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.
Quotation dates: 1454, 1511-1696
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Selch-skin, n. Also: selche-, selcht-, seal(l)ch-, selich-, selloch-, selk-, seale- and -skinn, -skine, -skyn, -skyne, (selcth-skin). [ME and e.m.E. selisskym (1325-6), sele skyn(ne (1398), seale skin (1594), sayle skin(ne (1610); Selch n. and Skin n.]
1. The skin of a seal, a sealskin.(a) 1511–12 Treasurer's Accounts IV 201.
To Johne the Mar, skynner, for … the dichteyne of ane selk skyne 1587 Edinburgh Testaments XVIII 71b.
Tua selch skynnis price of the pece vj s. viij d. 1590 Exchequer Rolls XXII 92.
14 s. of certain skins called selcth skins 1597 Bk. Rates 10 b.
The daker of selche skinis contenand ten 1612 Edinburgh Testaments XLVII 146b.
xxi maillis of selch skinis at xxvj s. viij d. the peice 1661 Acts VII 253/2.
Sealch skines a1688 Wallace Orkney 14.
The chief products of this countrey, and which are exported yearly be the merchant are, bear, malt, … fish, … hyds, stockines, butter, selch-skines, otter-skines [etc.](b) 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 329.
Seale skins
b. A sealskin dressed and used as covering material, etc. c1454 Dundee B. Ct. I p. 4.
A psalter coueryt with a selch skin 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 60/27.
Tybereus Cesar … gart mak his pailȝons and tentis on the feildis, of selcht skynnis 1571 Aberd. B. Rec. II 5.
Ane lokkit bonat cais couerit witht selch skinnis 1596 Fraser P. 229.
Ane mekill Inglis bybill [pr. tybill] drest with ane selich skyn 1603 Treasurer's Accounts MS 275b.
Tua glas selleris coverit with selch skins to carie the drink in 1643 Edinburgh Testaments LX 239b.
Twa littell wyne selleris coverit with selch skynnes estimat boith to x lib. iiij s. 1686 A. M. Mackintosh Mackintoshes (1903) 214.
My two little coffers covered with seallch skins 1696 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 572.
Ane litle cofferr covered with ane selloch [pr. felloch] skin
c. Selch bud skin, for selch buge skin, Buge n.1 b.: Appar., seal cub skin. 1576 Edinburgh Testaments IV 154b.
xxx selch bud skynnis price iiij li.
2. coll. Sealskin, the material. 1542 Inv. Wardrobe 99.
The body and lumbartis of ane jornay of velvott of the collour of selche skin 1653 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries XXIII 302.
One trunk cover'd with selch skinn 1690 Foulis Acc. Bk. 129.
For a houis and hulster tops of selch skin
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"Selch-skin n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/selch_skin>
