(t)(e, n. Also: sklate, sclat(t, sclatt-, sklat(t)-; sclayt, sklait(t, scklait, sklaite, sklaytt-, sclet(t, schlett, sklet(t; scleat(t, skleat(t)(e; skleit, sklethe; slat; slayt; sleat(t; slaett; slatt-; slet(t. [ME and e.m.E. sclate (Rolle), sklate (1392), slate (Chaucer), OF esclate fem. (masc., also mod. F., éclat), OF esclater to burst. ‘After c1630, the forms with scl-, skl- are exclusively northern and Scottish’ (OED).]
1. A thin piece of slate or flagstone used as a building material, esp. for the purpose of roofing.Chiefly in pl., usu. infl. pl.infl. pl. (1) 1488 Treas. Acc. I 89.
For sclaytis that wantit and lyme 1513 Ib. IV 525.
For ijm sklaitis … vij li. 1545 Edinb. Hammermen 167b.
For sclaittis sand lyme … garronne nalis & the sclateris warkmenschip 1556–7 Edinb. Old Acc. I 226.
For ijc sklaits to the Tolbuyth xxiiij s. … for brinking upe of the saidis sklaitis, iiij s. 1560 Old Dundee II 186.
The said George Blak hes oblist himself to furnish … unto the theiking with sklaits, ane ruif of timmer 1564–5 Edinb. Old Acc. II 204.
For tua dailles to be eising buirds under the sklaittis 1597 Edinb. B. Rec. V 206.
All persouns, awners of any sclaitts … sall … caus the bell gang throw the toun wayrning all persouns that hes ado thairwith … to come and bye 1618 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 120.
Tua hundereth cutingis to be pinis to the sclaitis 1619 Rec. Univ. Aberd. 277.
The … principall … sall repair … the haill edifice of the … universitie … with leid whair leid wes, sklaittis quhair sklaitt wes [etc.] 1641 Robertson Cullen Ch. Ann. 72.
Scklaits 1655 Boharm Kirk S. 25 March.
The … elders did condiscend with Wm Foull for repairing and dressing of the kirk, the said Wm sould win sclaits himself 1658 Edinb. B. Rec. IX 102.
They fand the maltmilnes lofts faultie in the sklaittis and lathing 1701 Foulis Acc. Bk. 288.
To Robert Crichtoune to compleat his payment for pointing Robert Douglas kitchin sklaits, and to the pointing with cratch about the leads(b) 1516 Treas. Acc. V 79.
For sclatis, lyme, sand and werkmenship in the palis of Halyrudhous 1523 Ib. 220.
Sclatis for theking of the north stable 1531–2 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 73.
For im sklatis of the grete bynd price iiii lib. 1546 St. P. Henry VIII V 580.
Tha … dislogid ws of that parte be downputting of the ruffis and sklatis 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. fol. 239b.
Sklats 1573 Sempill Sat. P. xxxix 88.
Thay … keppit standfulis [of rainwater] at the sklatis thair in 1595 St. A. Kirk S. 809.
That nane play in the kirk yaird nor cast stanis upon the sklatis 1686 J. M. Beale Fife Schools 222.
Half hundred sclates, £2(c) 1495 Prot. Bk. J. Young 175.
As the sklattis under the laid werk of the said gavill schauis and proportis 1516 Treas. Acc. V 93.
Sclattis 1563–4 Edinb. Old Acc. II 195.
The dynt of the wynd that draife bak the watter under the eisingis of the sklattis 1571–2 Haddington Treas. Acc. in E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. VII 66.
The pointin of the sklattis of the bellhous 1582 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 124.
Hadder bussumis to decht the sclattis & gutteris 1607 Ellon Presb. 63.
Forsamekill as the kirk wes … not watterthicht be ressoun that the sklattis wes brokin and reiffin 1684 Law Memor. 33.
A suddane thunderclap … rent the steeple … and tirred the sclattes off it(d) 1557–8 Edinb. Old Acc. II 89.
Sclettis 1584 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II 387.
For to tyr of the sklettis of the weddin kirk dur and to carie them to the woult 1585–6 Perth B. Ct. 21 March.
The said land … is … faulty of tymmer thak wallis roiff and skletis 1621 Wedderb. Compt Bk. 107. 1643 Falkirk Baron Ct. 2 May.
