Also 6 soletre, 6–7 soletree, 7 soale-, 7, 9 sole tree. [f. SOLE sb.1 + TREE.] A beam, plank, or piece of timber forming a support, base or foundation to something.
1527–8. Fabric Rolls York Minster (Surtees), 101. Pro plumbo … in tegulis, in les fre stone, in evis bordes, severns et j soletre.
c. 1530. Howden Roll, Ibid. 354. Owtshotsparres, sarkynboordes et geists ac soletrees pro thakking.
1632. Kirton-in-Lindsey Ch. Acc., in Peacock, N.-W. Linc. Gloss., 232/1. For a peice of wood to make a soale-tree for the scates.
1671. in Holmes, Pontefract Bk. Entries (1882), 103. Studs for pertitions, soletrees, nayles.
1789. J. Williams, Min. Kingd., I. 310. Two door-cheeks, or side-posts,… a lintel and sole-tree.
1833. Loudon, Encycl. Archit., § 1206. The rise from the channel to the sole-tree … to be 4 inches.
1877. in Peacock, N. W. Linc. Gloss., s.v., There’ll hev to be a new sole-tree to th’ crewyard pump.
b. spec. in Mining (see later quots.).
1653. Manlove, Customs Lead Mines, 258. Stoprice, Yokings, Soletrees, Roach and Ryder.
1747. Hooson, Miner’s Dict., P iij b. They [small stoce] are composed of two Stoce-blades, two Sole-trees [etc.]…; the Sole-trees and Hang-benches are fastned together with Pins of Wood.
1860. Eng. & For. Mining Gloss. (ed. 2), 44. (Derby Terms), Sole tree, a piece of wood belonging to stowces to draw ore up from the mine.
