Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Herd, n.² Also: herde, heird, heard, (hard). [ME. herd, heerde, heirde (14th c.), varr. of hyrd, hird, Hird n.¹] A keeper of a herd; a herdsman, a cattleherd or shepherd. Also fig., a pastor.(1) 1456 Hay I. 41/4.
Thai callit with thame all the herdis of the contree, and the … revaris a1500 Bk. Chess 1360.
The first herd was … Abell 1488 Lanark B. Rec. i.
Nicol Schirelaw is maid commoun herde, to keip the catel of the town 1596 Dalr. I. 32/3.
Herdis keipis the ky, bot the oxne nocht 1658 Stitchill Baron Ct. 15.
Sufficient herdes for keiping of their bestiall 1695 Foulis Acc. Bk. 182.
To the herd for the bull againe to … the queyattrib. 1661 Melrose Reg. Rec. I. 337.
To pay to William Stirling, herd … , 26 s. as balance of his herd fee, and six meikle fulls of oats for his herd bolle(b) 1587-99 Hume 29/121.
The heards … Amids the flowers they lie 1678 Brodie Diary 400.
My pets ... wer brunt, whither by ani ignorant heards or out of malic I know not 1707 Corshill Baron Ct. 227.
Ane hard's fee 1709 Ib. 243.
Ane fie dew … to Hugh Faullis his heard(c) 1653 Stirling Ant. II. 12.
He ... went efter the heirdes to tack the nette from them 1665 Forbes Baron Ct. 265.
The said tenentes sall be ansewerabill for thair ... servantes and heirdes that [etc.] 1675 Melrose Reg. Rec. II. 417 (see Herding vbl. n.).
Heird 1687 Brechin Test. VII. 169 b.
To the sheepherd and heirds thair fees and bountys(2) fig. a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 1480.
The puple … Was fayne that gottine had sic ane herd [: byrd] c1520-c1535 Nisbet I. 5.
Gif thow be a prince, lord, juge or herd of the pepill 1528 Lynd. Dreme 892.
Quho wyll go sers amang sic heirdis scheip?