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 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Maling, Mail(l)ing, vbl. n. and n.¹ Also: -inge, -yng(e, -ying, -in, -yn, -en(e, maleyne, -eyng, malling; mayling; melling; meling, -yng, -ein, meilling, meeling; meal(l)ing, -ine. [Male n.¹]

1. vbl. n. The action of letting or taking for rent; renting, letting, leasing.Also the management of the letting of a property.(1) 1390 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 22.
The qwhilk tounis the forsaid Sir J. has in malyng of Jonet Gourlay c1420 Bute MS. fol. 141.
Land in propyrte wedset or malyng 1473 Stirlings of Keir 241. 1492 Acta Conc. I. 249/1.
To mak and giff in maling to the said Jonete … four landis in Dirltoune [etc.] 1499 Chart. (Reg. H.) No. 625.
In tak and maling 1516 Stirlings of Keir 309. 1526 Carnwath Baron Ct. (S.H.S.) 43. 1527 Selkirk B. Ct. MS. 125 b.
I … to have set and to maling latting … ten merkis vorcht of land 1534–5 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. 67.
To gyf … sell, wedset or set for melyng thar forsayd landis(2) 1405 Maxwell Mem. I. 146.
At the said setting and maling sal nocht byn the saidis Schir Williame … bot as analiar 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i. 113.
The lord … is not … prejudged in his right be the deed of his fermour done be him in the time of his mailling 1629 Dundonald Par. Rec. 283.
It belonged to her sone, hauing the mailing and commandement of the house, to haue put her [a gypsy] away 1663 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 206.
The soume of [blank] for mailling ane hous within this burgh 1682 Cunningham Diary 21.
Beginning to that new mailling August 1682

2. n. a. A lease of land. b. Land let or taken for rent; rented land, tenantry. c. A definite tract of rented land, a tenant-farm. Also fig.See also Mele n.² 2 d for some further examples.(a) c 1442 Coldingham Priory 141.
It is to me and myn herytaig and malyng 1443 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 43.
The gudis that Alexander Stewart tuke out of the landis of Pettfovre his maling 1447 (1450) Reg. Great S. 70/2.
It sal be alowit to the said Alex. of the malis of the said landis as is allowit of sa mekle maling on the foure halfes aboute 1457–8 Acta Conc. II. xv.
The sadis lordis sall knawe apone all spoliacione of takis ande malingis 1459 Peebles Chart. 132.
That neuir nan of hym na his sed com in that malyn agan 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I. 165.
Ilke man sal kepe his pairt of his malyn and his toft that his nichtbur be nocht injuryt Ib. 174. 1474 Bk. Carlaverock II. 436. a1500 Henr. Fab. 2734 (B). 1481 Acta Aud. 96/1.
The wrangwis vexation … of thaim in a tak & maling of four husband landis of the landis of Ȝester 1484 Ib. 139*. 1491 Acta Conc. I. 171/1. 1496 Ib. II. 20, 1498 Ib. 283; etc. 1504 Exch. R. XII. 193 n. 1507 Ib. XIII. 596.
That … ye … rentale the saidis Waltir and Thomas of new in thar malingis of our said landis 1514 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 17. 1526 Red Bk. Menteith II. 330. 1527 Carnwath Baron Ct. MS. 33 b.
He tuk ane malin of him for xiij merkis 1527 Selkirk B. Ct. MS. 125 b.
The saidis entray to the said malling 1527 Maxwell Mem. I. 256. 1533 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 97.
Maleyne 1549 Prot. Bk. J. Crawford MS. 46.
To discharge his kyndnes of his maleyng to the sayd Gabrell 1559 Inchcolm Chart. 97. 1562–3 Rec. Earld. Orkney 113. 1567 Glasgow Prot. V. 99. a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. c. 49. Id. Ib. cx. 23, 46. 1612 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 327.
Cuntrie men quha leifis thair malingis and cumis heir to duell(b) 1479 Reg. Cupar A. I. 228.
Efter as tha haf mare of mailyn thai sal haf mare in sowmys 1501 Red Bk. Menteith II. 304.
Landis, maillingis, rowmys, steiddingis 1532 Selkirk B. Ct. MS. 165 (22 Oct.).
That Thome of Bullarueill tuk fyv lib. vorcht of mailling 1534 Ib. 184 (6 Oct.).
Ve ordand the cutting of the alleris … batht in common and in our mailling 1539 Maxwell Mem. I. 459. 1545 Scots Lore I. 398.
The mayling and land of the Mekle Cowcaldanys 1547 Prot. Bk. W. Corbet (S.R.S.) 8.
Nayn of tham … sall haiff na fredome wythin the foresaid bwndis excep tham that has land accordyng to thair maillyng 1578–9 Reg. Privy C. III. 101. 1582 Prot. Bk. J. Mason 213.
That the said John suld retene … of his fermes of the saidis mailingis, ane boll meill 1596 Paisley B. Rec. 185. 1675 Cunningham Diary 5. 1677 Forbes Baron Ct. 315. 1681 Glasgow Chart. II. 218.
The lands or little maillings in the wester common 1696 Donaldson Husbandry (1697) 33.
The mailen or ferm room I am to speak of I suppose to contain ninety aikers(c) a1585 Maitland Maitl. Q. xiv. 29.
To tak ane melein that greit labour requyris 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Fundus, a meeling 1623 Edinb. Test. LII. 116.
For teilling his meilling in Kirkequhone 1668 Lauder Jrnl. 192.
Then Northtoun, a willage or meling belonging to the laird of Halton(d) 16.. Hist. Kennedy 18.
This Gilbert had richt to ane mealling of my lord Caissillis 1633 Rutherford Christ's Napkin 21.
Here a mealline, there a lairdschip 1694 Lanark Presb. 122.
An old heat … about the takeing of a mealing over his headfig. 1633 Rutherford Lett. (1891) 89.
Who will … put our Redeemer out of His mailing until His tack be run out? The cross is an old mealing and plot of ground that lyeth to Christ's house 1646 Strathendrick 131.
Support thame [sc. the poor] to your power, and be suir of a mailling fra God in the day of your trouble and calamitie

d. The lease of a fishing. 1570 Inverness Rec. I. 189.
Fourte schilling maling of the watter of Ness 1580 Ib. 285.

e. Attrib. with a person. = That rents a mailing, tenant-. c 1680 Bk. Pasquils 184.
The mailing Stairs … the tytle of (the) Viscount gets

f. Attrib. (Of a shop): ? That is rented. 1612 Inverness Rec. II. 99.
Convict in the vrang trubling of Thomas Squeyar in his maling buith