Towards a First-Line Index of Premodern Poetry in Scots, Latin, and Scottish Gaelic

This article discusses the need for a first-line index of premodern Scottish poetry in Scots, Latin, and Scottish Gaelic: the Literatures of Older Scotland Database (LOSD). Whereas most poetic traditions of Britain and Ireland have been represented in such a fundamental resource, and despite the partial coverage of Scottish poetry in the indices of neighbouring disciplines, a comprehensive bibliographical and analytical first-line index is still lacking for Scotland. We explore what resources currently exist for medieval and early modern poetry from Britain and Ireland in English, Irish, and Latin, and where Scottish poems have been included, how Scottish scholars are still disadvantaged because such resources cannot accommodate the literary and linguistic priorities unique to Scotland. We also reflect on the challenges of compiling a multi-lingual first-line index, and on the intersection between the three language traditions in literary history. The article responds to Priscilla Bawcutt's proposal for such an index (in this journal in 1991, though it was never realised), and updates her vision by means of a three-language approach, a revised research rationale, and report of a proof-of-concept database and proposed metadata scheme and sample entries.