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

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Pese, Peis, n.² Also: pes; peys, peise, peiss, peyis, peyes, peies, peiz(e, peice; pies(s, piese, piees; peas(e; peese; payes; piss. [ME. and e.m.E. sing. pese, peose, pees(e (14th c.), peise (Cath. Angl.), pays (1523), pease (1534), peaze (1598), plur. or coll. pesen (c 1200), peosun (Piers Plowman A), paysen (1523), peasyn (1533), etc., peses (Piers Plowman B), peeses (1532), pese (c 1400), peise (north., c 1400), peas (c 1440), pees, pease (1523), OE. wk. fem. pise (piose, pyse), L. pisa, late collateral form of pisum pulse, pease (whence OF. peis, F. pois): cf. Pise.]Chiefly coll. or plur. without inflection.

1. coll. or plur. without inflection. a. Pea-plants, collectively. b. Pea-seeds, peas, collectively.Occasionally with ambiguity between these senses.a. (a) c1420 Wynt. i. 1340.
[In Britain] Off all corne thare is copy gret, Pese and atys [etc.] 1553 Prot. Bk. A. Gaw 32.
[Assignees to] iii ait stakkis … and ane of the stakkis hes pes on the hed(b) a1500 Henr. Fab. 2792 (Bann.).
Peis c1500 Rowll Cursing 23 (M).
His quheit his aitis his peis his beir 1506 Prestwick B. Rec. 39.
For the wrangwis haldin of swyne on hiis corn & peys c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 115.
Thow lay full prydles in the peise this somer 1571 Inverness Rec. I. 203.
He refusit yeirle to await and keip my peis 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 181.
Certane aittis and peis growand thairabout wes … eittin be thair horse 1601 Crim. Trials II. 363.
For taking of ane schaeff of peis off thair land 1607 Ib. 531.
For leiding of certane his schorne peis than standing stoukit 1617 Inverurie 205. 1657 Edinb. Test. LXVIII. 369 b.
Ane head stak of peice a1699 Skene Agric. MS.
They lyme befor the peiss but not befor the wheit 1669 Salmon Borrowstounness 87.
That no persounes … pull or spoyle any of their neighbours peise aither be codd or ruite 1678 Rothesay B. Rec. 358.
All persones that beis fund in other mens peiz(c) a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS. No. 1579.
Ye ar punded ye hav bein in the peas 1653 Lamont Diary 65.
[The] good-man of Hatton … forgethered with a traualing boy … amonge his pease a1688 Wallace Orkney 13.
All these isles are … destitute of wheat rye and peaseb. (1) (a) 14.. Acts I. 307/2.
Gyf ony schyp aryve … wyth pese benys or salt [etc.] 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I. 166.
A firlot of pes a1500 Henr. Fab. 361 (Asl.).
Hir den … Als benely stuffit … Of nutis pes benes ry and quheit 1476 Acta Aud. 52/1. 1496–7 Acta Conc. II. 53.
Half a chalder of pes spulȝeit … out of the landis of Pettintostale 1498 Treas. Acc. I. 388.
To by pes and benys with to the ȝard 1640 Rec. Old Aberd. I. 69.
The haill husbandmen … sall saw the twalff pairt of thair haill laboring in pese(b) 1426 Acts II. 13/2.
Ilk man telande with a pleuch of viij oxin sal saw at the lest ilk ȝere a firlot of quhete half a firlot of peis a1500 Henr. Fab. 206 (Bann.).
The ȝungast sister … Brocht furth nuttis and peis in steid of spys 1512 Household Bk. Jas. IV 1 a. 1532–8 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) No. vi. Young v. Seytoun.
Thre bollis of ry sawing … v bollis of peis sawing 1560 Rolland Seven S. 3311.
Small stanis like peis vpon hir heid thay kest 1567 Liber Dryburgh 394.
The tiend peise of the toun of Bemirside 1584 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I. 197.
[To] saw ane auchlot peis yeirlie vpoun thair skairs in tyme cuming that the land may be the bettir manurit 1596 Dalr. I. 89/20.
Sum vset breid of ry … sum of peise or beanes 1958 Household Bks. Jas. VI 31 July.
For butter to his majesties arteschois and peis 1600-1610 Melvill 270.
I called for peyes and beanes to giff it [sc. a dove] 1613 Dundee Shipping L. 237.
Peyis 1614 Edinb. B. Rec. VI. 116.
Ane water met for peise and rye 1637 T. Hope Diary 69.
With the nott of the aittis peiss cheiss [etc.] … sent to him 1654 Cramond Kirk S. 27 Aug.
Whom he saw laying out peise to dry in tyme of sermone 1655 Stitchill Baron Ct. 6.
A bolle of kylle-dryed peis 1657 Balfour Ann. IV. 341.
Peies a1699 Skene Agric. MS.
The peiss sows farder than anie grain 1678 Rothesay B. Rec. 356.
[To] saw halfe a fortpeit peck of peize upon ilk boll sawing of corne and beir(c) 1661 Acts VII. 253/1.
Pease everie sex bolls 1671 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 35.
Who transgresses this act of … pease eating to paye [etc.] 1676 Cunningham Diary 78.(d) 1665 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp in Misc. Maitl. C. II. 528.
A dishe of peese(e) a1699 Skene Agric. MS.
The vheit is sowne in November … the piess in Marche and oates in Aprile 1674 Melrose Reg. Rec. II. 396.
Pies c 1684 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II. 198.
Ane pecke … of piees 1709 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 75.
For 2 furlits pies shield(f) 1674 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 210.
Ane pek … of payes at twentie shilling the pek(g) c1650 Spalding II. 137.
Without … lynt, piss, whyte, ry and sic commodeteis(2) 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1723.
Flanders peis 1552 Elgin Rec. I. 117.
The Sanquare hill pes 1594 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 113.
The Inglis beynis and peyis bocht [etc.] 1616 Dundee Shipping L. 274.
Foure last & half of quhyt pease ane last thrie quarteris gray pease 1641-8 Skipper's Acc. (Smettone) 5.
For a boll of quhytt peice £8 1649 Lamont Diary 6.
The wheat pease that came ouer sea 1654 Nicoll Diary 131.
Greyne peyis oppinlie sauld in Edinburgh full and ryp 1681 Thanes of Cawdor 352.
Garden seids … runsivill peise 1692 Misc. B. Rec. 85.
Loadened with whyt pies 1695 Conv. Burghs IV. 205.
Importatione of Irish maill, bear and peise to this kingdome

