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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DEACON, n.¹ Sc. usages. Also †diacon (Abd. 1715 in Analecta Scot. (ed. Maidment) II. 232), †dickon (Ork. 1720 in P. Ork. A.S. (1929) VII. 54). [′dikən Sc., but ne.Sc., Per. + ′dəikən]

1. The president of one of the Incorporated Trades in a town; formerly an ex officio member of the Town Council. Sc. 1774 T. Pennant Tour 1772 II. 128:
The third body is the Trades-house [Glasgow]: this consists of fifty-six, of which the deacon convener is the head: there are fourteen incorporated trades, each of which has a deacon, who has a right to nominate a certain number of his trade, so as to form the house.Sc. 1828 Scott F. M. Perth vii.:
There were bailies and deacons in the honoured number.Rxb. 1703 in Trans. Hawick Arch. Soc. (1902) 53:
Haveing conveined the toune counsell and old and young late baylyeas . . . togidder with the deacons and quartermasters of the haill trades.

Hence deacon-convener, the deacon who convenes and presides over the Court of the Incorporated Trades, in Edinburgh and Glasgow a member of the Town Council ex officio.Sc. 1736 Marischal Coll. Records (N.S.C. 1889) I. 418:
Likeas the said Mr. John Moir hereby constitutes and appoints the Deacon Conveener of the Trades of Aberdeen, the Seven Deacons of the above Trades. . . .Sc. 1837 J. G. Lockhart Scott V. viii.:
Provosts, and bailies, and deacon-conveners of the trades of Edinburgh.Sc. 1939 Abd. Bon-Accord (13 July) 8:
Each trade is complete in itself, and is entirely responsible for its own administration, but the leading officials of each incorporation form the Convener Court, which has a consultative jurisdiction over all the trades, and acts in matters common to all. That body is presided over by the Deacon Convener, and he is assisted by the Master of Trades Hospital, who is responsible for the financial side of its activities.

Deriv. deaconrie, the right (of a trade) to have a deacon, i.e. to be incorporated by authority of a town council in a letter of deaconrie. Gsw. 1719 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1909) 72:
By the letter of deaconrie the surgeons and barbers are incorporat into one body and incorporation.

2. Fig. One who is a master of his craft; an expert. Gen. used with a neg. Known to Abd. correspondents, Fif.¹⁰, Kcb.¹⁰ 1940. The form deyken (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 222; Abd.⁵ 1931) is also found.Sc. 1800 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 663:
I need hardly tell you I do not pre tend to be any great deacon at authorship.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) xx.:
But she had a great fight, it seems, to make out Daniel's bad spelling, he having been very ill yedicated, and no deacon at the pen.Arg. 1914 N. Munro New Road xxvi.:
Give Fraser here the dirk; he's more a deacon wi't than you.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie I. i.:
If he wasna a deacon at book lair, he kent as weel as the maister himsel' how mony blue beans it taks to mak five.

3. The sandpiper, Tringa hypoleucos (Slg. 1867 Zoologist (Ser. 2) II. 900).