There were several St Valentines, none of them Scots, but this does not mean the Scots language lacks romance.

The earliest mention of St Valentine in The Dictionary of the Scots Language is over 500 years old, in Dunbar's Poem The Twa Merriit Wemen and the Wedo and, as this is a satirical and scurrilous poem, it is not an auspicious start. In sixteenth-century Scotland, an unwelcome valentine was a writ, listing suspected criminals and requiring their overlord to apprehend them.

The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland (1587) decrees that the Justice Clerk should twice yearly 'procure the kingis maiesties clois valentynis to be send to the maisteris, landislordis, baillies and chiftanes of all notable lymmeris (rogues) and thevis'. A valentine was also a paper with a person's name on it, to be drawn by lot.

The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland (1639) states 'The commissioneris of shyris to draw lottis and valentines yeirlie at ilk parliament for thair places'. Perhaps this is related to Valentine's dealing, which Jamieson's Dictionary (1887 edition) explains is 'a custom observed on St. Valentine's eve whereby the names of the members of a company of both sexes are written on slips of paper and then chosen by lot by the opposite sex, the person whose name was drawn supposedly becoming the drawer's sweetheart for the year'. Burns exemplifies this in Tam Glen (1787): 'Yestreen at the valentines dealing, My heart to my mou' gied a sten; For thrice I drew ane without failing, And thrice it was written -- Tam Glen! Other valentine customs involve gifts.

Gloves were a popular love token. Lady Baillie's Household Book records in 1694 'To Lisi Rainald for my Robins vallantin gloves'. Jewellery was also appropriate and Memorials of the Montgomeries (1652) describes 'A gold chain with a loquat gold; A gold inemald valentine'. Lucky lady! This article was written by Chris Robinson of Scots Language Dictionaries. www.scotsdictionaries.org.uk This word is spoken bi Dauvit, an academic that aince bade a lang time in North East Scotland, but noo in Angus.