▪ I. regality1
(rɪˈgælɪtɪ)
Also 5–6 -ite, -yte, 6 -itye, -itee, 6–7 -itie; 5, 6 Sc. rigalitie.
[a. AF. (and OF.) regalité (Langtoft, etc.), or ad. med.L. rēgālitāt-em: see regal a. and -ity.]
1. a. Royalty, sovereignty, kingship, sovereign rule or jurisdiction.
| 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 199 He foryaue manasses his orribill Synnes, and hym agayn broȝt into Ierusalem, and the regalite hym yaue. c 1485 Digby Myst. (1882) iv. 36 Nobyll prelates and princes of Regalyte. c 1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 36) 177 Adelredus..was bolde to take on him the charge of regalitie. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. i. 57 When raging Passion with fierce tyranny Robs Reason of her dew regalitie. 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 217 Stephen died, and Henry..succeeded him in the Regalitie. 1678 Marvell Growth Popery Wks. (Grosart) IV. 249 We have the same right..in our propriety that the prince hath in his regality. a 1734 North Exam. iii. vi. §15 (1740) 434 He never..differed with his parliament, but..complied so far, as, consistent with his entire Regality, he might do. 1814 Southey Roderick iii. 170 Now from its state Of proud regality debased and fallen. 1878 Stubbs Const. Hist. xix. III. 331 Things which touch the king, his crown, regality, or realm. |
| fig. a 1861 G. Massey Wedded Love Wks. (1861) 219 Thou hast put a queenlier presence on With thy regality of Womanhood! |
b. Royal dignity or demeanour. rare.
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 34 Such was Dido ioying, so she with regalitye passed With Princely presence the wurcking coompanye cheering. 1966 New Statesman 22 July 140/2 Her firmness is deeply satisfying and, in the final act, that excessive regality was lost in the gentle girlhood..which she can present when she chooses. 1979 Daily Tel. 4 Dec. 15/1 She is a narrator whose regality, though it is all natural style and never affectation, proves oddly inhibiting to those she interviews. |
† c. Rule or sovereignty of a place. Obs. rare—1.
| 1626 in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1659) I. 353 There needs no Argument..but one, The Regality of our narrow seas, the Antient Inheritance of our Princes lost or impeached. |
2. † a. Local rights or jurisdiction properly appertaining to the king. Obs. rare—1.
| 1414 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 58/1 The Priour and Chanons of Barnewell..hav cleymed, and ȝit cleymen, the regalite and the frehold of the Kynges Lordshippe and Townshipe of Chestreton. |
b. Sc. Territorial jurisdiction of a royal nature granted by the king. Now only Hist. (abolished by Act 20 Geo. II, c. 43).
lord of regality, the person to whom such jurisdiction was granted. burgh of regality, one having a lord of regality for its superior. court of regality, the court held by a lord of regality. Also bailie, clerk, etc., of regality.
| 1436 Sc. Acts Jas. I (1814) II. 23/2 Vndir þe payn to þe lordis of Regalite doing in þe contrary of tynsall of Regaliteis. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 127 This nobill King hes gevin till him than..tha landis frie, Euir till be haldin in regalitie. 1569 Reg. Privy Council Scot. II. 33 The said Abbay of Halieruidhous hes had, thir mony and diverse yeris bipast, fre Regalitie within all the townis. c 1680 Dallas Stiles (1697) 579 To hold and affix Courts of Regality within the said Burgh. Ibid. 581 The said Burgh of Regality, and Heretable Offices of Regality, Bailliary and Justiciary. 1746–7 Act 20 Geo. II, c. 43 §1 All Heretable Jurisdictions of Justiciary, and all Regalities and Heretable Baillieries..within..Scotland, belonging unto..any Subject or Subjects,..shall be..abrogated, taken away, and totally dissolved and extinguished. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 2 Methven had the regality of its own estate. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 840 The civil jurisdiction of a lord of regality was equal to that of the sheriff; but his criminal jurisdiction was much more extensive. |
† c. Land or territory subject to such jurisdiction. Obs.
| 1545 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 6 All Sheriffis Stewartis Ballies alswele Regalitie as Ryalte. Ibid. 371 Fensabill personis alsweill dwelland to burgh as to land, within Regalitie as Rialtie. 1681 Act Secur. Prot. Rel. (Scotl.) in Lond. Gaz. No. 1649/3 All Magistrates, Deans of Gild, Counsellors and Clerks of Burroughs Royal and Regality. |
3. a. Sc. A particular territory or area subject to a lord of regality.
