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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Scul(l, Skul(l, n.¹ Also: sqvill, skuill, skill, squell. [North. e.m.E. skyll (once, 1516-17), of doubtful origin. Perhaps, SND conjectures, f. OF escuele bowl, basin, plate (early 12th c.; mod. F. écuelle), pop. L. scutella, whence Scuttall n. (SND, s.v. Scull n.¹).]

1. A large, ? shallow, basket, used for (1) carrying fish for sale, or (2) carrying away loose materials, as stones, rubble, etc.(1) c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 231.
Fische wyvis cryis Fy! and castis doun skillis [M. squell] and skeilis(b) 1662 Banff Ann. I 146.
To give to Arthour Kellie, executioner … ane hadock or quhytting of ilk skull at the schoir that is tackin be the fisheris(2) 1499 Dunferm. B. Rec. I 98.
j schuyll j tub and j sqvill 1573–4 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. VII 74.
For ane skuill(b) 1513 Treas. Acc. IV 496.
For skullis, vj d. 1552–3 Edinb. Old Acc. I 75.
To four men that dicht the calsay … and bering away the red … for twa sculis and bussumis to thame 1598 M. NapierMem. J. Napier 286.
The herd … with a sharp shovel must take up the dung … and throw it out of the park in a maund or scull 1615 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 356.
For fyve creillis and skulles 1624–5 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 135.
For tua skulles to carie the smal stones 1636 Rec. Old Aberd. I 66.
All the rest … sould send at leist a sufficient servant with barrowis tulis skullis and such like instrumentis to carie sand 1650 Edinb. B. Rec. VIII 248.
Shovels skullis and such lyk 1671 Dunferm. Coal Acc. 11b.
For 4 skulls to the work 1671 Pittenweem Ann. 92.
A barrow, scull and two servants to carry stones and red … to the tolbuith stairfoot 1678 Sc. Ant. IX 106.
Scul 2 s. 1684 Nimmo Narr. 71.
M^ris Pyper's hous so searched that they looked under a skull for carieng coals 1685 Cramond Ch. Deskford 16.
Deleat for selling and carrying skulls on the Sabbath day 1696 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 166.
For a … skull 6 s. 1701 Foulis Acc. Bk. 296.
For a loan of a closs barrow and 2 skulls

2. A shallow drinking vessel. Cf. Scol(l n. (3). 1513 Doug. iii i 125.
And on we kest of warm mylk mony a skul 1513 Doug. vii ii 89.
In flacon and in skull Thai skynk the wyne