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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Redar, n.¹ Also: reid(d)-, read(d)-, reed-, rid(d)-, redd- and -are, -er, -ear, -or. [ME (c1290) and e.m.E. redar(e, -er(e, e.m.E. reader (1611), Red(e v.¹] One who reads, in various senses of Red(e v.¹

1. One who reads or peruses, in senses 6 and 10 of Red(e v.¹(1) 1456 Hay I 77/22.
And thairquhyne cumis this? I pray the redare tell me Id. Alex. MS 18858.
Give the reader doubtis that I lie c1460 Thewis Gud Women 311.
I pray the redaris all, And als the heraris, … That [etc.] 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 21.
Quintyng, Mersar [etc.] … Thocht thay be ded, thar libells bene leuand, Quhi[l]kis to reheirs makeith redaris to reiose a1538 Abell 1b.
I haif put certane documentis schortlie to instruk the redaris c1552 Lynd. Mon. 6334.
All gentyll redaris hertlye I implore For tyll excuse my rurall rude indyte 1573 Tyrie in Cath. Tr. 8/33.
Euer seikand refugis and bygets … to distrack the readars intentioun 1585 James VI Ess. 17. c1585 Misc. Bann. C. I 125.
Becaus I am traducit and misreportit of for that sermont, I haiff insert it here word be word … quhairby all indifferent reidars may consider how justlie [etc.] 1573-1600 King Cat. in Cath. Tr. 202/15.
Ridar 1596 Dalr. I 2/14.
This way the reidar sal nocht be offendit, nathir sal the writer be confoundet 1622-6 Bisset II 287/11.
Bot that quhilk Augustene writtis of his end is strangest of all (and lat the credeit thairof rest in the chuise of the redare) c1650 Spalding II 313.
The godlie devyss thairof [etc.] … I refer to the judicious reidar(2) 1456 Hay II 14/17.
Quhat understandis thou, redare, be a lorde? 1490 Irland Mir. MS fol. 283.
Tharfor thou lectore and redare [etc.] 1513 Doug. (S.T.S.) IV 194/21.
Ȝhe … gentill redaris … redis leill, and tak gud tent 1560 Rolland Seven S. 5870.
Thairfoir my lords and reidaris all Tuitching this point [etc.] 1568 Lyndesay Pref. (S.T.S.) 403.
I will deteyne thé na langer (gude reidar) from the warkis thame selfis 1573 Davidson Sat. P. xl 5. a1578 Pitsc. I 5/19.
Readdaris 1585 James VI Ess. 55. 1598 Black Bk. Taymouth 3.(3) 1533 Gau 3/1.
Jhone Gau to the reder 1549 Compl. 8/14.
Prolog to the redar 15.. Pitsc. I p. lxxxi.
The exhortatioun to the rider a1578 Pitsc. II 57/28.
Readder 1622-6 Bisset I 82/30.
Doctoure Henrysonis preface to the godlie redare

b. specif. A student. — 1531 Bell. Boece I 163.
That the redaris, baith of Romane story and Scottis, may understand [etc.] 1559 Peebles B. Rec. I 257.
The inqueist admittis the scoilmaister to teiche thair barneis as afore and that he separat the Ynglis redaris to the tolbuth fra the Latinists

2. The office of Reader in the Reformed Church. Also posses. and attrib.‘One appointed to an office recommended in the first Book of Discipline (1560) to read the Scriptures and set prayers in the absence of an ordained minister. Although the office was abolished by the General Assembly in 1580, it lingered on … esp. under Episcopacy in the 17th c. or where the services of a minister were difficult to obtain’ (SND, s.v. Read v. 1 (3)).(a) 1563 Edinb. B. Rec. III 174.
That of euerye fyre hous within this burgh … salbe vplift … foure schillingis in the yeir … for sustenyng of the saidis ministeris redaris and officeris 1564 Reg. Privy C. I 277.
Thai conducit ane redar for reding of the prayeris within thair kirk 1564 Ecclesia Antiqua 249.
