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

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

Muster, Mouster, n. Also: mustar(e, -ir, -o(u)r, -ur, mwster, -ur(e; mustard; moster, -our; moustar, -ir, -our, -ur, mowster, -our; moist-, moyster. Plur. also (moustryrris). [ME. mustre (c 1380), mostre (c 1400), moustre (14–15th c.), late ME. and e.m.E. moster (1401), muster (15th c.), e.m.E. musture (1513), -er, moster (1578), mouster (1548), mowster, ‘show, display; pattern, specimen; muster’, OF. mostre, moustre.Conceivably some of the forms in mou- should be read as mon-, since u and n are freq. indistinguishable in the MSS.: for appar. ascertained instances of the latter type (after OF. monstre, later var. of mostre) see Monstour n.]

1. The action of parading or assembling for military service, inspection of arms, ascertainment of numbers etc.; a parade or rally of troops or of militia.For further examples, see Wapinschaw n ., -schawing n.Freq. plur. in sing. sense and sometimes construed as sing.plur. (a) 1456 Hay I. 150/8.
And quhen he cumys to the moustris he schawis thame all 1568–9 Edinb. Skinners in Bk. Old Edinb. C. VI. 84.
Powder that was goten … to our mowsters 1574–5 Haddington Treas. Acc. 30.
Mowstouris 1576 Misc. Maitl. C. II. 343.
For ane swasche to our moustiris 1597 Melrose P. II. 611.*
The triumphant visitationis of the kirkis … with thair moustouris and wapinschawings 15.. Crawford Mun. Invent. II. 206.
For newis ther is nane … quhilk hes mowit the Kingis M. to proclaime the generall moustaris(b) 1565 Reg. Privy S. V. i. 665/1.
Fra all walking, wairding, mustouris and wapinschewingis within burgh or outwith 1573 Reg. Privy C. II. 236.
That he sall not amas his men in musteris nor utherwayis convene or hald thame togidder upoun the sowth syde of … Forth 1590 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 332. 1596 Bk. Univ. Kirk III. 860.
That ther be chosin in every paroch … captaines … to convein the haill paroch in armes monethlie in mustures 1598 Household Bks. Jas. VI 31 May.
Out off his majesties awin sellar … to the ȝoung men that com doun fra Edinburgh to mustaris ane punchioun Burdious wyne 1602 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 310.
That the musteris … be haldin … upoun Loganes Ley 1618 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 15 May.
Mustards 1640 Kirkcudbr. Min. Bk. 50. 1644 Act of Estates for Putting Kingdome into a Posture of Defence 2.
The musters of these besouth Dee ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. II. 209.
Ther wer daylye musters; and young souldiours, who lately had been accustomd with the pleuch, wer now calld out 1576 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 50.
quasi-sing. That the samyn [ensigns] salbe in this present mustouris delyuerit … to twa merchantis [etc.] 1639 Ib. VII. 215.
Ane generall musters … in the Grayfrier kirkyardsing. 1596 Dalr. II. 184/1.
That for the bordouris suld be a muster of chosen men of weir to defend the bordours 1632 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 10. 1644 Peebles B. Rec. I. 377.
Ordanes ane mustare and wapounschawing to be vpone Setterday nixt 1664 Dunferm. B. Rec. II. 271.
Mustare 1666 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 17.
That the nighbours be provydit with armes and a yearly mustard be keept

