WORD FOR THE DAY: SCOT-ALE

Your word for today is: scot-ale, n.

scot-ale, n.

[‘A festivity or ‘ale’ (ale n. 2) held by the lord of a manor or a forester or other bailiff, for which a contribution was exacted and at which attendance was probably compulsory; the money contributed in this way. Also: a festivity held by a church to raise money.’]

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈskɒteɪl/,  U.S. /ˈskɑtˌeɪl/

Forms: α.   ME scochale transmission error,   ME scotage transmission error,   ME scotal,   ME scotale,   ME scothale,   ME scothall,   ME scottale,   ME scotthale,   ME sothale transmission error,   lME skotfalles plural, transmission error,   15 scottall,   15– scot-ale,   16 hist. scotall.  β.   ME scotteshale. 

Etymology:In α. forms <  scot n.² + ale n. In β. forms apparently < the genitive of scot n.² + ale n. Compare post-classical Latin scotala,scotalla, scotallus, scotallum, etc. (frequently from 1156 in British sources) and Anglo-Norman scotale, scotalle, scothale, schotal, escotale(second half of the 13th cent.).
In the early Middle English quotations perhaps partly representing shot-ale n.

 hist. after 16th cent.

  A festivity or ‘ale’ (ale n. 2) held by the lord of a manor or a forester or other bailiff, for which a contribution was exacted and at which attendance was probably compulsory; the money contributed in this way. Also: a festivity held by a church to raise money.

c1155 Royal Charter: Henry II to Citizens of London in  S. Reynolds et al.  Elenchus Fontium Historiae Urbanae (1988) II. 70 Omnes sint quieti de brudtoll..et de jeresgieve et de scotale, ita quod vicecomes meus Lund' vel aliquis alius ballivus scotale non faciat.

1190 Charter of Richard I in  W. Stubbs Select Charters (1895) 266 Quod omnes sint quieti de jeresgieve et de scotteshale, ita quod si vicecomes noster vel aliquis alius baillivus scotthale faciat.

1217 Charter of Forest vii, in  W. Stubbs Select Charters (1895) 349 Nullus forestarius vel bedellus de cetero faciat scotale, vel [etc.]

?a1325  in  H. T. Riley Munimenta Gildhallae Londoniensis (1860) II. 351 Scotale, ut extorqueant pecuniam a sequentibus Hundredorum et eorum subditis.

c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 61 Alle forsterys, bedelys, & baylyes þat makyn scottalys or gaderyn schevys or ony swyche gadryng makyn be colour of here offyce.

1474–5  in  H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 19 Scotalis with Gifts to the grete Belle: Item, of the gaderyng of Robert Parche and Xtofer Flemynge, xxxiij s. ij d.

1598  J. Manwood Lawes Forest (1615) xxi. §4. 203/2 A Scottall or Scot-ale is, where any officer of the Forest doth keepe an Alehouse..and by colour of his office doth cause men to come to his house, and there to spend their money, for feare of hauing his displeasure.

1660  W. Somner Treat. Gavelkind 29 It seems to be the same with what was afterwards called Scot-ale, whereof you may read in Matth. Paris, the Charter of the Forest, Bracton, the Mirroir, and elsewhere.

1693 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 691 He ends this Treatise with an Enumeration of the Quit-rents formerly paid out of the Weald, as Gavel-swine, Scot-ale, Pannage, Gate-penny.

a1725  J. Johnson Coll. Disc., Diss., & Serm. (1728) II. vii. 351 Scot-Ales and Whitsun-Ales..were in Truth merry Clubs; and Meetings held in the Church.

1874  W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. (1897) I. xiii. 672 Next to this the ‘scot-ale’ seems to have been the most burdensome local custom. The nature of this exaction is very obscure. It was however levied by the sheriff for his own emolument, probably as a reward for his services in maintaining the peace.

1882  W. W. Skeat Etymol. Dict. at Bridal, There were leet-ales, scot-ales, church-ales, clerk-ales, bed-ales, and bride-ales.

1950  W. Durant Age of Faith iv. xxx. 841 Merrie England had ‘scot-ales’, or money-raising bazaars at which ale flowed fast but not free.

1992 Past & Present 134 24 Other scot-ales placed greater emphasis on the contributory meaning of ‘scot’, collecting money only to cover the costs of the festival itself

Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.