Outwith

Collected quotes

Some time ago I wrote a post titled 'Is outwith a word' (link below), which continues to get quite a lot of hits (it's about No 3 in Google). Recently there have been a couple of comments which have led me to look for examples among well-known Scottish writers.

I thought it might be a good idea to collect these examples of outwith together, where possible linking to them in Google Books. Finding specific examples in Google Books is not so easy, as many modern books are not searchable, and because, Google Book Search, for some strange reason, also comes up with lots of instances of "out" "with".

I've also included a section with more historical use, often using facsimiles from the books themselves. Apart from anything else, these show what the Scottish English of the Court and the Law of these times looked like, and the sort of spellings that were then prevalent.

My intention is that this should be an ongoing work, and I will add examples to this page, as and when I find them.

Geographical use

In a couple of comments on my original post some doubt has been expressed as to whether outwith can be used to talk about being outside a place, for example outwith Scotland. There is plenty of evidence to show that outwith is indeed used by educated writers in this way, and there is a section at the end with site searches to various Scottish institutions that will show this. See also the following dictionary definition.

In fact the collocation finder Netspeak shows that outwith the UK accounts for 16.3% of all instances of outwith in their web-based corpus (see link below).

To make the use of outwith with place names and places easy to spot in the quotes, examples related are marked ***.

A definition and etymology

This is from An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language published by John Jamieson D.D. in 1808 ***

Linking

• Clicking on the writer's name will take you to biographical information, usually at Wikipedia.
• Clicking on the book title will take you to Google Books, which will show the quote(s).

Fiction

Janice Galloway b.1955

• The Trick Is to Keep Breathing

  Something clicked. Something just outwith the range of definition. I was getting older.

• Clara 2003

  A woman inside this body after all, a woman who woud certainly pain her and who might put her in mortal danger. Outwith her control. It hardly felt like herself.

William McIlvanney b.1936

• Surviving the shipwreck

  How far he may have spoken relevantly to the times, how far he has contributed to the community's understanding of itself outwith the hothouse culture of the universities or the oxygen-tent conditions ...

  But then any idea of working-class heroism as philosophically serious concept, outwith its usefulness as a source of simplistic slogans for for political purposes, is bound to offend social reformers.

Ian Rankin b.1960

• Knots and crosses

  The fresher, more attentive faces belonged to the new boys, some of them brought in from stations outwith the city. ***

  He was caught: a believer outwith his belief

• The Falls

  the official photo faxed to train operators, bus companies and police forces outwith the Lothian and Borders area ***

Fiction collections

• Pig Squealing - New Scottish Talent 1992 Janice Galloway, Hamish Whyte, Meg Bateman

  No, the thing which is unusual about my situation is in fact outwith the flat although not exactly too far away. The intrusive element which provides, shall we say, the 'meat' of my story lives no further than one door away in the shapely form of my neighbour Gloria Winthrope. ***

• The raucle tongue: hitherto uncollected prose Hugh MacDiarmid, Angus Calder, Glen Murray, Alan Riach

  The creative faculty is completely ouwith his ken.

  ... we would remove him outwith the State educational system altogether, being qualified to teach him ourselves

Non-fiction

Angus Calder 1942-2008

• Revolutionary empire: the rise of the English-speaking empires from the fifteenth century to the 1780s

  If many puritans believed in witches and looked to portents, the movement's inherent contempt for idolatry and mystique heped agile minds within and outwith it towards scientific ...

  ... no control outwith the range of the guns of his warships ***

• Scotlands of the mind 2003

  What everyone says is true: off a platform, outwith a flyting, whisky in hand, fag in mouth, the great man was sweetness personified

Jenni Calder b.1941

• Lost in the Backwoods: Scots and the North American Wilderness

  She exposes the stresses and fallibility of individuals and families struggling to function outwith the framework of 'normal' Victorian society

  Rob Roy is an anachronism, not just because he operates outwith the law, but because his life ...

James Kelman b.1946

• Some recent attacks: essays cultural & political 1992

  Of course beyond the game is a world where forces govern outwith the control of the professional politicians.

  When a compromise like that needs to be made it cannot be made outwith the context of that struggle and that struggle alone.

• "And the judges said-- ": essays

  And only then by those outwith the controlling group; fringe people, social misfits, failures, folk with chips on their shoulders;

  i.e. forms of knowledge available to people outwith any experience they may have gained from being in the world.

