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

Tron(e, n. Also: tronne, thron(e, thronne, troin, troyn(e, troun(e, trowne, throun, troan(e, throane, trune. [OF trone, med. L. (Eng.) trona (c1290), L. trutina a balance, pair of scales.]

1. The public steelyard or weighing-machine in a burgh, set up in or near the market-place for the weighing of various types of heavy or coarse goods; the district around the tron. Also as a place-name element.For a discussion of the tron in Glasgow, see Murray Early B. Organ. I 404-5.For further examples see Butter-tron(e n., Irne n. 4 b, Over adj. 1 b (4) and Salt n.¹ 4 (1). See also kepar of tron Kepar(e n. 3 c. 1365 Acts I 139/1.
[Sit ibi & clericus ad tronam, qui … potest conuenienter esse clericus cokete regis 1366 Exch. R. II 224.
In officio clerici trone 1368 Exch. R. II 309.]
Pro ponderibus factis ad tronam de Edynburgh(1) 1451 Reg. Episc. Brechin. II 315.
We hafe gravntit trone to be erekkit in thair cite vith custumaris and clerk of coket … and we charge yhov … to … erek a trone quhair thaim best likis vith sik fredomys as othir tronys … vithin our borovis and mantenys … the said cite in thair tronyng 1477 Edinb. B. Rec. I 35.
All buttir, cheis, woll and sic like gudis that suld be weyit to be vsit at the Ouer Bow, and a trone set thare and nocht to be opinyt quhil the hour of nyne forow none 1477 Edinb. Chart. 141.
The nolt merket of carcagis and mutone [to be] about the trone c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 201/24.
At ȝour hie croce quhar gold and silk Sould be, thair is bot crudis and milk And at ȝour trone bot cokill and wilk 1515 Treas. Acc. V 13.
Thre scor and ane stane fourtene pundis leid of plait, weyit at the trone of Edinburgh 1517 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 41.
We … thinkis it … the common profet a tron to be rasit incontinent under the cors 1526 Treas. Acc. V 269.
To Pat of the trone, ischar of the chekkir hous dure, for this ȝere x s. 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 194.
To the cartaris for vii draucht of the said leid fra Leith to the trone and fra the trone to the abbay … and to the pynouris of the trone cartand and discartand the samyn 1543 Reg. Privy S. III 66/2.
Ane lettir … makand him officeman of the pynourschip of the trone of the burgh of Edinburgh 1549 Treas. Acc. IX 301.
For upbringing of the wechtis fra the Trone to wey this irne or the capitane wald ressave it 1558–9 Edinb. Old Acc. I 279.
To the pyonars that tuk doun the balk at the over trone, mendit and justifeit the samyne and tronit [pr. trouit] the wechtis 1563 Edinb. B. Deeds 88b.
The said Johnne … had reedefiit … ane foir tenement … anent the woll trone 1558-66 Knox I 121.
The Englismen … hurlled by force of men cannounes up the calsay to the butter-throne 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 23.
James Hamiltoun … was … heidit at the skaffald at the trone of Edinburgh 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 44.
It is statute that the chalmerlane sall cause big and mak ane trone for weying of woll in all the kings burghis and in all the portis of the realme. And in ilk place there salbe ane maister of the trone quha sall receaue fra the king ane pennie for ilk seck of woll … There salbe ane clerk of the trone quha also may be clerk of the kings cocquet [etc.] 1610 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 324.
To sex men of the trone that pat the gones in the eird … to four men of the trone that tuk the gones out of the eird agane … to the men of the trone thair wagis 1624 Peebles B. Rec. I 363.
[The council] ordaines the customar to set vpe the trone baith for weying of men and vther stapill wairis foranent the croce 1640 Dumfries Treas. Acc. 2.
Tronne 1675 Glasgow B. Rec. III 202.
Severall of the inhabitentis … buyes … woolin yairn and wool, butter, tallow, cheis, lint, tow and uther commodities … and caries the same home … without bringing them to the tron or weigh hous 1681 Lanark B. Rec. 205.
Tuo iron cleiks wherupon the brods hing at the trone(b) 1486 Craven Ch. in Orkney III 126.
An tolbouth and prison house, an mercate cros and throne 1536 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 171.
Na unfremen nor burgessis … to veiff ony voll … or uther gudis pertening to our thronne … bot thai satisfy and pay our thronman 1570 Sat. P. xx 21.
Besyde the throne I walt vpone My mercat but delay 1591 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 268.
That na butter nor cheis be sauld in houses or priuat places bot the same to present the throne(c) 1450 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 12.
That all merchands … sell irne, walx and vther merchandice be wecht weiyit with the troyne and with na vther(d) 1468 Edinb. B. Rec. I 236.
Of mirsory or merchandice dry or costly guidis to custome it be the trowne 1534 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 140.
To tak the greit tre of the belhous and mak ane kyk stoull and the troune to be hong one it(e) 1564–5 Crail Kirk S. MS 4 March.
Throun(f) 1603 Dundonald Par. Rec. 43.
Margaret Bryan … grantit the seling of meit and drink at the trvne to the fischeris the tyme of preiching(2) 1525 Stirling B. Rec. in Stirling Ant. IV 212.
John Aikyne … and others passed to the Trone barn and yaird of the same 1545 Liber. Coll. Glasg. in Orig. Par. I 15.
[Mention is found … of the] Troyne Gait [in the year 1545] 1553 Reg. Episc. Glasg. II 580.
Troingait 1560 Glasgow Prot. V 25.
Within the ciete of Glasgw in … Troyngait or Sanct Tenewis gait 1689 Acts IX App. 22/1.
The use of the inner hie kirk and the Tron kirk of Glasgow