| 1438 Sc. Acts Jas. II (1814) II. 32/1 Geyff the offisaris of þe regalyteys fulfillis noȝt þis act It sall be leyfful to the kyngis schirraye to fulfill it. 1540 Charters Edinb. (1871) 212 Inhabitaris of the north syde of the brig of Leith whilkis duellis in the regalite of Halyrudehous. 1565 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 368 Baillie of the regalitie of Pettinweme. c 1680 Dallas Stiles (1697) 580 The Tennants and Inhabitants of the said Barony and Regality. 1708 Royal Proclam. 6 Mar. in Lond. Gaz. No. 4416/2 We do..hereby Charge..all our Lord-Lieutenants,..Sheriffs, Bailiffs of Regalities,..to put in Execution all Laws..now in Force.., against such Persons. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 2 The duke of Athol had the same authority in Athol as a separate regality. 1820 Scott Monast. xiii, The cultivators of each barony or regality, temporal or spiritual, in Scotland, are obliged to bring their corn [etc.]. |
b. regality of Hexham, a district in Northumberland over which the Bishops of Hexham, Lindisfarne, and Durham, and the Archbishop of York, successively for centuries exercised a quasi-royal jurisdiction.
For historical details see Hinds Hist. Northumberland (1896) III. 20 ff. Cf. also regaly 1 b.
| 1515 in Hinds Hist. Northumb. (1896) III. 46 As touching all your causes withynne your regallity of Hexham, there hath bene of late some business. 1608 Ibid. 104 Ther are noe parkes or game within the regalitie of Hexham. 1703 in Wright Hist. Hexham (1823) i. ii. 28 note, Within the said regality and manor of Hexham aforesaid there is a custom [etc.]. 1823 Wright Ibid. i. v. 54 The Fenwicks..afterwards purchased the regality or manor of Hexham from the crown. 1865 Raine Priory of Hexham (Surtees) II. Pref. i. xxv, The registers at York contain many documents relating to the Archbishop's regality of Hexham and his officers. |
† c. pl. The bounds or limits of a royalty.
| 1666 Ormonde MSS. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 7 Persons..within the Regalities and liberties of Tipperary. Ibid., The Seneschall and Chancellor of the said Regalityes and Libertyes. |
4. A country or district subject to royal authority, a kingdom; a monarchical state.
| 1486 in Surtees Misc. (1888) 54 Most reverend, rightwose regent of this rigalitie. 1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 316 Territories, seigniories, regalities and dominions. 1827 G. S. Faber Sacr. Cal. Prophecy (1844) III. 106 They are seven regalities or seven forms of supreme government. 1864 Burton Scot Abr. I. v. 260 Over Europe there were inexhaustible varieties of palatinates, margravates, regalities, and the like, enjoying their own separate privileges. |
5. a. A right or privilege pertaining or appropriate to a king. Chiefly pl.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxii. 258 The honours, regalities, obeisaunce, homages..and souerainties, that apperteyneth..to the crowne of Fraunce. 1592 Nobody & Someb. in Simpson Sch. Shaks. (1878) I. 335 Before Ile be halfe a king, and contrould In any regality, ile hazard all. 1640 Prerog. Parlt. Eng. in Select. fr. Harl. Misc. (1793) 241 A prince that suffereth himself to be besieged, forsaketh one of the greatest regalities belonging to a monarchy. 1671 F. Phillips Reg. Necess. 273 If a restless Spirit of opposition to the Kings Rights or Regalities shall not permit an acquiescence. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. (ed. 2) 108 Proprietary governments, granted out by the crown to individuals,..with all the inferior regalities. 1862 S. Lucas Secularia 261 The Crown abdicated its regalities in favour of a Proprietary, yet claimed to bind him by its fiscal regulations. |
† b. pl. = regalia1 1 c. Obs. rare.
| a 1641 Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 73 Coming short of the enlarged Regalities of the Church. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. II. xxxv. 281 The regalities of the see, which included the jurisdiction of a court palatine, were given by the king to Northumberland. |
† 6. pl. = regalia1 2. Obs. rare—1.
| 1531 Elyot Gov. ii. ii. (R.), For what purpose was it ordeyned, that Christen kynges..shulde in an open and stately place, before al theyr subiectes, receiue their crown and other regalities. |
7. attrib. (sense 2 or 3), as regality books, regality court, regality land, etc.
| 1752 in J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 278 At the Time, when the Suits were carried on against them, before the Regality-court. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) IX. 650/1 Such regality lands as happened to fall to the crown by forfeiture. Ibid. 650/2 A regality-jurisdiction, called the Principality. 1876 Grant Burgh Sch. Scotl. ii. ii. 112 An obligation..registered in the regality books of Dunfermline. |
▪ II. † reˈgality2 Obs. rare—1.
[irreg. f. regale v. + -ity.]
Regalement, entertainment.
| 1672 Lond. Gaz. No. 695/3 The King closed all with a regality of the season, and an exercise of his own Regiment. |