That na persone … win ony sklettis within the skleatecraige of Halglen … without my lordis licence 1658 Ellon Par. 144.
[Every plough] stented for ane horse to … bring home twelve sclets the hors 1680 Fawside Coal Compt 61.
For ane hundir scletts £4(e) 1600-1610 Melvill 168.
We lossit our skleattes, and tuk in vivers 1650 Soc. Ant. IV 409.
Scleatts 1653 Fam. Innes 171.
Skleatts bocht from Caitnes 1675 Cullen Kirk S. 5 Nov.
Skleates 1680 Fawside Coal Compt 62.
For a hundir scleatts £4 8 s.(f) 1501–2 Acta Conc. III (1993) 102.
Slattis 1647 Boharm Kirk S. 8 Aug.
Sleattes 1662 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I 239.
[They] flang in the timber, lything, tyles and slaitts thereof upon the said compleanar 1678 Cullen Kirk S. 18 Aug.
For mending the slates of the church(2) 1555–6 Edinb. Old Acc. II 57.
For [3,900] Dundie sklaytts to the body of the kirk [£19 10 s.](3) 1558 Treas. Acc. X 430.
Grit sclaitis, … smale sclaittis schippit in the said botis 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 30.
Small sklaittis at x lib. m. Ib.
Great sklaittis 1624–5 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 135.
For tua leid of brokin sklaitts to be penningis to the warkuninfl. pl.(1) 1490 Glasg. Univ. Mun. II 256.
For ane hundreth sclait quhilk the place was beildit with 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 219.
To theik the new munitioun hous [1950] sclait 1639 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 413.
For ane thowsand sclatt at xl li. the thowsand 1655 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III 495 (see 2 (1) (c) below. 1659 Old Ross-shire I 122.
Twelve thousand good and sufficient sklait of the ground and myne of Murkle in Caithness(b) 1534–5 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 129.
Sax hunder slait(2) 1633 in Macgibbon & Ross V 552.
4800 Caitnes sklait(b) 1501 Hist. Fam. Seton I 337.
[Instrument of premonition dated 1501 endorsed as follows] An instrument quhan James Levingstoune broke the slait of Touch-fraser in my Lord Huntly's name Alexander. [Livingstone, as [Huntly's] bailie made interruption by the ceremony of breaking a stone slate, and protesting that the sasine or intrusion was void and null.]sing. 1456 Hay I 228/14.
Or, as a sclate fell of a hous and slewe a man, quhat punycioun suld men ordane to do for that sclate?
b. pl., transf. The roof (of a building).c1520-c1535 Nisbet Luke v 19.
Thai yede on the ruf and be the sclates thai leet him doun with the bed 1543 Edinb. Guild Ct. 20 Sept.
And that he use the halff of the said Patriks sid wall for his gavill … quhill he cum to the sclats 1613 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 106.
Ane jawer hoill, the fylth quhairof … fallis upon the sclaits of the said flesche-merkatt
2. Slates, collectively; the material from which these are made. Also attrib.(1) 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I 182.
Ilk ane of tham [sc. tenants] a drach in the ȝer, gif tha be chargit ȝerly, to sclat, led or tymmer 1562-3 Winȝet I 114/22.
Sklate, thak [etc.] 1681 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 8.
[To] put up sheds upon all the syds and round about the same to sarck the same and cover the samyn with sclate Ib. 19.
The heritors in … Pleasant to remove ther thack rooffes and to theik the houses kills and barne with sclat or tylle(b) 1466 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 23.
And to mak the ruiffes of guid tymmer and theik thame with sclaitt 1497 Treas. Acc. I 380.
To the man that ȝeid to vesy to se gif he could wyn sclait 1542 Ib. VIII 133.
For … expensis awayting upoune the inbringing of the sklait, skelȝe, lyme and sand 1550–1 Ayr B. Acc. 112.
Gadring of sklait that blew af the kirk 1552 Reg. Cupar A. II 109.
Thai sall leid … with ane gret draucht of foure oxin and tuay hors ȝerelie, to tymmer, lyme, sclait, colis, or salt, fra [etc.] 1560 Bk. Disc. 252.
Everie churche must have … thak or sclait able to withhold raine [etc.] 1580 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 125.
