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

Sederunt, n. [L. sēdērunt they were sitting, f. sedēre to sit. Also in the later dial.]

1. In minutes of various courts, used (in its Latin sense) to introduce the list of members of the court present.Orig. employed in minutes written in Latin, or in which the names and titles of those present were Latinised, e.g. in Acta Aud. (1466-), Acta Conc. (1478-), Acts (1503-), Acts Sederunt (1532-) and Reg. Privy C. (1545-). 1466 Acta Aud. 4/1.
[Quarta dies parliamenti viz. x^o Octobri sederunt domini auditores praedicti 1503 Acts II 247/1.
Sederunt dominj subscriptj Episcopi Glasguensis, Abirdonensis, [etc.] 1545 Reg. Privy C. I 1.]
Sederunt Cardinalis Cancellarius. Episcopi-Candidecase, Orchadensis [etc.] 1585 Reg. Privy C. III 750.
Sederunt Arrane, Montrois, Thirlstane [etc.] 1675 Rec. Univ. Aberd. 339.
Sederunt, the earle Marischall, the lord bishop, Mr. Alexander Ross [etc.] 1689 Cramond Kirk S. III 26 Dec.
After prayer sederunt in session the minister [etc.] 1695 Ayr Presb. 11 Dec.
Tarboltoun 11th Decer 1695 Sederunt Mr. Patrick Crawford chosen Modr. Ja: Richmond

b. As a vernacular noun: The members, collectively, present at a particular sitting of a court. 1669 Edinb. Surgeons II p. 39.
The sederunt of this day meating with thesse that wer formerlie meat of the auchtene of Maij of that sederunt does all vnamouslie (sic) aggrie [etc.]

2. A sitting of a court. Also buik of sederunt, the book of record of such a court.(1) 1593 Acts Sederunt ii 22.
The bell having ceissit, the sederunt buke sall be presentit to the President, quha … sall clois ilk dayis sederunt writand una cum and the lordis quha cumis efter the bell beis ceissit 1652 Canisbay Kirk S. in Stat. Acc. Scot. XV 25.
The congregation was few in number, and ther was not a sederunt of elders 1693 Cramond Kirk S. III 28 March.
To send … a minister to moderat and preside here this day fourtnight, at their sederunt 1699 Minnigaff Par. Rec. 18.
The sederunt closed with prayer 1704 Edinb. Univ. Chart. 156.
The counsell declaired they would att ther nixt sederunt … appoynt ane committie … in order to prepaire a report of the whole matter(2) 1628 Acts Sederunt II 39.
Conform to ane speciall warrand … by our said umquhile great grandfather which is ȝit recorded in your buiks of sederunt

b. Act of Sederunt, an ordinance of the Court of Session, designed to regulate judicial procedure in the Court. 1672 Mackenzie Pleadings Pref. A 2.
At the first institution of our Senat, it was appointed by an Act of Sederunt, that [etc.] 1676 Lauder Notices Affairs I 116.
The Lords refused the bill, alledging, his lawyers … knew not the laws nor Acts of Sederunt 1681 Stair Inst. i i § 16.
Yet frequent agreeing decisions are more effectual than acts of sederunt themselves, which do easily go into desuetude 1687 Lauder Notices Affairs II 797. 1695 Acts IX 455/1.
To revise the whole Acts of Sederunt … and to take notice and remark what Acts of Sederunt are in use and what decisions should be held for practiques to be still adverted to in judgement 1696 Fountainhall Decis. I 732.
The Lords considered that a common haver of a writ by the act of Sederunt is bound no farther

3. Remuneration for attendance at a day's sitting, payable to a lord of session.For further details, see Bisset I 152/24 and note in III 130. 1632 Acts Sederunt ii 45.
That quhatsomever lord shall admitt any informer or solliciter within his house … shall loss and forfalt his sederunt of that day, to accress to the remanent Lords, observers of this statute a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 26.
That noe ordinar lord shall pas from the inner house to the wtter house without licence of the president; and, if they faylȝie, to tyne that daye's sederunt

4. A list of the members of the court present at a sitting of a court. 1648 S. Leith Rec. 84/1.
The sessione ordained that in all tyms coming the sederunt of the sessione sould be … insert in this or [sic] register

5. attrib.Sederunt-buke, a book of record containing the record of the sittings of a court (= buik of sederunt in 2 above). Sederunt-day, the day appointed for a sitting of the Court of Session. Sederunt-house, a building in which sittings were held; ? the Court of Session.(1) 1593 Acts Sederunt ii 22 (see 2 (1) above). 1619 Reg. Privy C. XII 8.
The Lordis of Sessioun and Exchekker, whose names ar insert in the Sederunt bookis of Sessioun and Exchekquair 1622-6 Bisset I 75/6.
The sederunt buikis, quhairin the saidis lordis actis, and statutis ar writtin and inserte 1622-6 Bisset II 278/19. a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 25.
Ane of the clerks to wrytt the lords' sederunt booke at 9 houres(2) 1672 Acts VIII 85/2.
That every sederunt day, the minute booke be read out fully, that the leidges be not delayed or necessitat to attend 1677 Acts Sederunt II 137.
Unless the petition be given in within the space of two sederunt days after pronounceing of the decreet(3) a1670 Scot Staggering State (1872) 45.
John, Earl of Montrose … in whose time that line was written in the sederunt house; Et bibulo memini consule nil fieri