b. transf. The public utility or institution for the weighing of goods by which money in the form of fees was generated. 1519–20 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 55.
The rentel of common gudis. The myll of Billisheuch xiiii merkis; the thron xl s. 1526 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 80.
This inquest ordines the throne to be set fra Witsondaye … and yeirlie to be set to the maist proffet and availl 1533 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 133.
The common throne is set to ane vorchty man, James Bradfut … and the said James sall leif the veycht stane and all mesouris usit be hyme to his successouris for the pament siclyk as he pait for thaim quhen he enterit 1554 Haddington Treas. Acc.
The fermez of thair small custummis of the trone 1573 Dunferm. B. Rec. II 4.
The troun is sett to Gavane Creychtoun for the nixt ȝeir 1581 Acts III 246/1.
The pensioun of fyue hundreth merkis grantit be the quene … to … James Meluill … to be pait to him of the reddiest of the customis of the trone of our burgh of Edinburgh 1619 Rutherglen B. Ct. I 29 Oct.
The trone sett to David Riddell for xxiiij lb. being at Loukismes last 1662–3 Glasgow B. Rec. III 482.
Receivit … from the taksmen of the troane 1674 Glasgow B. Rec. III 185.
Ane supplicatioune … craving ane ease of his dewtie … in respect he had takin the tron over dear that year 1701 Campbeltown B. Rec. MS.
The tron being roaped this year to four score eight pounds and the ladles one hundreth and six pound Scots

2. The post of the weighing-machine used as a pillory, or as the site of various other forms of judicial punishment. Also fig.The fig. example below may be intended as a pun on T(h)rone n. 1515 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 156.
He was adiugeit to be had to the trone and thair strikkin throw the hand and banist this towne 1545 Stirling B. Rec. I 40.
Ordanit to be banist the toun and thair lugis nalit to the trone 1550 Dundee B. Ct. II 5b (14 Oct.).
The said Sande Clerke to be nalit to the troyne be the ere 1561 Inverness Rec. I 59.
He sall be pot in the brankis and to pas throw the fowyr portis of the towne and thairefter pot to the trone and his falt publist at the mercat croce 1576 Crail B. Ct. 26 Nov.
Bayth his lowggis to be nalit to the trone 1584 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 343.
To be putt in the jogs at the tron a1585 Polwart Flyt. 578 (T).
His luggis baith lang and lasie quha can bot lak, That to the trone he can so mony tak? 1639 Dunferm. Ann. 305.
Or othirwayes to stand on the trone, inclosit in jogis fra this prsnt moment till aught hours at nicht 1653 Lanark B. Rec. 151.
That scho salbe sett upone the trone in the brankis and be banishit the toun thaireftir 1656 Dumfries Council Min. MS 15 Feb.
The wyff of the said Robert Arthur … to stand on the throane till tua efternoone 1691 Whitelaw Sc. Arms Makers 293.
Tronn 1698 Stirling B. Rec. II 344.
For standing at the troan with thrie purse cuttersfig. 1692 Presb. Eloq. (1693) 86.
I shall shortly nail his lug to Christ's trone

