A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Pultry, -re(e, Poutrie, -ré, Powtrie, -ré, Poultrie, -ré, Putrie, -rey, n. Also: pwlt-, pulth-, polt-, poutt-, powit-; powlt-; putt-; pewt-, peut- and -ry(e, -ri(e, -ré, -rey; -erie, -aré, -iré. [ME and e.m.E. pultrye (Chaucer), -rie, -ré, pulterie, pulletrie, poultre(e (1432–50), -rie, -ry, poultry (Chaucer), poultry-yard (1429), -market (1432–50), office of poulter (1455), med. L. pulteria, pultria etc. poultry (1252), (Sc.) ? pullet, ? hen-coop (1264), (Eng.) office of a poulter (1390), OF pouletrie (1280 in Godef.), poulleterie, f. poul(l)etier Pultere n.]
1. As a coll. and, freq., pl. without inflexion: Domestic fowls collectively, poultry.Applied both to the live birds and to the birds after slaughter prepared for food.Also kane pultry, Kane n.1 2.(a) 1316 (?c1370–1400) 15th Rep. Hist. MSS App. viii 41.
[Free … from] tolle [within Anandale] de cariage et pultare [ed. pulcare] c1450-2 Howlat 644 (A).
For thai couth chewis chikinnis, and purches pultre [: hie, be, pewewe], … as kingis caytouris a1500 Henr. Fab. 423 (Bann.).
A fox … did grete violence In piking of hir pultry day and nycht Ib. 802. Ib. 2069 (Ch.).
For pultrie pyking 1476 Acta Aud. 54/1.
[56] fowlis of pultre thre dosane of capouns 1486 Exch. R. IX 359.
Idem onerat se … de … xl caponibus jc xlvj powtry … et de … xxiiij caponibus xlviij poltre … Summa … lxiiij capones [194] pultre c1500 Rowll Cursing 205 (M).
That all pykaris that steilis pultre [: fle] Gayis nocht to hewin c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 157 (B).
Thow plukkis [M. pykis] the pultre [M. powtrie] and scho pullis of the penis 1509 Rentale Dunkeld. (S.H.S.) 52.
[Counting 2] lie pultre [for 1 capon] 1515 Treas. Acc. V 21. 1525 Household Bks. Jas. V 19.
[117] pultre cane de Fiff 1526 Ib. 62.
viij pultree 1529 Edinb. B. Rec. II 6.
That … personis that sellis pultrye … bring thar stuff forsaid, pultre and wyld meit, opinlie to sell at the merkat cors 1540 Reg. Privy S. II 559/2.
And vixx of pultry 1541 Inchcolm Chart. 71.
Wytht thre dosoune of pultre sufficient cok or hen 1544 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV 20.
Sex dusen and sex pwltrye 1550 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 453.
Thre pultre 1556 Elgin Rec. I 30.
The peis of pultrie vi d. 1557 Reg. Cupar A. II 132.
Pultre 1567–8 Mar & Kellie MSS 19.
ij particles beif, ij builyeit pultrie 1573 Old Ross-shire I 112.
His haill custum pultrie … yeirlie [43] pultry half pultry 1582 Elgin Rec. I 168.
For the ferme pultrie of the landis of Estir Brownhillis 1594 (1598) Reg. Great S. 245/2.
12 capones, 12 lie pultrie 1595 Orkney Rentals ii 8.
xviij pultire Ib. 36.
Summa of pultire with the miln, 29 pultrie ½, be halck hennis 1617 Montgomery Mem. 266 (see (b) below). 1630 Monteith Stewartry Ct. 29 June.
And thrie pwltrie 1659 Old Ross-shire II 45.
Pultrie(b) 1486 Exch. R. IX 359 (see (a) above).
Powtry 1490 Acta Conc. I 140/2.
viij dosane of powtre c1500 Lindores A. 411.
Powtrey 1543 Misc. Spald. C. II 271.
Povtre 1547 Reg. Cupar A. II 50.
With thretty twa powtre, cok and hene 1551 Edinb. B. Rec. II 158.
Parsonis that sellis pultre … bring thair … foirsaid powtre [etc.] 1553 Ib. 185.
