A brief A-Z glossary of words one might encounter when studying life in Upper Canada. For more detail on each of the words, phrases, names, and titles, simply follow the source links provided.
A - Adze
Used with the hewing axe to make the log faces as smooth as possible. Any divots, chunks, or "juggle marks" in the logs made by the hewing axe allow water to penetrate the wood, creating rot. In winter, this moisture will form ice build-up, stress the wood and cause the building to shift. (
The Dalziel Barn)
See image 1.
 |
1. An Adze at work
2. Neeps along with haggis and potatoes
3. Toulouse Geese (with a gentleman
for scale)
4. Example of a Zouave Jacket and dress
from 1862. |
B - Bairn
Noun,
Scot. and North England for a child; son or daughter. (
Dictionary.com)
C - Ceilidh
A Scottish and Irish term for
a party with music, dancing, and often storytelling. (Wikipedia)
E - Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's native country with the intent to settle permanently or temporarily elsewhere. Conversely, immigration describes the movement of persons into one country from another. (Dictionary.com) Remember that one always emigrates from and immigrates to a place.
F - Fermentation
Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, and/or alcohol. Important particularly when discussing beer and its importance in pioneer life in Upper Canada. It was often safer to drink than water, had a number of medicinal uses, and contained a number of vitamins and minerals needed by hardworking homesteaders. By the 1860s there were 300 breweries across Upper Canada, not to mention the fact that beer was also brewed at home in the kitchen. (Virtual Museum of Canada)
G - Gaelic
Noun; any of the closely related languages of the Celts in Ireland, Scotland, or (formerly) the Isle of Man. Adjective; of, denoting, or relating to the Celtic people of Ireland, Scotland, or the Isle of Man or their language or customs.(Dictionary.com)
H - Hogmanay
It is believed that many of the traditional Hogmanay celebrations were originally brought to Scotland by the invading Vikings in the early 8th and 9th centuries. There are several traditions and superstitions that should be taken care of before midnight on the 31st December: these include cleaning the house and taking out the ashes from the fire, there is also the requirement to clear all your debts before "the bells" sound midnight, the underlying message being to clear out the remains of the old year, have a clean break and welcome in a young, New Year on a happy note. (
Historic UK)
I - Indian
Indian people are one of three cultural groups, along with Inuit and Métis, recognized as Aboriginal people under section 35 of the Constitution Act. There are legal reasons for the continued use of the term "Indian." Such terminology is recognized in the Indian Act, and is used by the Government of Canada when making reference to this particular group of Aboriginal people. (
Aboriginal Affairs)
J - James Young
The Honourable James Young was born in Galt on 24 May 1835. Raised in Galt, he worked as a journalist before spending 25 years in politics (12 years of which in the federal parliament).
It was at this time that Mr Young wrote his history of early
Galt, titled "Reminiscences of the Early History of Galt and the Settlement of
Dumfries" and published in 1880. The book remains one of the major sources of
information about the early development of our community. (
City of Cambridge)
K - Kirk
Kirk is a Scottish word meaning a church, or more specifically, the Church of Scotland. (The Church of Scotland)
L - Land-Jobber
A man who makes a business of buying land on speculation, or of buying and selling for the profit of bargains, or who buys and sells for others.
M - Mortise and Tenon
A joint made between two pieces of wood where the projecting part of one piece fits into a corresponding cu-tout on another. (
Architectural Terms)
N - Neeps
A popular (and delicious) side to a haggis dinner; made primarily of boiled and mashed turnips. See image 2.
O - Orkneymen
Immigrants from the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, Orkneymen played a major and largely unrecognized part in the exploration and settlement of Canada's North-West in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak of their involvement with the HBC in 1800, Orkneymen comprised 80% of a labour force of almost 500. (
Canadian Encyclopedia)
P - Parritch
Although it is by no means a dish confined to Scotland, parritch (an altered pronunciation of the earlier form “potage”) was until quite recently such a staple of the Scots diet that it became the foundation, not only for a day’s work, but also for wisdom. Parritch figures strongly in a number of Scottish proverbs. Today the term
"porridge" has become more popular. (
Scots Language Centre)
Q - Quoin
A quoin is an angle at the outside corner of a building. You can call the corner itself a quoin, or use the word for the special stones or bricks that reinforce corners of brick or stone buildings. Some quoins are
decorative features, providing variety and pattern to the corner where two exterior walls meet. (
Vocabulary.com)
R - Rebellion
The 1837 rebellion in Upper Canada [Ontario] was a less violent, more limited affair than the insurrection that same year in neighbouring Lower Canada [Quebec], although its leaders, including William Lyon Mackenzie, were no less serious in their demands for democratic reform, and an end to the rule of a privileged oligarchy. The rebellion itself failed, yet its very failure helped pave the way for more moderate and careful political change in British North America, including the union of Upper and Lower Canada, and the eventual arrival of responsible government. (
Canadian Encyclopedia)
S - Saltire (St. Andrew's Cross)
The Saltire is the national flag of Scotland and, with a white diagonal cross on a blue background, it represents the crucifixion of the apostle St. Andrew Scotland’s patron saint. Believed to be the oldest flag in Europe, the origin of the flag comes from an old legend. Tradition has it that the flag originated in a battle fought near the East Lothian village of Athelstaneford in AD 832. (
Visit Scotland)
T - Toulouse Goose
The name Toulouse is used for several types of gray geese descended from the European Greylag. People have selected Toulouse as general purpose farm birds, as producers of fois gras, and as show-birds. In the past, goose fat was a primary source for cooking fats and lubricants. Historically farmers often raised Dewlap Toulouse geese in cages to limit their movement, valuing their ability to put on large quantities of fat when fed plenty of food with no room to exercise. (
The Livestock Conservancy)
See image 3.
U - United Empire Loyalists
The United Empire Loyalists were generally those who had been settled in the thirteen colonies at the outbreak of the American Revolution, who remained loyal to and took up the Royal Standard, and who settled in what is now Canada at the end of the war. (
United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada)
V - Venison
Noun, the flesh of a deer or similar animal as used for food. (Dictionary.com)
W - Wattle and Daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips [or branches, etc.] called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw. (Wikipedia)
Y - Yoke
Wooden shoulder yokes [for people] were used to carry two buckets of milk from the cow to the dairy in the days when cows were milked in the fields. They were also heavily used to collect water for household use. The yoke was made from a beam of wood, usually willow for lightness, but ash and sycamore were also used. It is concave at the centre to fit comfortably around the shoulders, with a recess to fit around the neck of the wearer. The ends of the yoke tapered to terminate just beyond the wearer's shoulders. Chains were then hung from the ends with hooks to fix onto the buckets. (
Object Lessons)
Z - Zouave Jacket
A woman’s short embroidered jacket or bodice, with or without sleeves, resembling the jacket of the Zouave uniform. (
Oxford English Dictionary)
See image 4.
The month of May is a very busy one. Firstly, I'm moving to a new city (or rather, village) where I can more easily access and enjoy the great outdoors. Secondly, I'll be flying to Nova Scotia to present another project of mine at the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada's national conference. I have been in the process of researching and writing a book on the types of homes constructed by some of the earliest settlers to the New World. As a result of these two potentially life-altering events, I will be placing Upper Canada Scots on a brief hiatus.