3. attrib. a. In general use. 1663 Stirling Common Good 15.
Eight fathom of new tows to the troan broads — 1613–14 Ayr B. Acc. 55.
Besyd and attour the tron custume quhilk is foirmaillit 1661 Stirling Common Good 9b.
The troan custom — 1633 Acts V 77/1.
That this present ratificatioun sall not be preiudiciall to the Archibishope of Glasgow nor his successors anent any richt quhilk they haue to the trone metts and measures of Glasgow — 1659 Glasgow B. Rec. II 426.
xviii s. deburst be him … for ane trone stand of bras weights to the toune

b. Trone adventurers, ? a jocular name for persons judicially punished at the tron. 1660 ? Mercurius Caledonius in Reliq. Scot. iv.
Janet Geddis, princesse of the trone adventurers … her weather chair of state where she used to dispense justice to the rest of her langkale vassals

c. Trone lords, see Lord n. 25 b. Cf. also men of the trone in 1610 M. Works Acc. I 324 (Tron(e n. 1 (1)). 1674 Wodrow Hist. (1829) II 259.
[The bishop's] uncontrollable absolute power … renders this act as far from being your authoritative sentence … as if … a company of tinkers or trone-lords should meet … and pass such an act or sentence

d. Tron man, the keeper or operator of the weighing-machine. Also, ? a kind of brush.(1) 1536 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 171 (see Tron(e n. 1 (1) (b) above).
Thronman 1538–9 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 204.
The byar nor the sellar to … handell nayne the stuff bot the trown man answer for and do justice till all men(2) 1613–14 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 349.
For ane tronman to dicht the alringis with

e. Trone pound, stane, (stane) wecht.The tron pound varied in value between 21 and 28 ounces avoirdupois. For discussion of the varying values of tron measures, see Cochran-Patrick Mediaeval Scotland 160, Sc. Hist. Rev. XXII 177 and the references in the note to Trois adj.(1) 1687 New Mills Manuf. 152.
Trone pound of dyed wooll 1688 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 275.
That the price of the backsey breast and flanks of the best beeff shall not exceed two shillings eight pennies Scotis the tron pound consisting of twentie ounce(2) 1574–5 Haddington Treas. Acc. 2.
To the smyth for … the making of the ryngis and bottis to the trone stanis 1658 Lanark B. Rec. 170.
The wechts in the wiehous, the trone stone to be just xx lib. trois and the rest conforme — 1565 Mining Rec. 7.
The said Erle … to win or caus be win fourtie thowsand trone stane wecht, comptand sex scoir stanis for ilk hundrith of leid ure 1595 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 310.
[That] ane throne stane vecht of leid be maid, with half stane, quarter, half quarter, pund and half pund; … and … ringis of iron … put thairto on the tounis expenses 1624 Huntar Weights & Measures 2.
There was also a trone stone weight which did wey 19 punds and 8 vnces of Parise weight [for butter, cheese, wool, tallow] 1647 J. Hope in Cochran-Patrick Coinage I lxxx.
The iron tronne stone weight in my leadhouse at Leith is havier then 20 lb. weight of Ed^r Dean of Gilds weights aforesaid by 4½ oz.(3) c1424 Murray Early B. Organ. I 310.
The clerc of the chalmerlane sal … gar the tron-wechts be very strictly examinit, and gar them agree altogidder with his ain wechts, nor mair or les 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. 181b.
Vrang jugeing of the trone veychth … in hurt of the quenis legeis 1567 Lanark B. Rec. 37.
All the wechtis that beis within the brucht to be maid and pathernit be the troin wechtis 1587 Acts III 487/2.
With the donatioun … maid be the archiebischop … to the said college [sc. of Glasgow] of the custumes of the tron wechtis and of all merchandice and geir vsit to be weyit at the … tron 1605 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 14.
That thai sall haif na tron wechts in thair privat houssis — 1565–6 Reg. Privy C. I 435.
xii^m stane leid ure trone wecht 1578–9 Conv. Burghs I 76.
That all burrowis … haif thair wechtis sic as stane, half stane, pund and half pund the trone wecht according to the stane of Laneark 1594 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XXV 57.
For the damnage and entres betuix … Troyis wyght and Trone wyght of certain raggis during the tyme … Mungo Gedeon and Michaell wer partineris of the work of the said paper making 1598 Stirling B. Rec. I 89.
Ilk stane of sufficient tauch, being tron wecht, be sauld for threttie tua schillingis 1622-6 Bisset II 208/21.
The woll … is bocht be the trone wecht or stane and sauld be … the troys wecht or stane 1618 Acts IV 587/2 (see Trois adj.(a)).
Trone weght 1640 Hawick Ann. 46.
That ilk merchand that buys cuntrie geir with trone wecht sall sell it again in small with the lyik wecht 1645 Edinb. Test. LXI 134.
lxj staine of wooll trone wecht 1701 New Mills Manuf. 260.
Casks [of oil] … the weight quherof is … 212½ libs. troun weight

f. As a parasynthetic compound, with weyit. c1575 Balfour Pract. 583.
Challenge of custumaris … That thay serch not all shippis for woll that is not custumit, nor trone weyit, nor evil trone weyit