▪ I. † ˈburley1 Obs. rare—1.
[cf. F. bourrelet, and burr n.1 2.]
‘The butt end of a lance’ (Halliwell).
| 1548 Hall Chron. 12 One company had the plackard, the rest the port, the burley, the tasses..al gylte. |
▪ II. burley2, -lie, -ly Sc. and north. Eng.
A corrupted form of byrlaw, q.v., used in comb. burleyman, also burleybailie, an officer of a byrlaw-court; see quot. 1879.
| [1599 Skene Verb. Signif. (Jam.) Laws of Burlaw are maid & determined be consent of neichtbors..quhilk..ar commonly called Byrlaw-man.] 1750 C. Campbell in Stewart's Trial App. 146, I..think it's quite right to have burliemen..You will therefore appoint two discreet honest men for that purpose of the tenants; and..be sure you swear them to fidelity in their office. a 1758 Ramsay Poems (1800) II. 536 Jude took him for a burlie-bailie. 1864 A. M{supc}Kay Hist. Kilmarnock 108 Twelve young men, with such a number of the burliemen in town. 1875 Lanc. Gloss. (E.D.S.) 62 Burly-man. 1879 Athenæum 26 July 115 Burleymen are still appointed at the Courts Leet and Courts Baron. Men of agricultural experience are always chosen, and their duty is to value damages, e.g. to crops from cattle straying. |
▪ III. burley
var. berley.