c. Appar., in a condensed sentence, in both of the above senses. — 1653 Peebles B. Rec. II. 18.
Anent the children that eates and destroyes the peis

d. attrib. and comb.See also Pese-breid, Pese-kill, Pese-sta(c)k and Pese-stra. 1665 Edinb. Test. LXXI. 352 b.
In the peis barne thrie bollis peis 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII. 257.
The deponent allowing her the pies barne she lay amongest the pies chalf — 1690 Foulis Acc. Bk. 121.
Peasbonocks and turkie eggs — 1491 Acta Aud. 152/2.
ix skore thraifis of pes foder — 1586 Montrose Baillie Ct. fol. 32 b.
The said peis grond sett be the prouest [etc.] — a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1081.
Litle sap in widered peis huils — 1624 Crim. Trials III. 572.
To the said Robert Young his peise-land — a1605 Birrel Diary 36.
The ait maill … , the pease maill 1616 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 7.
For peis meill to the horse 1658 Sc. Ant. IX. 50.
Peas meall — a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1768.
Ye ken how manie huted neifuls maks a patful of plum peis potage — 1624 Crim. Trials III. 575.
Beanis stowin be him af his peise-rig — 1662 Kelso Presb. Rec. in Berw. Nat. C. V. 336.
He saw her sitting upon ane peise sheif 1672 Foulis Acc. Bk. 9, 10.
Peas cheaves … peas sheaves

2. sing. A pea; also as the type of something very small or unimportant. a1500 Sir Eger 948.
Betwixt her een and eke her neise There is the greatness of a piese a1568 Bann. MS. 77 a/48.
All joy in erd thow sall nocht compt ane peis Quhen that the ruiftre lyis vpoun thy neis