Letter of Slains
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In old Scottish law a petition to the Crown from the relatives of a murdered person, declaring that they have received satisfaction (assythmenf), and asking pardon for the murderer.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Letter of Slains” mean?
In old Scottish law a petition to the Crown from the relatives of a murdered person, declaring that they have received satisfaction (assythmenf), and asking pardon for the murderer.
Is “Letter of Slains” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.