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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Scailȝe, -y(i)e, -ȝie, -ȝee, n. Also: skail- and -ȝe(e, -ȝie, -yie, -ye; scail(l)ie, skail(l)y, -ie, scalie; skealye; scalȝe, -yie, skalȝie, -ȝe, -y(i)e; skeilyhe, skelȝe, skellie; skilly; skila. [MDu. schaelie (mod. Du. schalie), OF escaille (13th c. in Larousse).] Slate, the material; blue roofing-slate. Chiefly coll. sing., but sometimes with pl. concord. Also attrib. and comb.(1) 1496 Treas. Acc. I 275.
To the man that brocht vp the scailȝee Ib. 276.
To the men that set vp the scailȝe 1497 Ib. 359.
The man that thekis the scailȝe Ib. 370.
To the man that thekis the gallory in Striuelin with scailȝee 1502 Ib. II 155.
Payit … for … fraucht of ane bote full of scailȝe fra Strivelin to Leith 1507 Ib. IV 84.
Ane dumb man in Strivelin that wrocht scailȝe 1508–9 Reg. Great S. 702/2.
Cum tegulis aut le scailȝe derect. 1515 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 296.
Skailȝe 1531–2 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 56.
Skailye 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 218.
j^mlx of skailȝe coft in Peblis to mend the ruiff of the grete hall witht 1541 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 285.
For vi ruidis new theking werk … with skailye cariage and all costis … xlii lib. 1558 Ib. 293.
Skailye and sclait 1574 Red Bk. Menteith II 408.
Skailȝe … for beating and making of the [castle] … watterticht 1581 Acc. Repair Doune in Moray Mun. Box 1, No. 300.
For fourte menis mait that led the skailȝe out of the hilend 1583 Chapel Royal lxxxvii.
The thak of the same is off skailȝe 1584 Reg. Privy C. III 678.
The sklaittis, skailyie, lyme, sand and tymmer 1592 Breadalbane Ct. Bk. 38b.
For carrying hame of the lairdis skailȝe to Balloch ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 52.
Ane … Ile callit … Ellan Slait, quhairin thair is abundance of skailȝie to be wyn 1603 Argyll Acc. 5 June.
For thre hundreth nails to put on the skailȝe vpone the stabillis 1621 Acts IV 627/1.
That … no … persones … builde anye housis within the said burgh … bot suche as salbe covered with sklaite or skailȝee leid tyild or thakstane 1635 Chapel Royal cxciv.
With skailȝe and fog theiking 1663 Edinb. B. Rec. IX 327.
The theiking of the rooffe with skailyie and the flatt rooffe with leid 1673 Mylne Master Masons 184.
I will have all the house … covered with blew skailyie 1679 Ib. 200.
The corneice betwixt the lead roofe and the skailȝie 1684 Sibbald Scot. Illustr. iii 45.
Quaedam [stones] minora; eaque vel vulgaria, nostratibus gray-sclate, vel nigri aut caerulei coloris, blew sclate, or scailȝie(b) 1507–8 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 170.
Riggyngtild [and] skalȝe 1514 Ib. 290.
Skalȝie a1517 Ib. 323.
[A dwelling … covered with small slates or] scalȝe 1539–40 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 285.
Skalye(c) 1671 Mylne Master Masons 170.
Sklaited with skaily 1693 Logie Par. Hist. I 333.
Scailie 16.. Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III 142.
They have freestone and hardstone, slate and scaillie, as good as is in Scotland c1700 Pennecuik Tweeddale 5.
Here is to be found marle … slait and skailly — 1683 Erskine Diary 15.
Scalie(d) 1508 Reg. Soltre 162.
For the mending and reparacioun of the ouer kirk … with skeilyhe(e) 1673 Mylne Master Masons 185.
So the same roof will serve again and the same skilly very near(f) 1686 Erskine Diary 205.
Churches … roofed with blue skellie 1703 Stirling B. Rec. II 348.(2) 1511–12 Reg. Soltre 163.
To the werkmen that had the skeilyhe abone the kirk and put thame in the wolt 1531–2 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 108.
ii^m skailye 1534–5 Ib. 129.
For ane thowsand skailye iii lib. vi s. 1542 Treas. Acc. VIII 132.
For iij^c skelȝe to mend the ruffe of the grete hall … xviij s. 1581 Red Bk. Menteith II 420.
The wynning of ane thousand skailȝe 1585 Treas. Acc. MS 86.
Certane skailȝie … quhilkis wer transportit … to the reparatioun of the palace 1612 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 86.
To furneis als many skailyie as will theik sufficientlie with fog the weyhous of the burgh 1651 Stirling B. Rec. II 308.
For 200 skalyie £6 1673 Stirling Common Good 85b.
For 200 skailie … £9 16 s. 1703 Stirling B. Rec. II 100.
The treasurer to send ane express to Deuchray … anent 8000 scailyie to the tolboothattrib. and comb. (1) 1505 Treas. Acc. III 144.
Scailȝe man 1513 Ib. IV 526.
To the scailye laidar for the leding of xvj^c scailye 1628–9 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 232.
Johne Grahame skailyie man(2) 1589 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 540.
Ane skailyie stayne, 14 d. 1601 Treas. Acc. MS 106.
For reparatioun of the sklait and skaillie work of the castell of Striviling 1616 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 379.
Ane scalyie [pr. sealyie] table 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 29.
The skailyie craig(3) 1626–7 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 201.
vii^c skailyie nailles xlix s. 1633 Ib. 366.
ii^c thin headit skealye naill for the wind schotes of the … windowes c1643 Rothes P.
1000 skaillie naillis for mending the skaillie of the great haill at half a merk the hundreth 1673 Stirling Common Good 85b.
For 200 skailie naill £1 6 s. 1677 Ib. 114.
Skailie pinnes 1681 Highland P. I 319.
800 skailȝie nailes 1702 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 332.
The counsell … aproves of the dean of gild his buyeing of about 35,000 skila sclat for … publict uses

b. As a place-name element. 1662 Wodrow Hist. (1721) I App. 59.
Skellietoun Ib.
Skelliehil