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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PUND, n.², v. Also pun(n)-; poon (Rnf. 1790 A. Wilson Poems 61, 1827 W. Taylor Poems 17); ¶pond (Kcb. 1845 Stat. Acc.² IV. 331). Sc. forms and usages of Eng. pound. See also Poind, to which some of the instances of the form poon should phs. rather be referred. [pʌn(d)]

I. n. 1. As in Eng. an enclosure in which animals are penned, specif. in Sh. an enclosure on a piece of common ground in which the community's sheep are gathered for marking lambs, shearing, etc., and also for other purposes (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 178, 1959 New Shetlander No. 51. 8, Sh. 1967). Comb. pun(d)fold, n., a compound, pen, also used as a v., to put in a pound, to impound or distrain (animals). See also Pumphal, n., v.Gall. 1705 Session Bk. Minnigaff (1939) 179:
Patrick Dumbar in Flush is delated for punfolding nolt of his neighbours on the Sabbath day.Gall. 1706 Ib. 198:
Patrick Dumbar in Flush cited, called, compeared, questioned, confessed his breach of Sabbath by putting his neighbours cattel into a pundfold.Sh. a.1733 P.S.A.S. XXVI. 197:
That none scare, hound, or brack up their neighbour's punds and buills.Sh. 1768 J. Mill Diary (S.H.S.) 32:
I found John Bruce of Symburgh had marked out a pund on my priviledge.Sh. 1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shet. 439:
All the men of the district turn out, and drive their common flock, without any preparation of washing, into rude inclosures, named “punds” or “crues”.Sh. 1957 J. Stewart Shet. Archaeol. 8:
This may be a pund, or piece of common appropriated in Norse times to private or communal uses.

2. Livestock or goods which have been impounded or distrained. Phr. to drive a pund, to drive off impounded livestock and sell them for the fine.Kcb. 1815 J. Gerrond Poems 87:
Poor Saunders hears of him no more Till beagles drive their poons, Aff's ground some day.Kcb. 1845 Stat. Acc.² IV. 284:
The proprietor in order to get up arrears of rent, “drave the pun”, in other words carried off the hypothecated stock.

3. A semi-enclosed piece of water, a bay, bight (Sh. 1967). Cf. Pound.

II. v. 1. As in Eng., to impound, shut up straying animals. Deriv. pundar, pun(d)ler, punnler, poundler (Bnff. 1826 Caled. Mercury (19 Aug.)), (1) a ground-officer or factor whose main duty orig. was the impounding of livestock, and later the looking after tree plantations; hence a forester (Mry., Bnff. 1967); “a person employed to watch the fields, in order to prevent the grain from being stolen or injured” (Ags. 1808 Jam.), in 1889 quot. in jocular use. Hence by back-formation, ¶punle, to act as pundler. Comb. punler-staff, the staff carried by the pundler as a symbol of office; (2) “a stalk of peas bearing two pods” (Ags. 1808 Jam.).Cai. 1891 D. Stephen Gleanings 128:
I pun'd his beasts and made him pay trespass money.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond B. Bowden (1922) 108:
The Gairner's gaena send the Sherra-officer to pund the Smith's bellows.(1) Peb. 1715 A. Pennecuik Tweeddale 363:
Tory's Turk [a dog], your captain's dead and gone. The trusty punler of the Newland pease.Fif. 1717 A. Laing Lindores (1876) 308:
David Lyell acknowledged that he had the punler staff, and thairfor in respect of the heritors not compearing to give their vote for a punler, Therefore the Baillzies statutes enacts and appoints that David Lyell begin to punle.Sc. 1755 Session Papers, Gray v. Robertson (29 July) 20:
The Place . . . was hained Grass, being kept by Pundlers.Sc. 1774 Rules Commissioners Annexed Estates 10:
All tenants shall be obliged to pay their proportion of the wages of the pundlers or public herds, ground-officers, fox hunters.Rxb. 1808 A. Scott Poems 146:
The pundar's axe, wi' ruthless rap, Fell'd down their favourite tree.Ork. 1827 Old-Lore Misc. (1908) I. v. 164:
Wilm. Gray, Croval, a pundlar mark in right lug and an anker mark in the left.Slk. c.1850 Sc. N. & Q. (Ser. 1) III. 159:
Between 40 and 50 years ago, in Galashiels and neighbourhood, woodcutters or foresters were called pundars . . . The appellation is now very rarely heard.Abd. 1889 Ib. III. 126:
Until a recent date gravediggers were called pundlers, derived, no doubt, from their shutting people up in their graves.Mry. 1914 H. J. Warwick Tales 110:
He had so successfully eluded the “punler's” vigilance as to bring down a barrowload of sticks from Slorach's wood.

2. = Poind, v., 1., with extended meaning of to fine, mulct, levy. The form may be due to a scribal or printing error. See note to Poind and cf. Eng. impound.Edb. 1721 W. Skinner Trained Band (1889) 67:
Each captain shall pound everie absent to the value of —, which money shall go for the use of the poor.