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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Trois, Troy(is, adj. Also: Troise, Troye(s, Troys(e, Tros(e, Troce. [ME and e.m.E. Troye (1390-1), Troie (1423), appar. from the city of Troyes in France.] Qualifying ounce, pund, stane, (mint) wecht: Of a standard system of bullion and merchant weights, in which the pound and stone were generally equivalent to four fifths of the corresponding tron measures (see Tron(e n.). Also, the standard weight of metal corresponding to a stone, a pound or some fraction thereof. Also ellipt.For further examples and more detailed information see Cochran-Patrick Coinage I lxxvii ff., and Allen D. C. Simpson "Scots ‘Trone’ Weight: Preliminary Observations on the Origins of Scotland's Early Market Weights', in Northern Studies 29 (1992), 62-81. 1434 Exch. R. IV 578.
[De cona quinquies viginti quatuordecim librarum troe septem uniciarum cum dimidio argenti 1438 Exch. R. V 65.]
De cona octodecim librarum … de troya auri, libra continente sexdecim uncias ponderis de troya(a) 1425 Acts II 10/2.
The king … has ordanit that thare be maid a stane for gudis saulde & bocht be wecht the quhilk sall wey xv lele troyis pundis 1451 Ayr B. Ct. 112 (4 Oct.).
And the stane salbe ewin xlii troyis pund & na gudis sal be weyit at the trone qqhil the stane be made 1453 Sc. Eccles. Soc. I 219.
A pax-bred wyth the ymage off the Saluator weyand a trois pond a quarter off an owns and twa inglys [sc. Ingill n.²] 1488–91 Treas. Acc. I 168.
In the cunȝeing of fifty tua Trois pundis … of brokin siluer vesschell 1489–90 Acta Conc. I 131/1.
Half a troyis stane 1557 Peebles B. Rec. I 237.
To mak the quantite of quhow mony ellis of claith may be maid of the trois stane and vtheris wechtis deliuerit to thame 1578–9 Conv. Burghs I 76.
And that … euer ilk trois wecht keip the iust wecht of xvj vnces for the pund conforme to the Frenche wecht 1580 Elgin Rec. I 157.
That the plak breid of quhyt be baikin sufficient breid of saxtein vnce trois wecht 1582 Reg. Privy C. III 481.
[The penny] suld wey ane quarter unce troyis wecht 1587 Acts III 521/2.
The stane contening sextene pund trois, ilk trois pund contening sextene wnce 1587 Acts III 521/2.
The pynt of Stirling contening tua pund and nyne vnce trois wecht of cleir watter 1598 Stirling B. Rec. I 90.
Ilk stane of sufficient tauch, being tron wecht, be sauld for threttie tua schillingis, and ilk pund of maid candill of trois vecht, sufficient coverit with tauche, be sauld for tua schillingis 1613 Dundee B. Laws 150.
The deane … efter tryell of the wechtis used be the merchandis, finding the same not aggrieable in proportion with the iust troyes wecht, be reason that the same for the most part are maid of stanes and lead, thairfor statuts … that na merchand of this brugh sall heirefter buy or sell with any wecht great or small except the same be of iust troyes wecht, and be maid of iron or brasse 1618 Acts IV 586/1.
That the foresaid jug containes … thrie punds and seaven unces of Frensh troys weght of clear running water of the Water of Leith 1618 Acts IV 587/2.
That there shall bee onely one just weght through all the parts of this kingdome … to wit the Frensh troys stone weght conteining sexteine troys pounds in the stone and sexteine troys unces in the pound … and that weght called of old the trone weght to bee allvtterlie abolisched 1618 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 9 Nov.
All the wechtis ar to be maid to ane conformitie, als weill the troyse, as trone, wechtis—viz. the merchand wechtis qlk ar callit troyse wechtis, als the vther scottis wechtis qlk wer callit trone wechtis, ar all to be reducit to ane wecht, viz. to the troyse 1622-6 Bisset II 208/27, 28.
Concerning the sek of woll thair is na soleid nor certane constant wecht thairof, for sum sek will be mair and sum sek will be les nor fourtie troyse stane ȝit commounlie the seck of woll contenis fourtie troyis stane as said is 1642 Stirling Merch. Guild 58.
Quhatsumevir gildbrother … fra this furtht buys anie butter … fresh or salt, fowl or clein, with trone wecht and sells with troyes wecht sall pay … fyve punds for ilk fault 1645 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 47.
Troise 1688 Cunningham Diary 24.
They say the stone of trone weight will be 21 Trois weight, which is the ordinary at which meall is weighted, and of Trois weight the boll comes to seven stane three pound and ane ounce(b) 1565 Reg. Privy C. I 413.
That thair be cunyeit ane penny of silver callit the Marie ryall, the fynes of ellevin deneris fyne and of wecht ane unce, troce wecht, with tua granes of remeid alsweill of wecht as fynes 1607 Conv. Burghs II 242.
The brugh of Glasgow to conforme thair trone weyt to the weytis of Lanerik and their tros wecht … to the French weycht 1647 J. Hope in Cochran-Patrick Coinage I lxxix.
Compaired the ordinarie French Trose weight vsed be our marchands in Scotland which is ordinarlie marked with a fleure de lyce with the Troye weights of the mint of England which are in the warden chist of the mint of Scotland and wer sent home be K. Ja. 6 in … 1604 and finds 16 ounce Troy to weigh 16 oz. 3 drope 6 graines Trose fleure de lyce weight and 12 oz. which is 1 1b. Troy to weigh 12 oz. 2 drope 13½ grs Trose weight forsaid 1647 J. Hope in Cochran-Patrick Coinage I lxxix.
1 lb. that is 16 oz. Trose mint weight of Scotland should be lighter than a lb. that is 16 oz. Trose fleure de lyce weight by 2 den. 11 gr. French c1650 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I lxxix.
That the ounce Trose Scots wilbe lighter then the Paris kings ounce by 18 graines Scots, so the Scots Trose pound wilbe lighter then the Paris kings pound by 12 den. 9^gr Scots … That the ounce Trose Scots wilbe lighter then the ounce Troy English by varie neere 8 graines(c) 1457 Exch. R. VI 311.
Sexcies viginti libras Troy 1641 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I xxxii.
The pund Troy English consisting of 12 oz. everie oz. of 20 d. weight everie pennie of 24 g^rs etc. is equall to 12 oz. 5 drs. 9 gr. 18 pr. Scots or 169,002 primes Scots so that 12 oz. trois are lyghter then the 12 oz. troy be 3114 prs. Scots 1682 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 192.
The deane of gilds weights of Edinburgh … are heavier then the Scotts troye weight by two unces and a half every stone weight 1697 Edinb. B. Rec. MS 14 April.
The Lanerk troy weight that is the weight of the ston and its fractions committed to the custody of the burgh of Lanerk and known to be the standart of the weight within this kingdomeellipt. 1618 Haddington B. Rec. (see (a) above).
Troyse