It is statute … that na personis play at the keich ball vpoun the freir kirk for demolessing the sklait thairof Ib. 135.
[To] vphauld the saids lands barnis and yairdis with thair pertinentis in walls sklait thak [etc.] 1596 Aberd. Council Lett. I 6.
Lois lyme, sklait and free stane … is ordanit to be frie of the said impost 1598–9 Glasgow B. Rec. I 192.
And als ordanit him to tak of the townes sclaitt to the theiking of the tofall of the kirk 1621 Acts IV 627/1.
Suche as salbe covered with sklaite or skailȝee leid tyild or thakstane 1635 Dumbarton B. Rec. 46.
The proveist and baillies caus warkmen entir and tak aff the sklait and lath 1683 Craven Ch. in Orkney I 103.
Sklaitt 16.. Ouchterlony in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 24.
[In Angus are] excellent milne stones great abundance of sklait and lymestone(c) ?c1536–7 Rec. Earld. Orkney 222.
Togedder with … fishing in fresh and salt watter, sklett and skletthews, sten and stenquarrell, lym and lymkilles 1576 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 301.
For bringing upe of the sklet fra the bot to the castell liii s. 1655 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III 495.
Given to George Esdaill … for sclet, a dollour [=] 2 l. 18 s. … Given to George Esdaill in pairt of the payment of tuintie thousand sclet 266 l. 13 s. 4 d.(d) 1625 Argyll Rentals 18 Nov.
vj bollis of lyme & skleat to the repairing of the hous c1650 Spalding II 158.
He causit skleat the … kirk … with new lath, new skleat, and new materiallis(e) c1683 Abercrummie in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 18.
Skleit(f) 1571 Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. XV 314.
For slaett, tymmer, staines 1586 Cal. Sc. P. IX 150.
Slayt 1630-1651 Gordon Geneal. Hist. 6.
Sleat 1677 Inverness Rec. II 275.
The theserer and Wm Thomsone to furnische the slayt the reddiest way they can c1650-1700 Descr. Zetland 8.
Only four houses here thacked with slate(2) 1535 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 188 (see Cathnes n.). —1628 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 238.
100 … cast of gray sklait
3. attrib. and comb. Chiefly in references to: a. A place from which slate may be obtained; b. A building with a slate-roof (see also Sclate-hous n.); rarely, ? a structure made of slabs of slate; c. Pins, etc., used to fasten slates in position.a. 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 35.
For a hors hyre to the sklaitt craig 1643 Falkirk Baron Ct. 2 May (see 1 infl. pl. (1) (d) above). 1668 Glasgow B. Rec. III 107.
To the men who hes the sklait craigs there —? 1536–7 Rec. Earld Orkney 222 (see 2 (1) (c) above). c1567 Thomson Hist. Dundee App. xvii.
The Chaiplanrie of St. Johne of the Sklethehewchis 1573–4 Day-bk. J. Kyle in E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. VII 73.
William Cranstoun to ryd to se the sclait heuch 1601 Reg. Great S. 406/2.
Cum lie sklaitheuch et halkes in Hoburneheid 1637 Alyth Kirk S. in Sc. N. & Q. 1 Ser. XII 45.
Giffin to ane boy to go to Glamiss to the slet hewche 4 s. 1681 Elgin Rec. II 311.
Maister of the sklaitt howche of Force in Caithness 1688 Dumfries Doc. (Box of Accts. No. 225).
Sklaiteheugh —1637 Misc. Spald. C. V 227.
Ilk man that dissobeys to go to the sklaithill quhen thay salbe warnit thairto [etc.] 1661 Peebles B. Rec. II 201.
Stobo sclait hill —1699 Foulis Acc. Bk. 256.
The sklait quarrellb. (1) 1561 Dysart Gleanings 16.
At the sklait bairne in the barn ȝard thairof of Balgony 1573 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 3.
Houssis … outwith the West Poirt foirnent his sclait barn —1655 Lamont Diary 87.
The wholle house of Lundy, … the sclat-girnell, the dowcoat —1534–5 Edinb. B. Rec. II 68.
[They] ar feit myllaris to the sclait myln 1597 Ib. V 195.
Ane new ruif to the sclaitt mylne 1658 Ib. IX 102.
