bonds of manrent—hiring a man to be a soldier for a fixed time, Scottish
boozing ken—small bar or pub
Border reiver—a member of the riding surnames, persistent cattle thief, horse rustler, murderer
breeks—breeches, fighting breeches were made of leather
buttery—means buttlery, where the bottles were kept, later you could get food there too
Calvinist—variety of Protestant who follows the teachings of John Calvin
carlin—old woman
Carlisle trained bands—the men of the city would train together to fight, often as pikemen or arquebusiers
Candlemas—ancient Catholic festival on 2nd February; originally Imbolc
chalice—the cup that holds the wine in a Catholic Mass
chamberer—someone who would do slightly menial tasks like changing the Queen’s bedlinen
codpiece—a flap of cloth tied at the top of the hose, to hide the privates; often stuffed to look larger
conniption fit—epilepsy or a stroke
cramoisie—very popular colour in Elizabethan times, dark purple red
dag—smallest kind of firearm, a large gun firing one shot at a time, with a heavy ball on the bottom of the grip to balance the barrel and hit people with when you missed
Demiurge/Aeon—Gnostic idea—an angel who had set himself up as the Ruler of the World, but wasn’t God
dominie—Scottish word for a teacher
domus magnificenciae—the part of the Court that contributed to the King’s magnificence, nobles, courtiers
domus providenciae—the part of the Court that kept everybody alive, servants, cooks, men-at-arms, gardeners
dresslength—twelve yards (at least) of fabric, the minimum amount needed to make a kirtle
duds—London slang meaning clothes
dyspepsia—bellyache
fig—rude gesture formed by putting the thumb between forefinger and second finger, making a fist and waving it
first remove, second remove—a meal would be composed of a group of dishes, mainly meat and fish, and then the table would be cleared and a second group of dishes would be brought of poultry, cheese etc.
flowerwater—distilled spirits from summer fruits and flowers, eg elderflower water; not very watery
flux—diarrhoea
galleas—cross between a galleon and a galley, there were four of them in the Armada
gallowglass—Irish mercenary, allegedly from Gallway
Groom of the Bedchamber—gentlemen who attended the King in his bed
guarderobe—indoor toilet in a castle, a small room jutting out from the wall with a clear drop under the seat
haggis—Scottish delicacy consisting of a sheep’s pluck (liver, lungs, etc.) minced up and mixed with onions and oatmeal, very tasty
hart—a mature male deer with at least twelve tines to his antlers, therefore six years old
heifer—cow before she has her first calf
hobby—small sturdy horse or pony, native to the Borders
Hobson’s livery stables—a successful chain of livery stables, where you couldn’t choose which horse you hired, hence “Hobson’s choice”
infield—fields nearest the tower or farmhouse
insight—the contents of a house that were moveable, pots, pans, blankets, etc.
jack—two meanings: 1) a leather mug, 2) a padded leather coat with no sleeves and metal plates between the leather to ward off blows
jailfever—typhoid or typhus fever, not really distinguished
jakes—outside toilet
Justice Raid—the King of Scotland would run a raid on his subjects and burn down their towers to teach them better manners
kern—Irish mercenary
kine—old plural of cow
Knight of the Carpet—a knight who had never been to war
Labor-et-oratorium—literally, where you work and pray; shortened to “laboratory” which means very much the same
lamb’s tails—little rolls of carded wool for spinning
lambswool—a drink made of hot cider and beaten egg
levée—the King’s official getting out of bed in the morning
liege—a feudal lord
lungfever—pneumonia
lute—instrument like a guitar but with twelve strings and a round soundbox
Lutheran—variety of Protestant who follows the teachings of Martin Luther
lye—alkali formed by dripping water through woodash, used for cleaning and to make soap
manchet bread—best white bread, made of sieved flour
marker stones—notorious for going wandering, they marked boundaries
milliner—hatmaker
minion—male favourite of a King (or Queen)
minister—Protestant priest in Scotland
mithered—annoyed, cross
monopoly or patent—awarded to favoured courtiers by the Queen, they allowed the Courtiers to make money by being the only person allowed to sell a particular item—like sweet wines (Dudley, Essex) or playing cards (Sir Walter Raleigh)
morion—curved helmet of the period
muliercula—tiny woman, midget
nebbish—incomprehensible Northern insult
New Spain—the Americas
outfield—rough pasture, further away from the tower or farm-
house
palliasse—straw mattress for sleeping on the floor if necessary
paten—the plate to hold the Host during a Catholic Mass
pelican—alchemical device
petticoat forepart—the pretty triangular part of a petticoat that was deliberately displayed
pinniwinks—Scottish word for thumbscrews
poinard—long, thin dagger with a very sharp point
postern gate—small gate in a bigger one to let in one person at a time
pottage—thick soup made with beans, vegetables, and bacon; standard peasant food
Ptolomaic system—the Sun goes around the Earth, which is at the centre of the Universe
puissant—powerful
pursuivant—someone who pursues, heraldic term but also meant a secret agent
quince cheese—what the Spanish call membrillo
Rough Wooing of Henry VIII—the war he fought against the Scots in the 1540s to persuade them to marry the infant Mary Queen of Scots to the infant Prince Edward; failed.
serpentine powder—basic ordinary mixed gunpowder, quite weak
Spanish farthingale—the petticoats shaped and stiffened with hoops like a crinoline to hold the skirts out, first in a bell shape and then in a barrel-shape late in Elizabeth’s reign
stays—boned and reinforced bodice or corset
terceiros, tercios—the troops of Philip II’s 3rd legion, the best and most-feared troops in Europe
the Boot—instrument of torture which broke the legs from the ankles up
the Groyne or La Corunna—major port in Galicia
thrawn—stubborn
tup—have sex with, especially sheep, male sheep
Warden Raid—the Warden would raid a particular area and burn down towers to teach the reivers better manners
Warden’s Day—a meeting between the officials of the Scottish and English march to sort out who had stolen what and try and arrange compensation; could be quite exciting
Warden’s fee—what the Warden got for finding and returning your cattle
wet larder—where you salted meat and made pickles
whishke bee/uisge beatha—whisky
white lead—poisonous face paint
wood—woodwild, mad
Author’s Note
This book is wrapped around the mysterious incident of the Spanish Blanks, in which certain Catholic Scottish nobles signed their names at the bottom of blank sheets of paper intended for the King of Spain. Why they did that had to do with a Spanish-backed plot the details of which are not at all clear but which the Protestant ministers took very seriously. As usual, I have speculated outrageously.
The more I wrote about James VI of Scotland, the more I came to like him. It’s clear he was gay although like many gay men in those times, he was perfectly capable with his Queen when he needed to be. He was also remarkably patient with his subjects, his suicidally lunatic nobles and his dour and fanatical ministers of the Kirk. King from his babyhood, he was canny and cautious and determined and managed a balancing act between all of them until he finally succeeded peacefully to the throne of England in 1603. The fact that, unlike many of his ancestors, he lived long enough to do it is proof of his intelligence.
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