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

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S(c)haft, n.¹ Also: s(c)hafft, schafete, shaf(f, schaift, (schffat), chaft, cheft. [ME and e.m.E. scaft (Layamon), saft (c1250), ssafte (1297), schaft (Wyclif), shaft (c1400), OE sceaft. Cf. ON skapt. With sense 3, cf. late ME schafte of a pylar (1483).]

1. The staff or pole or rod forming the body of certain, usu. long-handled, weapons, tools or implements. Also in fig. context.Freq. as the second element of a compound or quasi-compound, the weapon or tool concerned being specified by the first element, see Ax-schaft n., Arrow n., Chargeour n.², Mat(t)ok n., Mel(l n., Moppat n., Pik n.², etc., for further examples.(1) 1375 Barb. xii 57 (see Hand-ax n.). ?1438 Alex. ii 4497.
Quhill that the hand-ax schaft … brak 1506 Treasurer's Accounts III 358.
For xij staf schaftis ilk pece ij s. 1530 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I 38.
For … iii pikkis and mattokkis schaftis 1578 Edinburgh Testaments VI 322b.
Sextene hundreth arrow schaftis price of the hundreth vj s. viij d. … xl speir schaftis price of the pece xl d. … ane hundreth stalf schaftis price of the scoir xx s. 1579 Perth Guildry MS p. 391 (3 Sept.).
For foirstalling of certene speir schaftis 1588 Kinnaird Farm Bk. fol. 108b.
Delywerit … of fork schaftis iiij 1600 Treasurer's Accounts MS 50.
Veluet to be handis of the rakkettis and club schaftis 1612 Edinburgh Testaments XLVII 123b.
Four hundreth arrow schaftis … and thrie scoir club schaftis 1666 Melrose Reg. Rec. II 148.
Ane fork shaft 1 l. 1678 Fawside Coal Compt 33.
Tuo pick shafts 6 s. 8 d.(b) 1564 Perth B. Ct. 167 (26 Sept.).
James Johnnesoun bowar in Edinburght for thre scoir staf shaffis & speiris(2) c1420 Wynt. viii 5155.
Thai … The Dowglas hit and brak his spere; And a sclys off the schafft that brak, In till his hand a wounde can mak c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace iii 147.
The grounden sper throuch his body schar The shafft to schonkit off the fruschand tre c1475 Ib. x 411.
Off schafftis part Wallace in sondyr schayr 1513 Doug. x vi 114.
Throw hys gardy sone The grundyn hed and bludy schaft ar done 1533–4 Treasurer's Accounts VI 188.
v dosane shaftis to Jedburcht stavis 1540 Ib. VII 355.
For shaftis to thame [supra irne muschis] 1542 Ayr Common Good Acc.
For spaddis scholis skippis with all thair heidis and schaftis 1545–6 Treasurer's Accounts VIII 359.
Girth stingis to be schaftis to the saidis chargeouris 1557–8 Edinb. Old Acc. I 248.
iiij mells with thair schaftis 1561 Treasurer's Accounts XI 115.
xxix pece of eschin tymmar to be schaftis to pikis and matokis 1571 Ib. XII 290.
To ane wrycht for his laubouris in making of schaftis to the saidis pickis, mattokis and mellis 1572 Ib. 339.
Irne graippis with thair schaftis a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxviii 54, 55. 1651 Stirling B. Rec. II 305.
For four schafts of poleaxes to be maid mell schaftis(b) 1566 Protocol Book of Thomas Johnsoun 101.
Twa schaiftis of gedwart stavis(c) 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VIII. 159.
For chaftis to fyre speris 1560 Edinb. Old Acc. II. 93.
Ane newe pik with the chaft 1570 Leslie 184.
The parteis … entered in skarmushing first with bowis and arrous, … quhill thair hoill chaftis was spenditfig. a1510 Aberd. Univ. Rev. XXXVI i 44.
I sall ger fasone weile a flane … The schaft sel be of sorowefule men The hede of panis strang

b. The stem, or handle, of a domestic knife or spoon. 1619 Edinburgh Testaments L 217b.
Ane dosone of silwer sponis with braid schaftis 1685 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries LVIII 354.
2 silver spoons one of them with a short cheft the uther with a falded-in one 1685 Ib.
A caise with a dozen of knyfs with silver chefts

c. ? The upright part or stock of an anchor. 1597 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 22a.
For sawing ane anker soke iii grts. … For ane anker soke xxiiii grts. … For ane botis sake schafete ii grts.

2. Only in verse: a. A spear, lance or javelin. b. An arrow.a. ?1438 Alex. i 2444.
The heuy dintis … Scheildis to frushe and shaftis to shaik ?1438 Ib. ii 1637.
That steid and knycht baith schaft and scheild He bare doun a1500 Golagros and Gawane 544.
Ane man … That for the maistry dar mell With schaft and with scheild a1500 Peblis to Play 253.
Thair men micht heir schukin of schaftis 1513 Doug. x viii 106.
The schaft flaw furth belyve 1513 Ib. xii ii 111.
The schaft he schuke, and branglys lustely 1513 Ib. xiv 91.
The schaft … throu the hawbrik skyrtis persyt hasb. 1513 Doug. iv ii 46.
Bot evir the dedly schaft [L. sagitta] stykkis in hir syde a1568 Bannatyne MS 249b/4.
Phebus … Vnto the eist schutand his schaftis schare c1590 Fowler I 77/12.
The armes, the bow, the shafts of lowe a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxiv 25.
He tuik a shaft, and suddently me shot 1611 Mure Early Misc. P. ii 40.
The bow the schafts the quaver and the brace

3. A pillar. a1538 Abell 64a.
Blasphemaris … his [= is] ordand to be put on a schffat [sic] 7 Sondays abvn the kyrk dvir [etc.]

4. a. A heddle-bar for weaving. 1611 Wedderb. Compt Bk. 56.
Ane pece of narro clayth quyt of four schaftis, of lent 8 ellis 3 quarteris … to be littit skarlet in London

b. ? A shaft of a cart. 1666 Melrose Reg. Rec. II 148.
14 s. for 8 pair shaffts

5. In sense 1 or 2 a, used in measuring land.In Skene quot. perh. of indeterminate length, or ? put for Schaftmonthe n.With the quots. relating to Orkney, cf. ON skipta jörðu með skapti, to measure land with a spear.Also attrib. (see Skene quot. below).Cf. Chaft n.²See also Schoftlong n.(1) 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Particata.
Of the vulgar people there is bot ane forme of metting vsed … be rod and raip … be ane rod … of sex elnes lang: or be ane … coard … stented betuixt twa staues. The coarde being ane schaft length abone the pykes, or nether endes of the staues(2) 1605 Rec. Earld. Orkney 181.
Hes part of the penie land … mett with schaft and lyne 1645 Sc. Hist. Rev. XVII 30, 31.
[In Hoxa they began by dividing] the hill balkis of the foresaid 2 d. land in halferis, laying fyve scoir nine shaftis to ilk pennyland, the lenth of ilk shaft being seven futtis of ane futt in measure and four inches mair

6. ? A shaft or beam of sunlight as seen as the sun becomes lower in the sky.[Cf. ME schaftez (14th c.) in this sense and schaft to set in til the sunne schafted (Gawain & Green Knight.] a1500 Peblis to Play 251.
Be that the sone wes settand schaftis And neir done wes the day Thair men micht heir schukin of schaftis Quhen that thai went thair way