church-scot, -shot
Modernized adaptation of OE. ciric-sceat [f. OE. ciric- church- + sceat money-payment, tribute, rate], in 12th c. church-scet, which was subsequently, as an obsolete term, variously corrupted as 3 chirchesset (ss = sh), -soht, 4 cherset; and by legal antiquaries, 7 churchesset, 7– church-seed. lit. = church-tribute: in OE. times a custom of corn collected on St. Martin's day; extended to other contributions in kind and money made for the support of the clergy, or demanded as a traditional ecclesiastical due.
The desire to connect the latter part of the combination with seed appears as early as the 13th c., when the institution and name were alike traditionary; hence the corruptions found in 13th c. documents, in Latin translations of OE. documents, and in the 17th c. legal antiquaries. Modern writers sometimes use the OE. name. (See scot, shot.)
| c 890 K. ælfred Bæda (Sm.) 772 Ðæt hi aᵹefen elce ᵹere þreo mittan hwætes to ciric-sceatte to Clife. c 1025 Wulfstan Hom. (N.) xxii. 113 Eal..þæt ure yldran hwilum ær gode behetan, ðæt is sulhælmessan and rompeneᵹas and cyricsceattas and leohtᵹescota. a 1201 Cartul. de Glaston. 38 in Kennett Paroch. Ant. Gloss. s.v., In churchscet lx gallinas et semen frumenti ad tres acras. c 1250 Gloss. Law Terms in Rel. Ant. I. 33 Chirchesoht, une certeine summe de ble batu. c 1300 Battle Abbey Cust. (1887) 60 Dare iij gallinas et j gallum ad cherset. c 1300 Fleta i. xlvii. in Spelman s.v., Chirchesset certam mensuram bladi tritici significat..in brevi Regis Knuti..illam contributionem (Chirchsed) appellant, quasi, semen Ecclesia. 1618 Daniel Hist. Eng. 18 (D.) To see all Churchscot and Romescot fully cleered before his returne. 1628 Coke On Litt. 94 b, In our ancient bookes these gifts of deuotion were called Churchesset, or Church⁓seed, quasi semen Ecclesiæ. 1649 Selden Laws Eng. i. (1739) 86 Peter-pence, Ciricksceat (or Church-shot) and Tythes must be duly paid. 1710 Prideaux Orig. Tithes iv. 202 To pay..their Cyricsceat and the Plow-Alms. 1726 Ayliffe Parerg. 7 This in our ancient Books is called Church-seed. 1841 Southey Bk. of Ch. (ed. 5) 48 The first legislative provision for the clergy..in the form of a Kirk⁓scot. 1855 Milman Lat. Chr. (1864) II. iv. iv. 281 The nature of Kirk Shot, a payment of certain corn and seed as first fruits. 1867 Pearson Early & Mid. Ages Eng. I. 207 note, Cyricsceat or churchsed. 1872 E. Robertson Hist. Ess. 105 Church-shot. 1875 Stubbs Const. Hist. I. viii. 229 Besides the tithe, the clergy received..church-scot, a sort of commutation for firstfruits paid by every householder. |