Letters of Horning

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

In Scottish history, signed orders putting rebels to the horn. See HORN.

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 “Letters of Horning” mean?

In Scottish history, signed orders putting rebels to the horn. See HORN.

Is “Letters of Horning” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.