b. To mak or geve (one's) (the) muster(is, also, of a military commander, to mak (one's) muster(is of (one's troops), to present oneself or troops under one's command. In a parade or rally sing. and plur.(1) 1456 Hay I. 150/1.
Gif a capitane has maid his moustris of his men before a prince or chiftayne 1531 Bell. Boece II. 441.
The Erle of Ros come with mony folkis to Perth and maid his mowster to the King 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 231.(b) 1535 Stewart 32197.
Quhen tha had maid thair mustur on a mure 1535 Acts II. 345/2.
That euery man mak his musteris with the said artalȝerie at the nixt walpynschewing 1574 Ib. III. 91/7. 1570 Leslie 260.
Thay … past our the watter of Tueid … to make thair generall mustoris 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 231.
The auld provest and bailleis … past with ane greit nowmer … to Leith and thair maid thair mustouris 1587 Reg. Great S. 450/2. 1600 Conv. Burghs II. 83.
The rest of the smaller burrowis to mak thair mwsteris … monethle … that thair airmour may be … fund in ane reddynes quhen the occasioun sall requyre 1606 Brown Paisley I. 216. 1622-6 Bisset II. 218/10.
The admirall may cause mak musturis twyse in the ȝeir 1627 Linlithgow B. Rec. 9 Mar.
For making of thair wapinschawin and mustard 1633 Sc. Ant. XII. 20.
[That the King might see] a mustour mad of hielandmen in their cuntrie habite c1650 Spalding II. 65.
Generall Lesly … made a brave muster in the lynkis of Leith(c) 1545 Corr. M. Lorraine 135.
He saw … the makyng of thare mostrys c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3021.
Come fordwart with thair garnisoun … And maid thare mostouris to the Quene(d) 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 41.
The Erles of Lennox, Giencairne and Semple maid moister of thair folkis in presence of the lievetennent of the Englis armie; and wer fund that passed vnder battell foure thowsand able men 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 117.
[They] past in feir of weir to the lynkis of Leith and maid thair moysteris thair(2) 1513 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 23.
All nychtburis … to be abbulyeit for wer … to geiff thair moustaris and schawin … in the boig befor the balyeis 1548 Treas. Acc. IX. 181.
Moustures a1578 Pitsc. II. 119/12.
The airmie … raid fordward to the hill of Ancrame … and gave thair musturis 1587 Glasgow Chart. I. ii. 204.
As als sall gif mustaris at the wappinschawingis befoir thame 1625 Aberd. B. Rec. III. 2.
Mustures

c. To tak or to resave (the) muster(is (of troops or militia), also to tak up ane muster (of troops), (said of a commanding officer etc.) to hold a military parade or rally, to cause troops to parade before one.(1) 1494 Loutfut MS. 5 b.
Thairfor quhen the prince is at the feld in warfair the marschall suld resaif the moustres & convoy & put in ordinans the men of were 1512 Reg. Privy S. I. 366/2.
For samekle as the Kingis hienes has ordanit him to resave the musteris and wapinschewingis of all his folkis, baith fre tennentis and malaris 1533 Boece x. vi. 360.
Mustouris a1578 Pitsc. I. 262/2.
In to the place quhair the mustaris war ressawit … in the borrow mure besyde Edinburgh(2) 1533 Boece viii. viii. 267 b.
Hengist … taking mwsture of his folkis fand abone iiij^m of his men loist Ib. ix. xviii. 335 b.
This Eugenye … quhen he was salust king, he tuke mwsturis of the armye Ib. x. vi. 360.
Taking … the mwstur of his armye 1548–9 Corr. M. Lorraine 288.
Than my lord gart tak moustryrris [sic] to se quhat nwmyr we culd be off Scoittis men 1565 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 205.
That the prouest caus moustouris to be taikin … of the inhabitaris 1627 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. II. 30.
Mustours(3) c1650 Spalding I. 280.
Thairefter, Monro tuke wp ane new muster of his awin soldiouris and of the tounes men also

Also d. To se the mousterres of (troops), as inspecting officer. — 1552 Treas. Acc. X. 149.
He wes commandit to remane and be ane commissionar witht the laird of Drumlangrig to se the mousterres of the said horsmen

e. False muster, fraudulent presentation at a muster, or fraudulent inclusion in a muster-roll, of men not available for service. — 1651 Gillespie in Testimony-bearing Exemplified (1791) 88.
What interverting of levies, what false musters

2. The action of assembling in battle order or of taking up one's position in line of battle; martial array.Also plur. in the same sense. c1475 Wall. vii. 1121.
Thar mustir than was awfull for to se a1500 K. Hart 156.
We will go se quhat may this muster mene 1513 Doug. vii. xi. 39.
In his musteris … schew he in the feild Hys faderis takynnys merkit in his scheild

3. ? Display, show (as in ME. and e.m.E.), or ? fig. use of sense 2 above. a1568 Bann. MS. 227 a/16.
Ȝour fair visage apairt and gudly cheyir, Ȝour bewteis mustir and fyn continans