The Scottish language has changed over the
years, being influenced by other languages and
cultures. This section provides you with a definition
of those words and phrases commonly found in
documents and records throughout Scotland's
archives. If you know of a word you would like
added to the Glossary then please contact
us.
The top half of the Great Seal ( which was
used to authenticate royal charters). The quarter
seal was used for more routine royal administrative
documents.
is how Scots represented the sound represented
in English by the letter 'w'; for example, quha
is "who", and quilk is "which",
though it doesn't always work precisely thus
- quhill (while) is "until"
the twentieth part of the moveable
estate of a deceased person, which was originally
the due of the bishop in whose diocese he had
resided; it continued to be paid after the Reformation,
but to the commissaries
