Extracts from burgh and kirk session records can sometimes paint a *really* vivid picture of the day to day soap operas that played out in Scotland at the time. Often folk were called in to account for swearing or slandering a fellow citizen. Sometimes, the minute taker took down verbatim what insults were exchanged. Here are some by town:
Stirling (16th and 17th Century)
ane friar’s get!
ane friar’s yawde!
sclaverand knaif!
ane brekair o spowsage!
huir (of various kinds, including, raistit, glengoir, blawid, commoun)
base borne swyngeour!
scheipsteillar!
theifous loun!
Dumbarton (17th Century)
ane harlott!
witches get!
ae baise knaive!
a wud thief!
a wud loon!
huir (debuschit- vile-)
clattie badrouns!
druken dyvor!
slavering, no wordy to dicht schoone!
ane rascall!
Glasgow (16th Century)
ae preists huyr!
ae skaybell!
ae matteyne!
ae lowne!
ae mikkel knaif!
ane woolfe in sheepes cloathing, ane villaine!
ae lowsy smyk!
But it those insults hurled by folk from Elgin between 1592 and 1628 that are my favourites. These are all from the Elgin burgh records:
Elgin (1592-1628)
Ye glangorie witche!
Ye auld doitit dyvour!
Theiffis get, yir father is borrowit from the widdie!
Harlot!
Ye hen pyker ye!
Ye ar lyk ae witche cairling!
Filthy swonjour!
Ye choppit on yir teithe lyk ane grandgorie loun!
There is lytill guid in yir face ye grandgorie lipper!
Spyced harlat!
Druken harlat!
Wyle harlat!
Yir mother is a witch an rowit in a riddell!
Awa harlat and thow com heir I sall pat ane boykin in thy hipp!
Wagabond!
ane fals lyar!
Egiptian knaive!
Ye skowkand sow, a sow sittis in the sadell!
Ye gae wi blanket about yir arse, taw ledder and auld clout schoyn!
ane Englisch kneif!
Ye mensworne dog!
Ye ar tarvaill, ye debtit dyvour!