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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.

Tuto(u)ry, n. Also: tutorie, -(y)e, tuttorie, tutour(i)(e, tuturie, tutry, -ie, towtry, touterie. [OF tutrie, tuterie.]

1. Guardianship, protection, esp. of a minor or his lands. Freq. office of tutory, also act, brefe, lettres, precept of tutory. Also fig.(1) c1400 Troy-bk. ii 1624.
Thire two sonnes, quhen thai ware ȝing, War gevin in tutory and keping to King Teuteus 1498 Acta Conc. II 179.
To deliver to him in keping his bruther … with his barnis part of gude [marg. Tutory and bairns' part of goods] 1516 Acts XII 37/1.
The nerrest & lauchfull personage of the agnatis side sall have the cure tutoury and governance 1533 Boece 112.
The tutory and goverment of his nevo, quhill ȝeris of perfectioun, to him sal be committit c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2983.
Scho band hym in to mariage, And held hym vnder tutorye, To vphald hir auctoritye 1582–3 Perth B. Ct. 2 Feb.
Me James Menȝeis of that ilk haiffand the gift of tutourie of Beatrix and Margaret Wealsone … during thar minoriteis 1585 Acts III 396/1.
That the nearest agnettis and kinsmen of naturall foulis, ideottis and furious salbe … ressauit … to thair tutorie and curatorie 1596 Bk. Dunvegan 74.
Efter her deceis she left her barnis under the tutorie of her brother and freindis 1608 Fam. Rose 298.
For sundrie vtheris enorme lesionis done in him by the said Mr. Alexander Hay … in taking frome him the tutorie of Banisfeld [etc.] 1613 Crim. Trials III 262.
Johnne Erskin … to be tutour testamenter to the … tuo ȝoung boyis … and … be the said nominatioun of tutorie the said Robert … was defraudit of the charge of thais bairnes 1653 Binning Wks. 653.
Prayer does all his business, because it puts it over into a better hand … It is like a child who is under his father's tutory, and he does nothing himself, but all is done for him 1666-7 Blakhall Narr. 153.
My neigbour, dyeing, lefte her only child to my tutory 1687 Lauder Notices Affairs II 810.
At Exchequer, one seiking a tutory as nearest agnat, it was objected 1687 Shields Hind Let Loose 674.
If people at the first erection of government acted rationally, and did not put themselves in a worse case than before, … but devolved their rights upon the fiduciary tutory of such [etc.](b) 1686 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 3 Aug.
I nominate … my said spouse and son Robert … tutors and oversiers to my said child George dureing his mothers liftime and failȝeing of her I leave him to the sole care and tutrie of his said brother Robertfig. a1658 Durham Comm. Rev. 402.
To be in Christs flock under His care and tutory, fed by Him, led by Him and with Him 1675 Sel. Biog. II 214.
Resign yourself to God in this exercise; take not the tutory of thyself in this hazardous sea upon you(2) 1433 Swintons App. xxxvi.
He ressauit and raisit thaim be vertu of his office of tutouri, and paid till our balȝe in our name 1478–9 Acta Aud. 68/2.
Anent the pruf assignit to William of Guthre of Kinbrachmont to prefe … that he had maid compt & done resone of the office of tutory that he had & vsit of Walter of Foulartoune 1506 Buccleuch Mun. II 109.
Walter Scot … tutoure to the Larde of Bukcleuch … to gif his compt of his intromissioun and expens be ressoune of the said office of tutory 1514 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 22 (see Tutrix n. a (1) (b)). 1533 Boece 59b.
Ferichare … exhortit the nobillis thay suld to the infantis be favorabill sua that nocht he allanerlie bot the nobillis and all the pepill suld be sene vse the office of tutory 1547 Anal. Scot. II 214.
Tutorye c1575 Balfour Pract. 117.
Quhidder the said agnat be ane … ecclesiasticall persoun; the quhilk … are not secludit fra successioun, and swa consequentlie aucht to be admittit to the office and charge of tutorie 1596 Edinb. Test. XXIX 298a.
Incais scho cleytht hir self with ane husband … scho sall amit and tyne the said office of tutorie 1614 Bamff Chart. 175.
Knawing na man sua meit to exerce the said office of tutorie to the weill of the saidis bairnis 1682 Bk. Carlaverock I 405.
We nominat [them] … to be assisters, advysers and ovirsiers to our said countes in the said office of tutorie(b) 1583 Reg. Morton I 137.
That that may apperten me to meld wyth be office of towtry(3) 1515 Fife Sheriff Ct. 23.
The said inquest seruit the brefe of tutory of David Bosuell the aire of Auchinlek & fand Master Johnne Bosuell narrest agnete to hym 1517 Fife Sheriff Ct. 74.
The said Hew Farny producit & schew our souerane lordis lettres of tutory … quhilk proportit that the said Hew was fundin lachfull tutour to the said Andrew 1524 Misc. Bann. C. III 311.
He is lauchfull tutour to his brodir sone … and has raisit ane breif of tutorie 1557 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 39.
Comperit maister Henry Kinros … to oppone aganis the brevis of tutory raisit be Patrik Ramsay to be servit nerrest and lauchfull tutour to Elizabeth Ramsay c1575 Balfour Pract. 648.
Thir brevis of tutorie and idiotrie are retourit to the chancellarie effeirand in everie point; quhilk beand fund and tryit in ordour, ane letter of tutorie is gevin out, under the testimonial of the greit seill, making him that is retourit narrest of kin of the father side, tutor lauchful to the pupil and idiot 1639 Acts V 605/1.
Ane act of tutorie for the haill children of one man, remitted to the committe anent [etc.] 1671 Rothesay B. Rec. 214.
The persewar haveing producit the said precept of tutorie direct furthe of our Souerane Lords cancellerie making mentioune quher he was laufullie enterit tutour to the saids pupills