[It is] statut that the redar be payit of the annuel rents of the Lady altar 1565 Edinb. Univ. MS La. iii 388a fol. 28a.
Redearis 1568 Hosack Mary Q. of Scots I 544.
The redar alswa of the Kirk of Edinburgh refusand to cry hir bandis 1569 Canongate Ct. Bk. 51.
To be … distributit to the ministerie of Goddis worde for uphalding ane redar of the commoun prayeris within the said chapell of Sanct Ninian 1574 Reg. Privy C. II 382.
Because … he is not rollit and buikit amangis the rest of the redaris he wantis ten markis be yeir of his said stipend 1574 Cal. Sc. P. V 34.
Myndfull of the policy of the Kirk, establishit ministreis and rederis at ilk paroche kirk 1576 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 15 Nov.
The barnis war abstractit fra his schole … throw the nocht plantin at all tymes of that doctor & redar quha suld have bene sustenit upon the townis expensis 1584 St. A. Kirk S. 527.
Thomas Wod, vicar and redar of this parrochin Ib. 529.
That Thomas Wod redar … reid onlie the prayar … and the chaptouris alanerlie of the New and Auld Testament without ony additioun(b) 1567 Dickson & Edmond Ann. Sc. Printing 202.
The buik callit the Omeleyis for reidaris in kirkis 1568 Douglas Chart. 266.
This is the iust coppie of the ack … coppeit be me Johne Thome, reidder of Fettercairne 1568 Liber Coll. Glasg. Pref. lxxxi.
That … the foirsaid thriddis … be imployit to the sustentatioune of the reidaris puris and vthiris gud vssis c1575 Balfour Pract. 361.
A testimonial subscryvit be the minister, exhortar or reidar [etc.] Ib. 23. 1579 Rec. Earld. Orkney 148, etc.
With my hand led be Jhone Stewart reidar at Kirkuall 1581 Bk. Univ. Kirk II 513.
Anent reidars: … as in assemblies preceiding the office therof was concludit to be no ordinar office in the Kirk of God and the admission of them suspendit … the Kirk … hes … concludit farder that in no tyme comeing any reider be admittit to the office of reidar be any having power within the Kirk 1584 Acts III 294/1.
Reiddaris 1598 Edinb. B. Rec. V 223.
[The council] fynds it meittest that thair sall be na reiders in thair four kirks, bot that the ministers thame selffis say the prayers 1600-1610 Melvill 22.
The minister was able to teatche na ofter but annes in the ouk but haid a godlie honest man reidar wha read the Scripture Ib. 80.
Anent the office of reidars, that ther is nocht sic an office in the Kirk of God, as of simple reiding; and thairfor all reidars to be tryed within twa yeir, and giff … they ar [not] able to exhort with doctrine, to be deposit 1614 Conv. Burghs II 467.
That he sall reid in the kirk and tak vp the psalme and serue the kirk and minister and elderis and deacones in all thinges belonging to the office of ane reidar 1622-6 Bisset II 78/19.
Thair last will … to be … subscryved be the deidis awin hand or be ane minister reidare or authentik notare 1627 Orkney Rentals iii 53.
Bot he haid ane qualifeit reiddor 1633 Sc. N. & Q. II 118.
Evining prayeris … to be daylie red be the townis reidar in the said Gray Frier kirk 1640 Kirkcaldy Presb. 162.
They regrate that the reider cannot attend the schole so as is requisite in respect of the distractions of his calling as reider 1641 Acts V 646/2.
Everie parish would haue a reider and a schooll 1643 Dalkeith Presb. in Butler Leighton 241.
Thair sould be built befoir the pulpet ane convenient seatt of timber for the reidar as is in other kirkis(c) 1560 Bk. Disc. 195.
For readaris: To the kirkis quhair no ministeris can be haid … must be appointed the most apt men that distinclie can read the commoune prayeris and the scripturis Ib. 196.
Suche readeris as neather have haid exercise, nor continuance in Christis trew religioun must abstene from ministratioun of the sacramentis Ib., etc.