John Prebble 1915-2001

• John Prebble's Scotland:

  although he cared little for the Massacre, believing its importance exaggerated outwith the district ***

  Morvern is the southern peninsula of the Rough Bounds, although some would place it outwith the Garbhchriochan ***

Nigel Tranter 1909-2000

• A History of Scotland

  He quickly began to make his presence felt in Scotland - and outwith it ***

  They cannot all be leaders, and consequently none are, and more united and less argumentative outsiders step in to lead them, whereas outwith Scotland, their natural energies and drive find scope amongst less combative folk, and they ... ***

All Highlanders on their return home, even on leave, were required to take off their kilts and tartan and leave them under lock-and-key at the sdge of their home districts, to be donned again only on their return to military duty outwith the Highlands. ***

Poetry

Hugh MacDiarmaid 1892-1978

• Complete Poems. See also Language Log

  Outwith the walls of Barcelona dwelt
  A wonder-Rabbi humbly and alone***

Rosey Denoon

• Poets Centre Stage, Volume 1

  Within these city walls
  The cars wynd their way
  ...
  How I miss that silent hush
  Outwith these city walls

William Jeffrey 1896-1946

• Selected Poems 1951

  Flowering with her genial inocence,
  Freely enjoyed outwith tyrannic power,
  Beyond the pressure of the abstract state.

Literary Criticism

• Beyond Scotland: New Contexts for Twentieth-century Scottish Literature edited by Gerard Carruthers, David Goldie, Alastair Renfrew

  Concepts of postmodernism and postmodernity have been disussed thoroughly, even excessively, in recent decades, and critics working outwith Scotland have regularly applied them to Scottish writing. ***

• Spirits of the Age: Scottish Self Portraits edited by Paul Henderson Scott

  Outwith the cornucopia of the Book Festival, Edinburgh has constant poetry events

• The Edinburgh Companion to Hugh MacDiarmid by Scott Lyall, Margery Palmer McCulloch

  ... in the Scottish universities or in universities outwith Scotland ***

• The Edinburgh Companion to Contemporary Scottish Literature edited by Berthold Schoene-Harwood (7 instances)

  Kelman's post-devolution fiction is set outwith Scotland ***

• The Edinburgh Companion to Muriel Spark edited by Michael Gardiner, Willy Maley

  Only one detail remains outwith her control: 'I don't want any sex,' she shouts.

• The Edinburgh Companion to Irvine Welsh edited by Berthold Schoene

  Early in his career Irvine Welsh had a tendency to present himself as a kind of literary 'feral child', raisesd outwith any particular intellectual tradition or allegiance.

• Form and Faith in Victorian Poetry and Religion By Kirstie Blair

  More broadly, renewed interest in 'externals' raised questions across denominations—and outwith Christianity —about the importance of religious practices in maintaining and displaying the faith.

• Modern Irish and Scottish Poetry edited by Peter Mackay, Edna Longley, Fran Brearton

  misprizing and neglect of Byron in England is mainly due tt the fact that he stands outwith the English literary tradition altogether

• The Oxford Companion to Scottish History, by Michael Lynch

  Only 5 to 8 per cent of all transportees were Scots, half of these sentenced outwith Scotland (hence the range). ***

History Collections

• The Oxford Companion to Scottish History edited by Michael Lynch (16 instances)

  Just outwith the headland enclosure, there is a subterranean well ... ***

  Hearing such music outwith its plainsong liturgical context

  establishment of country seats outwith the town boundaries ***

• A History of Everyday Life in Scotland, 1800 to 1900 edited by Trevor Griffiths, Graeme Morton

  those falling outwith fairly narrow expectations were liable to be stigmatised

  Four summer months only was the tourist season for Oban's seventeen hotels in the early 1880s; outwith that period, 'they practically do nothing'.

Older texts

• Longer Scottish poems 1375-1560

  And syne with ane blyith cheir buskit that bald; Out of Paris proudly he preikit full prest, Intill his harnes all haill his hechtis for to hald. He umbekest the countrie outwith the toun, Na saw na thing on steir, Nouther fer ...

A note on spelling and language in older texts

The letters s and f

In many pre-nineteenth-century texts, both in Scotland and England, a letter looking very like an f is often used for the unvoiced letter s (when it has a soft pronunciation) - /s/ and for sh - /ʃ/, although not, apparently, for voiced s - /z/. When you look carefully, however you'll notice it's missing the right-hand serif. So the following images show the phrases - sell or furnish and shall be called

Middle Scots c.1450 - c.1700

In some of the texts there are some of the typical features of Middle Scots

quh = wh

This could reflect the fact that wh is often aspirated in Scottish English.

