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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.

S(c)haw, n.¹ Also: s(c)hawe, s(c)hau, sha; sheau; (saw(e, scawe). Pl. also schais. [ME and e.m.E. shawe (a1300), also in earlier use as a place-name element, OE sc(e)aga.]

1. A small wood; a copse; a grove (in Doug., usu. one sacred to a deity); a thicket.In early use as a territorial designation; passing into the surname Schaw.See also myr tre schaw Myr tre and wode schaw.Also attrib. with land and wode.(1) c1284 Reg. Paisley 65.
Johanne de Schau 1296 Ragman's Roll Lanarksh.
Fergus del Schawe 1331 Exch. R. I 380.
De Hugone del Schawe 13.. Liber Melros II 454.
Jacobo de la Schaw 1409–10 Ib. 534.
Jacobo de le Schaw 1461 Liber Plusc. 278.
Ricardo de Schav(2) 1375 Barb. iii 479.
Thai … huntyt lang … And soucht schawys and setis set Ib. v 591. ?1438 Alex. i 2058.
Shaw c1420 Wynt. viii 5988.
Qwhen he sawe Thai knychtis swa cum in till a schawe [etc.] a1500 Henr. Fab. 419.
Ane lyttill fra this … vedowis hows Ane thornie schaw thair wes Ib. 1621.
Syne throw the schaw my iourney hamewart tuke Ib. 547 (see the note to Ripe v.¹ 2).
Rype schaw Id. Orph. 96.
In a schawe … A bustuos herd … Kepand his bestis, lay wnder a bus c1475 Wall. iii 68.
And in a schaw … Thai lugyt thaim 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1151.
The schaw dinnit agane For birdis sang c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 144/104.
The king of beistis mak I thé And the chief protector in woddis and schawis 1513 Doug. iii x 49.
In schawys ald, … Hallowyt to Dyane or ȝit to Jupiter Ib. viii vi 89.
Ȝon schaw, on this woddy hillis top That skowgit is with mony buskis crop Ib. ix iii 20.
Thys [sc. a fir wood] was … my hallowit schaw, Quhar that the Phrygianys maid me sacrifice Ib. xi xiv 40.
The dern blissyt schaw 1533 Boece 190.
Ane schaw quhare … the wolfis resortit 1535 Stewart 57051.
The schawis trymlit all and schuke 15.. Lichtoun Dreme 41 (B).
Sittand on Ȝule evin in ane fresch grene sha [ed. schaw] Rostand straberries a1585 Maitl. Q. 223/17.
I vewit the feildis baith daill & schaw 1595 Bamff Chart. 144.
Ane litill wode or schaw callit the Reidheuch 1596 Dalr. I 15/28.
Paslay quhilke is situat amang cnowis, grene woodis, schawis, and forrest fair a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xli 3.
Nou shroudis the shauis, Throu Natur anone 1622-6 Bisset II 51/29.
Greit woddis or schawes of [aikin] grene growand tries — 1652 Edinb. Test. LXVI 95.
Subscrivit be me at the wickit schaw(3) c1475 Wall. viii 935.
In Aperill amang the schawis scheyn Quhen the paithment was cled in tendyr greyn 1513 Doug. v Prol. 2. 1535 Stewart 19368.
Symmer … with his schawes schene Ib. 21311.
In symmer syne, quhen euerie schaw wes schene a1568 Bann. MS 218a/4. 1596 Dalr. I 17/24.
Amang fair forrests and schawis schene 1604-31 Craig v 34.
Throgh sheene shawes & donke dailes(4) 1524–5 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 75.
That the lard of the shawe suld paye to Jok Thomesone xvii d. for his pund 1585–6 Liber Scon App. 226.
The schaw and wod callit Cuthill Wod 1623 Reg. Episc. Morav. App. 427.
With the privilege of keiping of the wod, schaw or forrest of Spynie — a1585 Maitl. Q. 217/28.
The birdis bruit … Is maid in Tempe schaw(5) a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. 302/34.
Ilkane of thame hes ane to name, Will of the lais, Hab of the schais [Maitl. Q. schawis]attrib. 1543–4 Prestwick B. Rec. 59.
At na thyng pertenand Prestwik schau land … suld be callyt in the court of the burght 1566–7 Reg. Privy S. V ii 327/2.
The landis of Letter Bennachty with the litill schawwod thairof

b. In pl., common in charters, etc., in lists itemising the pertinents of an estate. 1461 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 362.
The forsaide landys … with wodis parkis schawys [etc.] 1500 Reg. Great S. 543/1.
Piscationes lacuum unacum silvis et lucis, viz. le Schawis, pertinentibus dictis terris 1504 Aberd. Journal N. & Q. II 205.
All the woddis, boggis and schawis of his landis 1507 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV 219.
Cum le glennys siluis et lucis videlicet le schawis 1513 Reg. Great S. 845/2.
Cum le glennys, silvis et virgultis viz. le schawis 1537 Liber Dryburgh 283. 1559 Exch. R. XIX 450. 1564–5 Rec. Earld. Orkney 279.
The saidis landis, … with houssis, … bromes, woddis, cuthillis, schawis, treis 1587 Acts III 431/2.
All and sindrie landis … milnis multuris woddis schawes parkis [etc.] 1595–6 Exch. R. XXIII 375. c1605 Elphinstone Chart. 147.
The wod and forrest … with the boiges, blaires, medowis, schawis, tour, maner plaice [etc.] 1615 Red Bk. Grandtully I 50. 1653 Retours I Inq. Spec. Elgin et Forres (95).
With the salmound fishingis of … Lossie, the croft of Darnoway, the forrest, park and sheaues therof

2. In place-names. a. As the second element of a place-name. b. Defined by a place-name. a1240 Liber Calchou 149.
Haresawes 1214–49 Liber Melros I 265.
Williemo de Crennescawe 1265 Reg. Paisley 309.
Et totam terram de Drumley et de Swynschawis 1294 Ib. 94.
Langesawe 1315–21 Reg. Great S. 10/1.
Hawkeschaws 1348 Misc. Spald. C. V 245.
Haynygschaw Ib.
Ad boscum de Polynfeyghschaw 1371 Reg. Great S. 162/2.
De terris de Haukschawys … infra vicecomitatum de Peblys 13.. Reg. Neubotle 22.
Tympaneschau 1440 Reg. Dunferm. 301.
David Stewart militem dominum de Hertschaw 1454–5 Liber Melros II 578.
Gaitschaw et cliftoncot 1457 Exch. R. VI 339.
Terrarum de Hareschawe, … de Foulschawe, … de Bowartschawe 1490 Reg. Paisley 265.
Per fossam terrarum de Oxschawsid usque ad silvam de Oxschaw 1501 Treas. Acc. II 117.
Johne Murray of Hingandschaw 1540 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II 113.
Weitschaw 1548 Ex. Processes Borthwick v. Hume.
The landis of Trottynschaw, Birecleuch and Handax Wodb. a1200 Crown Office Writs (Reg. H.) No. 5 in G. W. S. Barrow The Kingdom of the Scots (1973) 260.
[The whole] scawe [of Sorbie] 1316 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 43.
Vsque le schawes del Alton de Fyntreff c1475 Wall. vi 640.
He with the ost to Dawis schaw [1570 Dauidschaw] can far 1517 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 37.
[His two rigs] of the ladyis schaw 1543–4 Prestwick B. Rec. 59.
The land of Prestwik schau