b. Tutorie testamentar, dative, (the document authorising) guardianship as appointed by a testament or the court. c1575 Balfour Pract. 121.
Tutorie testamentar, lauchfull or dative, endis and expyris quhen the pupill, beand male, is of xiiij ȝeiris compleit, and beand female, of xij ȝeiris 1589 Montgomery Mem. 232.
That he sall lillilie and trewlie vse and exerce his said office of tutorie datiue 1596–7 Exch. R. XXIII 140.
The comptar charges him with the compositioun of ane tutorie dative grantit to Johnne Baxter and James Diksoun of the tutorie of George and Agnes Thomesonis 1621 Acts IV 618/2.
Tutorie datives dewlie and ordourlie seilled

2. The state of being under, or of an age to be under, the guardianship of a tutour (Tuto(u)r n.). Also, once, the period during which this state pertained.(a) 1456 Hay I 264/11.
Thare is sum tyme certane resoun … that excusis the partis to nocht do the bataillis be thair awin personis; as gif a man war our ȝong, within elde of tutry, and curatrye in warde 1463 Aberd. B. Rec. I 23.
Henry of Culan … of lachfull aige, out of tutoury, and has chosine til his curatis to gowerne him 1491–2 Acta Conc. I 213/1.
Scho wes of ȝong age & vnder tutory 1515–16 Reg. Privy S. I 412/1.
The keping of Alexander Stewart of Garules, during all the tyme of his les age and tutory 1547 Elgin Rec. I 90.
Tutore 1555 Acts II 493/2.
It is … ordanit … quhen ony minor passis the ȝeiris of his tutorie and desyris curatouris that he cum befoir his juge ordinar and desyre of him ane summoundis [etc.] 1569 Canongate Ct. Bk. 88.
The edict … makand mentioun that quhair he is past the yeris of tutorie desirand thairfoir curatoris to be gevin to him unto his perfite age of xxi yeris 1570 Leslie 128.
Their wes alsua greit reassoning for the aige and tutoury of the king; sum of the lordis allegeing that the tutory ran out, expirit sonar in ane prince nor in ane uther privat persoun 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 168.
Tuturie 1580 Edinb. Test. VIII 369b.
I mak and constitutis Agnes Nichole my sister tutrix to my saidis barnes that beis within tutrie 1626 Edinb. Test. LIII 283a.
Forsameikle as … my bairnis ar past tuttorie and ȝit within the aige of tuentie ane ȝeiris a1633 Hope Major Pract. I 8.
The king being past tutorie may persew any action without consent of his curators 1687 S. Ronaldshay 115 (see Tuto(u)r n. (2)).(b) 1586–7 Montrose Baillie Ct. 23b (14 Feb.).
Touterie

3. Teaching, instruction. 1600-1610 Melvill 415.
Mr. Thomas Buchannan was woun be the grant of a verie weill lyked sutt for the guid Lord Lindsaye's relaxing and restitutioun, wha haid at tutorie … Mr. Robert Rolloc, Principall of the Collage of Edinbruche 1692 Pitcairne Assembly v i (1766) 62.
The tutory of Mr. Salathiel, who is as profess'd an enemy to poor Priscian … as he is to King James a1704 Misc. Hist. Soc. I 314.
[I] did enter into the tutory of Mr. Vane's childrenfig. a1561 Norvell Meroure 8b.
Poore Adam take head … tow thy owne selfe, hathe the wedsett and solde: Under that hard: and terrible tutoure [: pure] … Thou had fre will [etc.]