That nane to be admitted to preche but thai that ar qualifiet thairfoir, but rather be reteaned readaris 1568 Misc. Spald. C. II p. xxvi. 1574 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 329 heading et passim.
[The Register of Ministers and Readers] 1574 Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ in Grant Burgh Schools 409 n.
[Allan M'Intosche was] exhorter and reader at Brayeirn [Cawdor] and Brachlie in the Irische toung 1575 Bk. Univ. Kirk I 344.
A man and a woman were … publickly married, or hand fast be the reader 1578 Perth Kirk S. MS 7 July.
All sik personis to compeir befoir the reader … to the effect he may instruct tham in the trew knawledge of the causis of mariage c1630 Scot Narr. 23.
That ther be readers specially appointed … who … shall minister the sacrament of baptisme, and solemnize marriage a1650 Row 69.
That no reader bruik or injoy gleeb or manss where there is ane actuall minister 1662 Stirling B. Rec. I 241.
A readder in the kirk 1662 Alford Rec. 1.
It is enacted by the bishope … that there sall be readers of the scriptures in every congregatione and that the reader sall begin with a set forme of prayer … and therafter they ar to read some psalmes [etc.] 1662 Craven Ch. in Orkney 12.
That the beliefe and ten commandments be read bythe readers 1663 Ib. 15.
[That the bishop would provide a] preaching reader 1663 Butler Leighton 369.
That the readers at kirks doe keep a register of burials, as well as of baptisms and marriages 1692 Cramond Kirk S. III 2 June.
This Act … to be read in all paroch churches by the reader of the paroch(d) 1616 Elgin Rec. II 149.
This day ane candill ordenit to be given to the redder(e) 1562 Aberd. B. Rec. I 356.
John Lesly ridar of the comoun prayeris 1578 Glasg. Univ. Mun. I 125.
Ten pvnd awand to the vicer pensioner of Govene and sixtene pund to the rider thairof 1627 Orkney Rentals iii 35.
That thair is no present provisioun for the schoole yit suppleit be the ridar for the present(f) 1630 Moray Synod 32.
Mr. Ritchard is ordened … to quyt his deposed reedare(g) 1638 Wemyss in Sc. Diaries 122.
Att the ridding of the sead service bouk the good religius wimen did rise up to the ridder and flang … ther stoulles att himpossess. 1620 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 93.
The redaris lattrvne 1621 Misc. Maitl. C. I 458.
That the pulpet and reederis letrun salbe taine doune and reedifeit againe c1650 Spalding I 88.
Mr. Androw Cant stood wp in the reidaris deass and maid sum litle speiche 1659 Rothesay Par. Rec. 14.
[That] ane readers seat [be] sett vp 1662 Crim. Trials III 603.
He wes in the readeris dask 1670 Craven Ch. in Orkney 45.
That no person … presume to sitt in the reedar's seat with the precentorattrib. 1632 Aberd. Council Lett. I 348.
For defraying of the minister and reider stipend at Campheir 1680 Kingarth Par. Rec. 124.
That ther be left for an elder and reader seat two foot and eight inch … round about the pulpit 1680 Rothesay Par. Rec. 54.
In respect of the reider dews 1686 Ch. in Orkney 34.
The reader seatt

3. One who reads and expounds to students; a teacher. c1545 St. A. Univ. Rec. xxi.
[The University of St. Andrews] is sa desolate and destitute bayth of rederris, techarris and auditouris 1556 Reg. Privy S. IV 556/1.
That the said Maister Alexander sall await upoun oure said derrest moder and be hir lectoure and reidar in the lawis [etc.] 1560 Bk. Disc. 218.
Off stipendis … necessarie … of everie reader in medicine and lawis; … To everie reidar in Hebrew, Greik and Divinitie Ib. 214. 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 11.
The principal sal support the defects of absens of the public reidar and regentis 1616 Marischal Coll. Rec. 161.
If … the Earle Marshall … shall impute or place a reader of Divinity within the same Colledge [etc.] 1624 Aberd. Council Lett. 234.
The not procuring and placing of a mathematical reader in your Colledge