• quhyte = white
• quhat = what
• quhilk = which
• quhete = wheat

Other spellings

• þ (the Old English letter 'thorn') = th (þat = that; þe = the)
• sch = sh (schuldaris = shoulders)
• is = s - in some inflections (accordis = accords; erlis = earls)
• be = by

Words

• ony = any
• sik = such
• gif / giff / geif = if

Fifteenth Century

• From a law made in 1455, in the reign of James II, quoted in
  The History of Great Britain, Volume 10 by Robert Henry 1788

  "It
  

Sixteenth century - Google Books

• Criminal trials and other proceedings before the High Court of Justiciary
  by Robert Pitcairn 1537

  

  And geif þair be ony þat pakis, or pelis, or houfis wol, skin, hidis, outwith þe hede-burghe, sik as Leithe, and uther unfré Portis and placis (geif = if; þ = th)

• Part of a law from 1546, connected with the killing of Cardinal Beaton, who was murdered in 1544, quoted in Epistolæ Jacobi quarti, Jacobi quinti, et Mariæ, regum Scotorum
  (Letters of James IV, James V and Mary, Queen of Scots), published in 1724

  

  

• Part of a law passed in 1555, in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, quoted in
  The History of the Scottish Stage John Jackson 1793

  

• Register of the Privy Council 1592

  to remane in any barne or byre outwith his said house

  no burgessis nor utheris personis that buis any corne or victuall to sell agane hald victuall in burgh nor outwith mair than will sustene him

  transport to any part of this realm, or outwith the same

• The laws and actes of parliament maid by King James the first ... 1597

  And that this statute be not allanerly extended to them,that dois barratrie in time to cum;bot als to them outwith the Realme now, that beis convict of barratrie. (barratrie = purchasing religious benefices froj the see of Rome)

• Register of the Privy Council 1599

  Mungo of Lockerbie and his sone Archie are not sufficent becaus it is set doun be the plege buik, and be his Majestie and Counsall, that the plege sall be within fifteen yearis, and outwith XXV years of age, men of ...

Seventeenth century - Google Books

• A Compleat History of the Life and Raigne of King Charles from His Cradle to his Grave William Sanderson 1658

  

• The Laws and Acts Made in the First Parliament of Our Most High and Dread Soveraign James VII 1685

  

• Observations on the Acts of Parliament: Made by King James the First Sir George Mackenzie 1687

  

• The Laws And Acts Of Parliament Made by King James the First and His Royal Successors Thomas Murray Vol 1 1682

  And gif (if) it be presented on ane utter daie outwith the court , that it be cryed on fifteene dates.

  More examples

  The accusers and other persones, having liberty tp passe to the said Assise, and to produce to them sik writtes and witnesses and uther probation, as they pleased, to verifie the crime, outwith the presence of the parties accused:.

  that the mouth be ringed about with an croce inwith and outwith

• The Muses Threnodie: Or, Mirthful Mournings on the Death of Mr Gall
  Henry Adamson 1683

  

Eighteenth Century - Google Books

• Virgil's Aeneis translated into scottish verse
  Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld 1710

  Abufe the wattir thair hals stude euermar,
  With bludy crestis outwith the wallis hie ;

• The History Of The Sufferings Of The Church of Scotland From the Restauration to the Revolution
  Robert Woodrow 1721

  Council give her Assurances, that whatever she declared thereanent, shall never be used against her, either in Judgment, or outwith the same; and they promise to indemnify her for any Accession she had to ...

• Free thoughts on the toleration of popery
  Calvinus Minor 1780

  

  This book was written in the wake of the first legislation in favour of Catholic emancipation, and quotes a law from the reign of William III. This is from Wikipedia:

  In Great Britain and Ireland, the first Relief Act, called the "Papists Act", was passed in 1778; subject to an oath renouncing Stuart claims to the throne and the civil jurisdiction of the Pope, it allowed Roman Catholics to own property, to inherit land, and to join the army. Reaction against this led to riots in Scotland in 1779 and then the Gordon Riots in London on June 2, 1780. (Wikipedia)

Nineteenth Century - Google Books

Corpora etc

• British National Corpus - random 50 out of 138
• Netspeak - collocations with outwith

Google search and site search

Google search - non-geographical

• "outwith the scope"
• "outwith working hours"
• "outwith office hours"
• "outwith the jurisdiction"
• "outwith the range"

Google searches - outwith Scotland etc

• "outwith the UK"
• "outwith Scotland"
• "outwith Edinburgh"
• "outwith Glasgow"
• "outwith Perth"
• "outwith Aberdeen"
• "outwith the Highlands"

Site searches - "outwith Scotland"

Site searches for websites of some of the main instititions in Scotland, the media, education, politics, the law and the church. Instances of "outwith Scotland" are pretty plentiful.

• The Scotsman
• The Herald
• The Dundee Courier
• The Press and Journal
• BBC Scotland
• Edinburgh University
• Glasgow University
• St Andrews University
• Aberdeen University
• The Scottish Parliament
• The Scottish Government
• The Law Society of Scotland
• The Faculty of Advocates
• Scottish Courts
• The Church of Scotland
• National Library of Scotland

Related post

• Is outwith a word?

Links

• Dictionary of the Scots Language
• Language Log - article 1
• Language Log - article 2
• An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language 1808 - barratrie