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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Stel(l, n.¹ Also: stelle, stele, steil(l, steall, stail(l, stale. [North. ME stel (once, c1303), ONorthumb. stelle (once, 1099-1128), appar. f. stæll catching of fish, ultim. prob. f. as Stal(l n. Cf. MDu. stale a pole or stake to which a fishing net was attached. Also in the later dial.] A place in a river or estuary used for (salmon, etc.) fishing whereby a net was stretched (later ? by attaching it to stakes in the river) across the channel or drawn through the water (Draucht n. 6); a place suitable for such fishing; one of a number of locations known by this term; a fishery of this sort. Also in place-names. Reg. Dunferm. 6.
Aldestelle c1200 Liber Calchou 43.
De quadam piscaria que pertinebat ad Wadehorn & uocatur Wudehornstelle in flumine de Tuede 1368 Rot. Sc. 925/2.
Piscariam de Auldestell in Aqua de Twede 1480 Liber Melros II App. 695.
Anent the fisching of Aldstell(a) 1467 Reg. Dunferm. 359.
The nettis of the Calate sall set thar stavis and lend abown the thre stanis … Item the ald stell pertening to Dunfermline sall stand at the thre stanis the man with the land toll and pas up and set owr thar nettis with routh with a tow of xxiiij fadom and keip thar boundis hafand nettis in the ald stell … ay quhill the kingis water balȝe mak revlis in the watir 1478 Acta Conc. I 24/1.
Quether the said abbot and convent suld … haue the hale fisching of the ald stell or bot a dracht in the water callit the ald stell 1540 Exch. R. XVII 340.
Et de xiij s. iiij d. de firmis lie Stell de Kessokis 1558 Inverness Rec. I 24. 1562 Inverness Rec. I 76.
That the … balyes … hed done … wrang … in setting of the stell, allegiand be tham it is ane priuakyll out of the hale commond takis 1574 Hist. Kinloss A. 94.
The … fischeingis of the ȝardis and stellis upoun the watter of Findorne 1574 Thanes of Cawdor 179.
The part callit the stell of the Nes of Arthurscheir 1575 Exch. R. XX 236. 1597 Retours II Inq. Spec. Aberdeen (570).
Piscaria dimidii retis de lie raik et stellis infra libertatem burgi de Aberdene, super aquam de Dee 1624 Retours II Inq. Spec. Ross et Cromarty (68).
Lie stel de Ness de Kilmuir 1641 Acts V 540/1.
The said watter rines besyd the fishinge callit the Stell with the fishing callit the Reidpule one the west syd of the ferrie of Kessoke 1650 Cramond Ch. Alves 22.
Moses Hill … to appear before the congregation for fishing at the Stelles 1677 Aberd. Council Lett. VI 118.
Ane salmond fishing upon the water of Die called the Raik and Stells which is at the mouth of the said harbor(b) 1484 Acta Aud. *139/2.
Johne … sall … pay … a last of salmonde … for the fisching of the outwatter stele in the watter of Tuede 1531–2 Prot. Bk. M. Carruthers 17.
[Robert Johnstoune gave sasine to Symon Carutheris … of the following annual rents … A tenement … between the garden of Edward Harknes and the garden] lie stelis in Ausalschork 1561–6 Book of Assumptions in Orig. Par. II ii 532.
Teind fishes of the steill of Kissok 1611 Kilravock Charters in Orig. Par. II ii 534.
[The landis of Culmoir with the] steall 1623 Retours I Inq. Spec. Elgin et Forres (39).
2 steillis de Cruikis, lie Durstell, lie Stell aquæ exterioris, et lie Steill Monachorum(c) 1583 Reg. Great S. 186/1.
Salmonum piscaries de lie staillis et yairis super aquam de Fyndhorne

b. A portable device of timber and net adapted for fishing in the tide of an estuary.1684 Symson Descr. Galloway in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 80.
The countrey people … use to go a fishing with the halfe net: the forme and use whereof take as follows. They take four peeces of oake [etc.] … These four peeces of timber they nail fast together … To this they fasten a net much wider than the stales (for so they term the frame of timber). With this at the ebbing of the tide they go into the water … and turning their faces towards the streame put the stale points to the ground so that the net … is carried by the streame … and then presently [sc. when a fish comes into the net] they pull the stale points from the ground, which are instantly wafted to the top of the water and so catch the fish

c. attrib. and comb. With fische, fish caught by this method; fishing, net(t, the method of fishing described above; point (see b above); yair, a fish-lock or enclosure used in conjunction with a ‘stell’. 1611 Yester Wr. 300.
Salmon fishing and tugnet alsweill of reid fischis and stail fische as of other fisches within the flowing of the sey 1623 Yester Wr. 358.
Staillfische — 1655 Jervise Epitaphs & Inscriptions I 270/2.
That part of the stell fishing callit the Eath stell — 1564 (1584) Reg. Great S. 213/1.
Cum piscationibus salmonum lie stell nettis, in dominio de Lorne 1602 Reg. Great S. 484/2.
Piscationes salmonum vocatas lie steill-nett of the Priore-schottis on the water mouth of Aw … cum piscatione vocata Staill-nett de Keanlochtive 1631 Retours I Inq. Spec. Argyll (40).
Steil net —1684 Symson Descr. Galloway in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 80 (see b above). — 1600 Reg. Great S. 341/1.
Terras de Culmoir, cum lie stel-yair, halecum et salmonum piscationibus