A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1391-1463, 1535-1559
[0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Promotour, n. Also: -owre, -ure, -eure. [e.m.E. promotoure (once, 1485), promoter (1494), one who advances or furthers (anything or anyone), an official prosecutor, AF promotour, F. promoteur (1336 in Hatz.-Darm.), one who promotes, an official procurator in an ecclesiastical court (OED), med. L. promotor, (1239) promoter, furtherer, (1378) granter of ecclesiastical preferment, (1283) ecclesiastical prosecutor. Cf. also Promoter.]
a. One who advances, supports or encourages another; a sponsor, backer, patron (of or to another). b. Appar., a procurator or agent employed at the papal court by the Scottish Crown to further its and other Scottish interests.a. 1391 Lennox Mun. 44.
That the said Erle of Fife [etc.] … salbe lele helparis conselleris suppouailairis promotouris and furtheraris to the said Erle of Leuenax in al his actionis causis and querellis c1420 Wynt. vi 999.
Fra state to state thus ras he fast Pape qwhill he wes at the last Hys promotowre [W. promovare, C. promotour, sc. the Devil] oft hym assayid, How off hys state he held hym payid? 1463 Liber Aberbr. II 131.
Neuirtheles the said abbot said that for my lord of Sanctandrois sak that was his promotour … that [etc.]b. 1535 Treasurer's Accounts VI 262.
To Maister Johne Moncreif, quhilk brocht writingis furtht of Rome fra the promotour 1550 Ib. IX 414.
To signet the commissioun send to the King of France for interchangeing of the promoture in Rome 1559 Analecta Scotica II 381.
Mr. James Thorntoun and I presentit our quenis grace supplicators to our promoteure, quha thocht the mater wynderous difficille to be obtenit … becaus the Pape will gewe nay retentione in commendam off monasteres that ar brukit in titulum 1559 Ib.
Quarthrow we ar not alleterly owt off asperans and sall not faill to caus the promoteure speyk the Pape heyranent be the fyrst commodite
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Promotour n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/promotour>
