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

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Tow, n.¹ Also: towe, towy(e, tou(e, taw(e, tau, toow(e, toll. [Cf. 19th c. Eng. fore-tow (1850), OFris. tow, Du. touwe, MLG touw(e, LG tau, ON tog.] (A) rope, also with qualifier indicating the size, type, strength or origin of the rope. Appar. sold chiefly in fathoms or by weight.(1) 1467 Reg. Dunferm. 359.
A tow of xxiiij fadome 1496 Treasurer's Accounts I 292.
For bering of a byrding of towis … fra the buth quhar tha wer bocht iij d. 1538 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries II 403.
A great towe 1553 Donaldson Cramondiana 53.
For the half towis and skemill mailles of Witsundaye and Mertimes 1560 Edinb. Old Acc. II 95.
For fyve faddom of towis that past with the cheiff and was layd to the cabill, vj s. viij d. a1568 Sempill in Sat. P. xlvi 21.
For falt of hemp tak hary towis 1589 Edinburgh Testaments XXI 89.
xxij pund … of towis price of the stane xxxvj s. 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Funis, retinaculum, a towe or rape 1598 Edinburgh Testaments XXXI 319b.
Sex bunschellis of towis at iij s. iij d. the bunschell 1628 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 232.
12 fadome of ane Flemis tow weyand 7 pund wecht and ane half pund at 4 lib. the staine 1686 Sheriffhall Coal Accompt 11 Sept.
For spicing a tow(b) 1506–7 Treasurer's Accounts III 370.
For … ij½ stane of tollis 1522 Dunferm. B. Rec. I 209.
Ane pair of woll scheris, ane Danskyn toll ane pair of mustarstanis(c) 1610 Edinburgh Testaments XLVI 162.
Ane stane wecht of tawis price thairof lx s. 1643 Dumfries Treas. Acc. MS 21.
Twentie pund weight of great tawes(d) 1691 Foulis Acc. Bk. 137.
2 fadome toowes(e) 1697 Cramond Cullen Ann. 70.
To ane bearer for goeing to Portsoy for toues 3 s. Given for the saids ropes 17 s.proverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 183.
A strong theif sould have a stark tow(2) 1496 Treasurer's Accounts I 298.
For xvj fawdom of small tow, xvj d. … for xxiij fawdome of gretare tow, iij s. 1546 Aberd. B. Rec. I 236.
Ane pece of new tow that wes in ane kist contenand vij fawdoum

