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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

‡INTOUN, n., adj. Also -toon, -town. [′ɪntun]

I. n. The land adjacent to a farmhouse, which in the old system of agriculture, still persisting in some parts, was continuously cropped and received the manure. The name is still sometimes given on the modern farm to what was orig. this ground (ne.Sc. 1958). Cf. Infield, id.Abd. 1721 Monymusk Papers (S.H.S.) 24:
Archibald Grant shall sett in tack . . . three haughs of the intown of Blackhillocks lyeing closs to the Water of Done . . . as also two rigs of the uper Intown of Hillocks.Abd. 1759 Trans. Highl. Soc. (1902) 81:
His intown is divided into 3 parts; ⅓ for bear, ⅓ called bear-root, and ⅓ awald.Abd. c.1800 in A. W. Mair Hesiod (1908) 127:
The farms in our neighbourhood in my grandfather's time were divided into the “intown” and the “outfields.” The former was about a third of the farm around the houses. All the manure was placed upon it.Sth. 1880 Trans. Highl. Soc. 19:
Let in small lots from 1 to 30 acres of boll sowings, each occupier having a proportion of intown pasture.Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 48:
Fin ye're plitherin' up the intoon tae the Kirktoon.

II. adj., from attrib. use of the n. Pertaining to this land or the crops grown thereon (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.). Also adv.Abd. 1718 S.C. Misc. (1935) 35:
George Young . . . compleats his duty for his intown land for crop 1718.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlii.:
Clinkstyle's wastmost intoon shift rins in wi' a lang nib.Bnff. 1893 G. G. Green Kidnappers iii.:
John Gordon was busy repairing a “fell” dyke at the foot of a strip of “intoon” land on his small holding.Kcd. 1956 Abd. Univ. Review (Spring) 295:
Yon park i' the best o' the grun intoon.

Hence †(1) intown multure, a payment, gen. in meal, levied for grinding corn at the superior's mill which his tenants were obliged to use. Cf. Insucken and Multure; (2) in-toon-weed, a perennial weed common in pastures (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 89).(1) Sc. 1750 Falconer Decisions (1753) II. 132:
The Defender has come to the Mill, but has not paid intown Multure, and he has gone to other mills.Sc. 1820 Scott Monastery xiii.:
The cultivators of each barony or regality . . . in Scotland, are obliged to bring their corn to be grinded at the mill of the territory, for which they pay a heavy charge, called the intown multures.