Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Le, Lie, art. Also: lee, ly. [The AN. (and later OF.) masc. sing. def. art. le (OF. li), used when citing, in Latin contexts, appellative place-names in the vernacular which idiomatically required the definite art., and (? subsequently) applied also to any vernacular designation in a Latin context: similarly used in medieval Eng. records and documents. Cf. also La art.In the Sc. use the same form le, lie is found with both sing. and plur. nouns, the plur. Lez being appar. rare.The forms ly, lie are later and appar. simply Sc. variant spellings of the older le.The history of this usage which in Britain no doubt originated with Anglo-Norman scribes, first in post-Conquest writings in England, is discussed at length by R. E. Zachrisson The French Definite Article in English Place-names in Anglia XXXIV. 308–53 and by David Murray in a letter to The Glasgow Herald, Jan. 11, 1890. For the use in appellative surnames as Symon le Glover, in the ‘Ragman Roll’ and elsewhere, see G. F. Black Surnames of Scotland (1946) xxii, and, e.g., s.v. Scott (Ade le Scot etc.).lie continued to be so used in certain Scottish records in Latin down to the 19th c., and in Letters of Remission under the Great Seal (Reg. H.) till 1897: e.g. Apud lie The Glasgow Southern Police Court; 1897 Ib. XLVII. No. 101 (21 May).]

= The. Used in front of a. vernacular place-names, (also del, de le, en le), and b. other vernacular designations.a (a) c 1150 (14th c.) Liber Calchou 27.
Terras … iacentes … super le Nesse … & extendente se a fronte vici del Nes vsque [etc.] 1217–27 Ib. 45.
Piscaria de le Redhowch c 1280 Ib. 95.
Sicut via … se extendit en le Croftlad c 1320 Ib. 199.
Vsque ad pratum quod vocatur le Abbotismedue … vsque ad le Pethheuid … quousque veniat ad sykectam que venit extra le Farenyacredene & ascendendo dictam syketam del Farenyacredene per extremitatem terre del Morehuses quousque peruenerit ad finem del Kenelmore 1329 Exch. R. I. 127.
xij hominibus de Dumbretan, transeuntibus vsque le Tarbart Ib. 129.
Pro libertate terrarum suarum in le Leuenax c 1398 Liber Calchou 411.
Quendam marescum ex parte boriali de le Kammis per quem marescum vadit le caussa & via regia que eciam terra quondam vocabatur le Camflat 1435 Exch. R. IV. 623.
Pro reparacione domus juxta le Kyrkstile in Edinburgh 1461 Cart. S. Crucis 150.
Bouatam terra mee … dictam in uulgari le Sowlis lande 1542 Reg. Great S. 651/1.
Conjuncta infeodatio quarte partis, lee Estir-quarter(b) 1448 Reg. Episc. Brechin I. 113.
Fuerunt in possessione de secundis decimis de ly Meyrnys de omnibus … wardis 1556 Reg. Great S. 253/1.
Concessit … thre ly Eist Oxgangis de terris suis de Candoroy(c) 1539 Carte Northberwic 56.
Ex parte occidentalie commune veriderium seu lie grene burgi de Northberwyk 1551–2 Reg. Great S. 152/1.
Pratum vocatum lie Constabillmedo … pratum vocat. lie Forestarmedo 1597–8 Ib. 216/1.
Terras … de lie Strinde et Burnesyde de Alveth, cum uno lie coitland … excepta una octava, vulgo ane auchtane part, de lie Strinde et Burnesyde … necnon manierem vulgo the hous and place of Alveth 1619 Ib. 788/2.
15 bovatarum terrarum in lie Hallis de Airthe 1628 Reg. Episc. Brechin II. 244.
Ac terrarum nuncupatarum lie Cunynghar landis … Croftae terrae adjacentis villae de Litill Merkhous ab antiquo vocatae lie Cottaris landis de Hauche 1650 Reg. Great S. 828/2.b (a) 14.. Acts I. 276/2.
Quod sit le cro quod anglice dicitur Grant befor the Kyng Ib. 300/1.
Vir suus habebit le kelchyn [F. son baron auera le kelchin] Ib. /3.
Of lee kelchyn. Item the kelchin … is [etc.] 1417 Coll. Aberd. & B. 344.
Incipiendo … ad caput unius le leche … et sic discendendo per illud le lecche [etc.] 1431 Exch. R. IV. 536.
Et pro le sclytting cujusdam bargie domini regis … xxxv s. 1434 Ib. 603.
Pro … reedificacione parve domus, id est, le luge janitoris castri 1506 Treas. Acc. III. 8.
Nec [sc. onerat se] de martis restantibus per le Clan Gune pro eorum compositione 1535 Chart. St. Giles 236.
Pro … quatuor pueris portando dictas le torchis … item [pro] quinquaginta duobus le dalis pauperibus debilioribus honestis 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i. 148 b.
Melius plumbum cum le mask-fat(b) 1398–1400 Aberd. B. Rec. (S.H.S.) 147.
Pro injusta verberacione de ly schethok 1413 Chart. (Reg. H.) No. 233.
[40 s.] terrarum jacentium in ly bordland infra predictam baroniam 1440 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 241.
Ad crucem ligneam que vulgariter dicitur ly girthtcorse 1547–8 Orkney & Sh. Rec. I. 117.
Olauum Sinclere … ly fold Zetlandie 1561 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 445.
Vnacum pendiculis vocatis ly seittis de Wodend Dulsak(c) sing. and coll. 1507–8 Rentale Dunkeld. MS. fol. 56.
Pro lie gyrsing octodecim bouium 1510–11 Ib. (S.H.S.) 115.
James Aysoun lie prentys 1534 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 481.
Reperit … in butlario vnum lie gantreis 1546 Reg. Great S. 9/1.
Una tunica de lie Paris blak, velveto circumdata lie begareit 1550 Ib. 104/2.
Possessorem … unius navis vulgo lie Salmoune … in ablatione unius navis vulgo lie Bair nuncupat. 1597 Ib. 205/2.
Fuerant antiqui et nativi lie kyndlie feodatarii 1618 Ib. 701/2.
Literas legitimationis Elizabethe lie Bessie Quhytlaw 1627 Ib. 390/1.
Exceptis astrictis multuris, lie suckin, lie bannok et lie kneifschipe … de Killantringand 1636 Ib. 219/1 (see Leit v.¹). 1662 Ib. 92/2.
[And] lie kingbeere [of the lands of the lordship of Couper]plur. 1508 Rentale Dunkeld. (S.H.S.) 99.
[In part payment of 30] lie sparris 1550 Reg. Great S. 102/2.
Duas ampullas stanneas lie flakkettis nuncupatas 1562 (1581–2) Ib. 120/1.
Officium … molendinorum … de Melros, vocat. … lie knaifschipis 1591–2 Ib. 679/1.
Cum potestate … sustinere crates et corbes lie cruvis … , cum privilegio lie thrie kistis infra lie watterwrak 1607 Ib. 756/1.
Ejusque tenentes et servos lie cotteris et grasmen'Le, contracted f. will v.: see Ile, Theyle. Le, common var. of Ley n.², n.⁴, a. and v.