<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">===========================================<br>L O W L A N D S - L - 27 June 2009 - Volume 07<br style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><a href="mailto:lowlands@lowlands-l.net">lowlands@lowlands-l.net</a> - <a href="http://lowlands-l.net/">http://lowlands-l.net/</a></span><br style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">
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===========================================<br></div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>> wrote<br>
Subject: History</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Our Tom (Mc Rae) wrote:</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">One
was set up outside a church in Edinburgh's High Street, probably after
1603 for market prodice to be weighed prior to selling at the market
adjacent to St Giles High Church.</div><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Scots referred to the device as a
"TRON" and the church where it was situated is still called The Tron
Church. Long abandoned an enterprising local gained access in Vistorin
Times</div><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">and established an illicit whisky still. He ran the
vent up into the steeple so the smells op distilling wafted well above
the city.</div><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I recall steelyards being used in Edinburgh butchers' shops in the 1940's.</div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Oxford English Dictionary</i><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> says among other things:</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>tron, trone</b><i> n.</i><br>Sc. and north. dial.<br>[ME. a. OF. trone (Godef.) -- L. <i>trulina</i>, a. Gr. <i>τρυτάνη </i>balance, pair of scales.]<br>
1. (Chiefly Sc.) A weighing machine; a pair of scales or other machine for weighing merchandise; a public weighing apparatus in a city or (burgh) town; also called ‘the king's trone’. Now <i>Hist</i>.<br> b. The post of this was used as a pillory, or place of public exposure and punishment of offenders.<br>
c. Contextually, The place where the tron was set up; a market-place, market; in quot. 1821 <i>fig</i>.<br> d. Short for <i>tron weight</i><br>2. (<i>pl.</i>) <i>north. dial.</i> A weighing-machine; a pair of scales, a steelyard or spring balance.<br>
</div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Reinhard/Ron</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Seattle, USA</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
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