They fand … the sklait milne loft verie faultie both in sklaitts and lathing —1605–19 Paisley B. Rec. 135.
The sclait tenement be west the samin sclait houss —a1634 Read Buch. 20.
Sklata, so named from ane sklait torrell that is in it —1434 Liber Aberbr. II 66.
Fra the Cartfurde … west … to the discens of the Sclaitwel(2) 1578–9 Reg. Privy C. III 99.
[They] tuke doun the sklait ruife 1611 Glasgow Merchants House 108.
Within the boundis of his awn sklait ruiff drope 1640 Kirkcudbr. Min. Bk. 66.
The sklait roofe of the hows 1682 Glasgow B. Rec. III 319.
He … building the same decently in stane work and putting ane sclaitt rooff theron 1714 Orkney Antiq. Soc. V 9.
An double house under sclaitt roof(3) 1539–41 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 290.
The ald sklait werk c1556 Corr. M. Lorraine 442.
Your grace louging … is ewill brokin … in sklait werk 1601 Treas. Acc. MS 106.
For reparatioun of the sklait and skaillie work of the castell of Striviling 1622 Perth Kirk S. MS 6 Sept.
Patrik Pitcarne quhais skleit wark he helpis to wark 1656 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III 499.
15 rude of sclet work at 16l. ilk rudec. 1598 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 674.
Sklait naillis 1639 M. Works Acc. II 408.
Schlett naill at xiiii s. the hunder Ib. 410.
Sclett naill 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 215.
Sklaitt naills pryce of the hundereth x s. 1653 Ellon Par. 142.
Ane old wine puncheon to be sklait nailes —1523 Treas. Acc. V 221.
For sclait pynnis and watter in beting of … tua stablis 1583 Ayr B. Acc. 40. 1599 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 315.
Sklaitt pinis at ii s. vi d. the hundreth 1614 Ayr B. Acc. 62.
For ane kettill to seyth the sklait pynnis 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 77. 1639 Ib. 410.
For ixc and a halff of slett pinnes xxxj s. viij d. 1662 Sc. Hist. Rev. XXV 260.
Nailles and sclat pynnes 14 s. 1683–90 Soc. Ant. LIV 245.
d. Sklait quariour, a slate-quarrier.1638 Peebles Gleanings 243.
To William Thomsone, sklaitt quariour, for 500 sklaitt to the tolbuith
e. Sklaitleiding, the transport of slate.1563 Inchaffray Reg. 86.
Sklaitleiding v laidis
f. Sklait-stane (-stone), a (piece of) slate; ? a stone that resembles slate. [North. ME slatston (1378, Acc. Manor of Wardely, Durham).]Appar. it was a popular belief that a piece of money received from the Devil or one of his emissaries was afterwards changed into a piece of slate.1600-1610 Melvill 168.
My cusing, being a mariner, … behoved to go to the heavin of St. Androis, to lose a certean of skleatt steanes 1600 Crim. Trials II 196.
He … cuist ane sklait stane ower the wyndo among the pepill 1678 Mackenzie Laws & C. (1678) 97.
A dollor, which turn'd thereafter in a slait-stone 1679 Coll. Witchcraft 97.
The devill gave yow ane fyve merk peice of gold, whilk a lyttil efter became ane sklaitt stone
g. Only in Cunningham: Sklait-coal, ? coal that, like slate, splits into plates; ? coal with an admixture of slate. [Cf. 19th c. Eng. slate coal (1805).] Also attrib. with silver.1679 Cunningham Diary 18.
Sklait-coal silver Ib.
He entered in compt with his hill man anent the number of the cinner-coals, to see if the sklait-coals had holden out proportionally Ib.
Compting the sklait-coal at 10 s. the load
4. As a place-name element.The two early instances given in Liber Dryburgh are probably from a late copy of an earlier MS, and so may represent later versions of an original scl- form.c1260 (15..) Liber Dryburgh 91.
In dominico meo de Brigeslaite c1300 (15..) Ib. 92.
In dominico domini de Briggeslat 1490 Reg. Paisley 266.
Croftam Roberti Cavers vocatam le Sclattbank [? or -bauk] c1567 Thomson Hist. Dundee App. xvii (see 3 a above).
