In 1348 a tax was levied to protect Dumbarton from wolves. Paid annually, the “Watchmeal of Kilpatrick” paid for the food for the wolf-hunter’s dogs.
In 1975, the funds were still available to Dumbarton Public Library to buy books. Talk about old money.
You can read more about the wolves of Lomondside here: biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53410734
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:
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!
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!
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:
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!
We open on Dumbarton’s streets, the year is 1632.
ISOBELL: “Ye CLATTIE BADROUNS, ye!”
MARTHA: “Awa wi ye, ye WITCHES GET!” (both lunge and fall to ground, Martha atop)
BURGHERS: “Here! Yous! Gie’s a pound each!”
*end scene*
The 14th century chronicler Jean Froissart wrote in French. After travelling in Scotland, he invented French translations for Scottish places.
Edinburgh – HANDEBOURCH
Stirling – STRUVELIN
Roxburgh – ROSEBOURCH
Aberdeen – BREDANE
Fife – FII
Dalkeith – ALQUEST
Dundee – DONDIEU
Dumbarton – DOUBRETAGNE
Strathearn – ASTRADERN
Erskine – VERSI
Buchan – BOSQUEM
Sutherland – SURLANCKT
Moray – MORET
Jedburgh – GEDEOURS
