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

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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Cart, Cairt, n.¹ Also: carte. [ME. cart(e, kart(e, ON. kart-r (OE. cræt). See also Kart n.¹]

1. A cart.(a) 1375 Barb. xi. 114.
Of cartis als that ȝeid thame by So feill, that … Four scor wes chargit with fewaleIb. xix. 720. a1400 Leg. S. vii. 288.
Thare wes sene in that regione … syndry Cartys & wanys opynly Ib. xxx. 461.
Scho with camelis and cart Held on to the merkat wart 1456 Hay II. 28/31.
To cut doune treis that hynderis … cartis and chariotis … to passe through the forestis 1471 Acts II. 100/1.
To gar certane cartis of weir be maide be prelatis, barouns [etc.] … for the defens of the realme 1474 Treas. Acc. I. 50.
To Schetho passande to Sanctandros … for cartis of were c1475 Wall. vi. 348.
Thai … In cartis brocht thar purwiance dewyne Ib. ix. 701.
Serwandys oysyst with cartis hay to leid 1489 Treas. Acc. I. 117.
To pynouris to bring furth the silver veschall and odir stuf … Item, for a carte to hafe thaim to Lythqow c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 356.
The capill … Sa curtasly the cart drawis 1512 Treas. Acc. IV. 459.
For clos cartis, iij dusan to Sterling for cais windokkis 1513 Doug. xiii. ix. 76.
Saturn … Tawcht thame … al the art To eyr, and saw the cornys, and ȝok the cart 1534–5 Linlithgow Pal. 309.
The entres of thre carttis to the leding of the frestane to the palis 1531 Bell. Boece II. 269.
I sall gar him draw like ane avir in ane cart 1535 Stewart 4594.
In cart and wane tha gar thaim drug and draw 1554–5 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 300.
Gevin to thre men for down taking of the knok furth of the stepill to the cart 1560 Ib. III. 65.
Carying of the saidis bordelaris … and harlottis throw the toun in ane carte for thair first falt 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 254.
To … conqueis gold in cartis(b) c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 228 (B).
Quhill runsyis rynnis away with cairt and quheilis a1578 Pitsc. I. 273/25.
They … caist him in ane cairt and had him away to Ingland Ib. 292/25.
Thai gat sum of thair cairttis witht pulder and bullattis 1585 Elphinstone Mun. 23.
Fyve pair of tressis … ane clois cairt 1596 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 168.
Pittie customes … a maid cairt, twa penneis 1622 Edinb. Test. LI. 151.
Ane pair of quheillis with ane lang cairt, ane clois cairt, and ane stane cairt body 1658 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 404.
Not to suffer any cairtes … [to] go alongst the brig Ib.
The boddie of the cairt 1675 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 291.
That on or tuo horses and cairts be furnished and brought to him

2. A car or chariot. 1513 Doug. i. vii. 101.
The hors hym harland behynd the void cart Ib. xii. vi. 116.
[He] gan stynt hys horssis and his quhirland char, And ferely dyd lepyng from hys cart c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2757.
He had sewintene hundreth thousande, Withoute hors men and weirlyke cairtis 1585 James VI Ess. 13.
When I do descryue thy shyning carte Ib. 62.
Outt through his cairt, quhair Eous was eik

3. Attrib. and comb. with axtre, beimer, body, caller (driver), draucht, ers (tail), fillar, furde, graith, hire, hors, laid, maill (tax), man, naig, quhele, rope, sadill, schone.Cf. ME. carte-hors(e, -lode, -whele; e.m.E. cart-rope. 1496 Treas. Acc. I. 287.
Giffin for iij^c nalis to the wyndbandis and cart axtreis — 1620 Edinb. Test. L. 280 b.
Thriescoir birkis for cairtbeimeris — 1645 Ib. LXI. 170 b.
Two long caird [sic] bodies, twa clos caird bodeis, twa staine caird bodies — 1648 Elgin Rec. I. 183.
Alex^r Nicoll [and 17 other] cart callers in Elgin … to be poyndit for 20 s. ilk persone 1649 Ib. II. 265.
The session ordaines everie cart caller that bydes from the kirk … to pay 20 s. — 1551 Treas. Acc. X. 32.
vj cart draucht of chalmeris of gunnys brocht furtht of Leith to the castell of Edinburght 1639 M. Works Acc. XXIX. 25 b.
xxx grit fir tries … for carieing vp of them quhilk was eyght cart draught — 1562 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 152.
The fornicatouris … to be skurgeit thair at the cairt ers — c1500-c1512 Dunb. lx. 25.
Chuff midding churllis, cuming off cart-fillaris — 1434 Liber Aberbr. 66.
Sua south as the Brery Dyke gais … to the Cartfurde 1495 Reg. Cupar A. I. 248.
The medow discendand fra the toft til the cartfurde — 1607 Edinb. Test. XLIII. 113.
The pleuch graith and cairt graith estimat to xx li. — 1552–3 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 339.
For cart hyre of the geistis 1584 Ib. IV. 335.
The … cairt hyre, and vther expenssis belanging to the owtred … of thame 1596 Edinb. Test. XXIX. 316.
For making, paking, cairthyre of the said woll & vther dewiteis 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. V. 65.
For cart hyir and eirding of hir — 1529 M. Works Acc. I. 10.
Lokkis … in abbay … The feird to the cart hors stable Ib. 10 b.
Ane boll of brane … to the cart hors — 1596 Conv. Burghs I. 488.
Of ilk cairt laid passand ower the said brig aucht penneis — 1681 Foulis Acc. Bk. 68.
For the cart maill at West Port — 1576 Edinb. Test. IV. 327 b.
I leve to Johne Archeour cairtman xl s. — 1574 Ib. III. 196.
Thrie cairt naigis — 1513 Doug. vii. iii. 75.
Mony a pair Of harnes hang, and cart quhelis gret plente 1529 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 7.
For creiche to the cart quhelis — 1668 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. II. 555.
They … did stope … the said Alexander … by cutting off the cairt roapes — 1566 Prot. Bk. T. Johnstoun 102.
Ane cart sadill 1622 Edinb. Test. LI. 151.
Ane cairt saidle — 1539-41 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 283.
Crewkis, bandis, cart schone, ... and uthiris irne grayth