b. In examples where the use is made clear. With or without qualifier. Also attrib.The word tow was clearly used to cover rope of all types and strengths. Rope was used extensively but most commonly in a nautical context, in building work, as halters for horses, traces for carts, and for tying up or executing wrongdoers. See Anker-tow n., Bell-tow, Cabil(l)-tow n., Drawing vbl. n. 2 b, Ere-ledder n., Haling vbl. n.¹, Hedetow n., Pak n.¹ 5, Pakking vbl. n. 3, Palȝo(u)n(e n. 5 (1), Quhite adj. A 1 g (5), Rakking ppl. adj., Swing n. 2 and Takil(l n. 4 for further examples.(1) 1467 Reg. Dunferm. 359 (see Land n.¹ 1 e).
Land toll 1503 Treasurer's Accounts II 408.
For sex score fawdoum of small tollis to mend the said nettis 1529–30 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I 17.
For xii faddum of small towis for knyttillis and bandis to the cart graitht and the binding of the cart hors in the stable 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI 420.
For xiiij faldome of grete towis to bynd the cofferis 1538–9 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I 258.
For ane gret cordell to the windes iiii lib. x s. for ane uthir smaller cordell tow to the windes with the v pillies xxx s. for x stanis and ane half towis sindry sortis for making skaffaltis gyraippis traissis and grayth to cartis 1555–6 Edinb. B. Rec. II 322.
For small towis to haill the tymmer 1575 Orkney Oppress. 11.
Took furth of her [sc. a ship] 2000 Spanȝe ryallis or thereby … and her haill tows, anchors, and sails 1617 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 42.
A great tow to haill up the said cannoun for redress thairof being tuyse brokin 1626 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 198.
Thrie bunsche of small towis to be bak raipes and bellie braissis 1628 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 233.
iiii fadome of small merling towes 1663 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. 178.
Appoints the fleshe tows to be lifted furth of thair stances … and to be placed … on both sydes of the streit in order and distance as they now stand 1678–9 Arbroath Old Doc. 12/2.
Ten fathome of small towes to mend the drum 1681 Fawside Coal Compt 82.
For a pair of kairt tous 16 s. 8 d. 1686 Depred. Clan Campbell 24.
Ane anchor tow, 50 fadom length, valued to 20 lib.(2) 1496 Treasurer's Accounts I 277.
Giffin to the boy that brocht the towis, to clym the halk nest in the Abbotis Crag 1501 Treasurer's Accounts II 82.
For xiiij stane of towis to be trases to the cartis in Strivelin, ilk stane iiij s. ix d. 1512 Treasurer's Accounts IV 293.
For ane tow to boyrapis to the gret schip 1530 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I 36.
Ane tow of xxi faddwm for lifting and rasing of gestis 1540 Treasurer's Accounts VII 320.
To be palȝeoun cordis, ane stane of towis 1540–1 Treasurer's Accounts VII 426.
Towis to be binding and collaris to the quenis hawknayis 1552 Treasurer's Accounts X 117.
Thre stanis of towis, coft to be tressis to draw the said four falconis 1552–3 Edinb. Old Acc. I 77.
The hale towis and bussumis usit be the lokman 1554–5 Edinb. Old Acc. I 137.
For towis to bind the fallow that wes skurgit 1561 Treasurer's Accounts XI 115.
Ane stane xiij li. of towis to be anker and cabillis … and for towis to be bowtrage 1575 Orkney Oppress. 11.
They were holden twa hours at the gallows foot, and ane tow about their neck a1578 Pitsc. I 175/29.
His handis bound witht sic ane tow of hempt lyk ane theif 1582–3 Misc. Spald. C. V 55.
xiii fadome of towis to the freiris knok 1597 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 22a.
For the mene tard our tous vi gros 1589-1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 62a.
For ii small pes lyns to bind our toues xxv s. 1589–1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 66a.
For towyes our the water gewene to ane boye iii poundis 1589–1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 68a.
For charges and weing of the toue and cordell xxxv gros 1600–2 Montrose Treas. Acc. MS.
Four dailis to the [wind] miln xx s. For ane tow to hald hir x s. 1618 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 131.
For 9 fadum of towes to be helters and bindingis to the hors at 18 d. faddum 1624 Old Dundee I 418.
To hold upon and within the door at the foot of the trein trap ane sufficient cord or tow with ane pais of lead or stane at the end thereof, for holding of the said door 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 22 Nov.
For towis to hing your lordships clothis wpon in the chalmer 1645 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 47.
Four towes for heissing vp and doun the barrowes c1650 Spalding I 29.
He cam doun over the castell wall vpone towis brocht to him secretlie 1680 Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. 3 Ser. XXXVIII 163.
To send with eney honest skipper the taus thatt packet my skinns 1691 Culross II 11.
A tow to the tolbuth bell 1696 Compt in Argaty Estate Papers (SRO) Bundle 102.
For the coffine & tollis thereto(3) 1501 Treasurer's Accounts II 26.
For ij½ dosane courting ringis, xv d. … for v fawdom of smal tow to the samyne, v d. 1504–5 Treasurer's Accounts II 294.
For the ringis to the said vail, … for xx fawdom gretar toll to draw it with 1532 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I 85.
viii faldom of tow for trassis to the cart hors 1535 Stewart 280.
On to the se he bownit sone agane, With bark and boit, … With tow and takill, anker, saill, and air 1553–4 Edinb. B. Rec. II 285.
xviij faddome of tow to draw the watter 1574–5 Haddington Treas. Acc. 7.
Thre faldome and half of towe to be ane bell stryng 1585 Elphinstone Mun. 23.
Certane sowmes of tow for drawing the ordinance 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 243/393.
& all the small artillerie consumed thaire shottis belou In killing men or ellis to cutt sum cable strong or tou [1591 towe] c1650 Spalding I 81.
Four schippis brak louss, for nather tow nor anker culd hald them 1696–1700 Wauchopes 36.
For 6 ston 3 pound the windoes tow, 3 lib. 6 s. 8 d. per stone

c. attrib. and comb.attrib. 1661 Funeral Acc. I 5 (M. of Montrose).
[At the raising of the coffins] 5 staine of tow flax to stop the coffines at 4 lib. the staine 1697 Edinburgh Testaments LXXX 254 (see Wek(e n.).
Tow weikscomb. 1598 Mill Mediæval Plays 298 marg.
Tow man 1664 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I 639.
Ane Glasgow merchand only, ane towmaker with his wyfe and chyld