Q

Qt. Abbr. of the Latin quietus = quit. The annotation was written in the margin of a roll, indicating payment had been made.

Quadra. A square loaf; also one quarter of such a loaf. – Cf. SIMNEL BREAD

Quadrellum. A quarrel; Latin synonym of quarellus. – Cf. QUARREL 1

Quadrivium. The four sciences, i.e. arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music, which made up the higher division of study in the Middle Ages. [L quadrivium = the place where four paths meet] – Cf. TRIVIUM

Quaestorius. See PARDONER

Quare impedit. Lit. ‘why does he impede?’ A type of legal writ issued when presentation to a *benefice was being disputed. It required an answer from whoever was imposing the impediment.

Quarrel 1. Short 13c arrow with a four-sided head for a *crossbow. The Latin form was quarellus or *quadrellum.

Quarrel 2. The 19c term for the square- or diamond-shaped pieces of glass found in the stained-glass windows of 15c cathedrals and churches.

Quarry. Those parts of a deer’s body put on the animal’s hide as reward for the dogs. [< OFr. cuir = leather, curer = disembowel]

Quartan ague. A fever which reoccurred every fourth day; one of the indeterminate febrile ailments of the period, *sweating sickness, probably influenza, which could be fatal. [< L quartanus = of the fourth] – Cf. AGUE

Quarter 1. Dismemberment of the body into four parts during execution, the victim having been previously hanged. When traitors were executed in this manner, a quarter would often enough be placed on Tower Bridge and left there; other parts might be distributed elsewhere. Heads of those treated with the mercy of the axe alone were also placed on the bridge for all to see. – Cf. NUNCIUS REGIS

Quarter 2. Her. A *charge which occupies a quarter of the *shield; an *honourable ordinary. As a verb ‘quarter’ indicated the placing of arms in the four parts of a shield, or adding another’s arms, such as a husband’s or wife’s.

Quarter 3. Unit of weight, used of grain. One quarter = eight bushels; one *bushel = eight gallons. It was also known as a ‘core’. – Cf. CHALDRON

Quarter Day. The four days of the year on which it was customary to pay rents or settle debts. They were Lady Day, 25 March; Midsummer Day, 24 June; Michaelmas, 29 September; Christmas, 25 December.

Quarter-staff. Wooden pole some six feet long used as a weapon by English peasants, usually tipped with iron.

Quaternion. Any group of four things or persons; also used of four sheets (of paper) folded once.

Quatrefoil. Her. A *charge in the form of four leaves attached to a central point, somewhat like a four-leafed clover.

Quean. A woman. The word’s use was uncomplimentary, being later used of prostitutes. It shares its root with ‘queen’ but is a discrete word. [< OE cwene = a woman]

Querela. Lit. ‘a plaint, a plea’. Latin term for one of the procedures imposed on Henry III in the provisions of *Oxford in May 1258. The querela was a simple oral complaint by which a legal action could be initiated. The barons sought to cut through excessive legal bureaucracy: the querela in its simplicity was the answer. *Bracton said: ‘No one may sue without a writ [i.e. querela] since without a writ the other is not bound to answer.’ The querela, being oral, bypassed the formal and lengthy procedures involved in getting written documents from *chancery. Although available to all, the barons had wanted the querela as a means of investigating royal officials without hindrance by other royal officers. All that was required was for a complaint to be made in a *county court in front of four knights – after that the king’s justice was invoked. [< L querelo = to bring an action]

Quia Emptores, Statute of. 1290. Also called the Third Statute of Westminster, its purpose was similar to the Statute of *Mortmain. Quia Emptores restricted the letting out of land under terms which restricted a lord’s dues. – Cf. JUDICIUM

Quindecima. Term used for a tax which required a fifteenth part. [< L quindecim = 15] – Cf. TITHING

Quindene [quinzaine]. Ecclesiastical usage indicating the fifteenth day (counting inclusively) after a particular holy day or Church festival, or the span of these 15 days; equivalent to our ‘fortnight (from now)’. [< L quindecim = 15] – Cf. OCTAVE; QUINDECIMA

Quinsy [squinsy]. A severe inflammation of the throat; tonsillitis. [< L quinancia] – Cf. AGUE

Quintain. An object attached to a pole and used as a target by jousters with a lance, to train in accuracy. The target was attached to an arm which revolved when struck; the arm would spin and if struck inaccurately might hit the tyro en passant. [< L quintana = a place for military exercise]

Quintal. A weight of approx. 100 lb; also a hundredweight. [< L centenarius = numbering 100]

Quintessence. In medieval philosophy, the fifth essence or *element (after air, fire, water, earth) of which the celestial elements and regions were thought to be composed; sometimes thought to be an *elixir which cured all ills; latterly the most essential or purest part or quality of a person or thing. [< L quinta = fifth + essentia = essence]

Quinzaine. See QUINDENE

Quire. Four sheets of *parchment folded to make eight leaves – 16 pages – for a small book or pamphlet; later a gathering of sheets folded with others to make up a book. Such gatherings, identified by a sequence of letters or numbers to assist in putting together a complete book, are known as ‘signatures’. – Cf. PECIA

Quit claim. A lord’s release of all claims he may have had over a *villein in return for which he received a sum of money or *quit rent as compensation for this loss of services.

Quit rent. A rent paid in lieu of services otherwise owed. – Cf. previous

Quodlibet. Lit. ‘what pleases or what you will’. As part of scholastic training, a question was proposed as an exercise in the abstract skills of argumentation and rhetoric. ‘How many angels dance on the head of a pin?’ might be one such question.