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

(Stepestane,) Stepsta(i)ne, Steipstane, -stone, n. Also: steepston. [Step(e v.] A stone vat for a. Soaking barley in brewing. b. Soaking wool. Cf. Step(e v. 3 b.a. 1496–7 Prot. Bk. J. Young 193.
[With the lower barn and half of the kiln, well and] stepstane 1500–1 Prot. Bk. J. Young 255.
The forloft, the kil, the stepstaine undir the stare(b) 1507 Prot. Bk. J. Young 385.
Steipstane 1552 Prot. Bk. J. Robeson 13b.
Hir … liferent of the bakland baith kile bern, steip stane and all uthir housis 1582 Edinb. Test. XI 287.
About the place in loftis girnellis barnes killis & steip stane 1590 Prot. Bk. T. Lindsay 232.
His killcroft in Biggar, exceptand alwayes the kyll, kilbern and steipstanes, lyand betuix the landes of John Broun … and the comoun street 1599 Reg. Great S. 317/1.
Lie killis, cobillis, steip-stanis 1612 Reg. Privy C. IX 422.
[They came to the dwelling house … at Craigmylne where complainers] wer in sober maner for the tyme setting ane steipstane 1652 Peebles Gleanings 298.
Ane thrie-year tack of the commone green, from the steipstane to the sand bed 1654 Peebles B. Rec. II 22.
To repaire the eister kill and steipstane 1654 Peebles B. Rec. II 24.
Steipstone 1663 Peebles B. Rec. II 58.
All awneris … of the kilns and steipstanes … to len the saids kilns and steipstanes to neighboures(c) 1681 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 24.
The houses barnes steepstons and kills and brewhousesb. 1653 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 941.
The west syd of the ȝaird called the fyve riggis and threttie futt of grund of ane barnested with the thrid pairt of the woll steip stane