The powtre ourheid viij d. 1587 Carmichael Etym. 10.
Cohors, a caue for powtrie 1617 Montgomery Mem. 266.
Charge of powtrie … xviii. … And swa the compter is superexpendit ii pultrie 1674 Cunningham Diary 4.
Only 80 lb. all silver rent, and the poutterie(c) 1489 Acts II 219/1.
That all … martis mutoun poultre … may cum in to oure souerane lorde 1507 Edinb. B. Ct. Bk. 25.
That thai mak na regrating of hering fisch nor poultre in tyme to cum c1535 Liber Dryburgh 336.
vij dowssene powltre 1561 Reg. Dunferm. App. 446.
Of pultrie … Item of poultrie 1587 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. 212.
Poultrie 1681 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 31.
Becaus the bread poultrey kaill and herbs and the veall … is to be removed from the high street to the mercat in Marlings Wynd [etc.](d) 1601 Dunblane Test. MS III 27.
xxij putrie price of the pice v s. 1604 Urie Baron Ct. 177.
Ane dovssone off puttrie 1612 Brechin Test. MS II 246.
Tua dussone putrey 1632 Monimail Reg. Ct. 23 Nov.
With thrie putrie or ellis vj s. for the peice thairof(e) 1683 Galloway P. 24 March.
With ane dossen of pewtrie
b. In the following instances loosely extended to (1) flesh meat generally, (2) fowls in general, both domestic and wild.a1500 Henr. Fab. 2004 (Ch).
Bot wer it Pasche, that men suld pultrie eit As kiddis, lambis, or caponis in to ply [etc.] 1515 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 158.
Regratouris of pultrie, bayth wyld fowle and tame
2. In sing. and inflected pl. forms: A unit of poultry, a domestic fowl.sing. 1541 Exch. R. XVII 634.
j pultre 1543–4 Breadalbane Coll. MS No. 60.
Alanerlie payand … for … ilk capoun viij d. ilk pultre iiij d. 1549 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 434.
Payand … ȝeirlie … ane caipon and ane half ane pultre [etc.] 1595 Orkney Rentals ii 29.
Pultrie 1669 Glasgow Chart. II 170.
Together with eight dozen of poultrie or sex pennies money forsaid for ilk pultrie 1698 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 787 (17 March).
[4 s. for each hen and 2 s. for each] peutriepl. 1538 Reg. Dunferm. 387.
Et xxxv solide pro lxx pultreis 1540 Lochleven Compt Bk. 3.
vj pulthreis ij bollis of malt 1555 Reg. Dunferm. 410.]
[xxiv pultreas 1561 Hist. Pluscardyn 256.
Thair is na charge … of custum muttones, kyddis, nor pultries 1573 Liber Melros II 651. 1577 Cramond Cullen Ann. 20.
Tuelf pultries 1593 Brechin Test. MS I 111b.
Sex capounes and xvj pultreis
3. Attrib. and comb.Also Pultry-foul(l, -man.Pultrie-land(s, appar. as (formerly) attached to the office of the royal poulter (= med. L. (Eng.) pulteria: see etym. note above). Late ME has pultery-market (1437).(1) 1473–4 M. Napier Mem. J. Napier 36.
[Infeft in the lands] vulgariter nuncupat le pultre land 1608 Ib. 318.
Of the landes of Merchistoune … and pultrielands(2) 1595 Edinb. B. Rec. V 131.
In attending upoun the pultrie merket 1668 Ib. X 52.
The exorbitancie of the pryces taken for all sort of vivers sold in the pultrie mercat 1686 Ib. XI 188.
The dewes payable by the persones that keeps bread stands and poultrie stands in the bread and poultrie mercat 1697 Edinb. Test. LXXX 228.
In the pouttrie mercat in ane litle house ane chimney(3) 1676 Greyfriars Interments 688.
Powitrie merchant(4) 1699 Jervise Land of the Lindsays App. 326.
10 lib for poutrie duetie and tind money, etc.(5) 1697 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 805 (12 May).
[With 6] pewtri bwrds [and 1 fasteneven hen]
