A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1575-1695
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1]
Sarking, vbl. n.1 Also: sarken, -ein. [Sark n.; cf. also late north. ME serked p.p. (see Sark v.).] a. Sarking of lining (= linen), also lining claith, cloth, etc.: A length of (chiefly or only linen) cloth sufficient to make one ‘sark’ (= shift or shirt).Also with ordinal numeral (in this instance without inflexion) in multiples of this length.(1) 1579 Edinburgh Testaments VII 287.
Ane sarking of lynning claith 1588 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 237.
And xx s. for the price of ane sarking of small lynning 1590 Edinburgh Testaments XXII 122b.
Scho leuis ane sarking of vnbleitschit lynning to James Richemont hir broder 1597 Ib. XXXI 117.
Scho leuis … to … Johne Lintoun ane elne of small quhite and ane sarking of lynning 1666 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I 279.
[The said John paying yearly] ane sarking of small lyning yeirlie with ane dussan fowles halff hens halff cappones 1671 Rothesay B. Rec. 206.
The same to be xxvi merks with the said sarking of clothe or threttie fyve schilling 1675 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 45.
With a sarking off linen(2) 1575 Carrick Baillie Ct. 2 June.
To content & pay to James Kennedy … the sowme of tuenty merkis xiij s. iiij d. for the rest of his stentis wiccarage teindis and fyve sarking of lining [etc.]
b. As a qualifying term: (Linen, also cloth) as used for making ‘sarks’. Also ellipt.(1) 1575 Edinburgh Testaments III 400b.
Foure dosane of sarking lynning price of the dosane xxxvj s. 1576 Ib. V 21.
Ane … pece of sarking lynneng of eln breid 1594 Ib. XXVII 193.
Ane hundretht elnes of round sarking lynning price of the elne vj s. viij d. 1616 Ib. XLIX 168b.
xx elnis sarking lynning at ix s. the elne 1638 Hawick Ann. 42.
28 s. Scots for 3½ ells of sarking lyneing 1671 Rothesay B. Rec. 205. 1674 Inv. in Sc. Ant. I 178.
Sarken lining 2 lib. 6 s., to the wabster 7 s. 1676 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 12 Jan.
Restand to James McKaig soomtym servant of fies £5 10 s. money forsaid and thrie ellns of sarkein liningellipt. 1630 Bamff Chart. 223.
Twa webbe of lining, ane of sarking, and ane uther smaller for scheitts(2) 1615 Reg. Great S. 488/1.
Reddendo … 20 ulnas panni linei lie sarking lyning clayth 1620 Urie Baron Ct. 31.
To pey the sowme of sex pundis money for ilk dozen off fourtein dozen elnis of sarking lining clayth(3) 1596 Edinburgh Testaments XXIX 321.
xli elneis of sarking claytht at iiij s. the elne c1650 Spalding I 377.
Quhairvpone order wes givin out to serche the countrie for gray hydis, and gray claith, and sarking cloth
c. Appar. shortened from b: ? Sarking cloth, sarking linen. 1695 Coldingham Kirk S. in Hawick Arch. Soc. (1904) 29.
For 4 yds. fine cloth … 10 drop of silk … 8 ells sarking for lining [the mortcloth]
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Sarking vbl. n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/sarking_vbl_n_1>
