A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1521-1582, 1647-1688
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1]
Wark hors, Werk hors, n. Also: wark horss, wairk hors, work hors(e. [e.m.E. warke hors(e (1543, north.).] A draught-horse or pack-horse. Also attrib.(a) 1521 Selkirk B. Ct. MS 188a.
That … all [supra katel] … be schot to the common daylie, thair to be pasturit, except work hors and oxin in beistin tyme ?a1648 Polemo-Middinia 60.
Whistlavere viri, workhorsosque ordine swieros Drivavere omnes 1649 Acts VI (1819) 468.
Work horses with their sleds, creills, hochimes and such like 1662 Dumfries Council Min. MS 9 April.
A silver bell … run at yeirly by the work horse of this brughe 1672 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries XIV 332.
The haill grass in the yeards … for grasseing of the said Robert his work horse 1688 Tryal Philip Standsfield 20.
If it had not been that Sir James was well horsed, and his son Philip upon a work-horse, he had killed him(b) 1531 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I 63.
To Johne Turnour quha is new conducit to laubour here with the furnysing of the werk hors(c) 1542 Grant Chart. 89.
Auch[t] drawand oxin, … twa wark hors 1573 Treasurer's Accounts XII 351.
To ten warkhors for the careing of bullettis fra the abbay to Leith c1650 Spalding I 299.
Nather wark horss nor saddill horss wes lift about Strathbogie(d) 1582 Grant Chart. 155.
Of wairk hors tuaattrib. 1685 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries LVIII 367.
In the workhorse stable
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Wark Hors n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/wark_hors>
