Meaning & use
town beadle
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Meaning
nouncountableold-fashionedBritish
A minor town official in earlier times who kept order, carried messages and enforced rules, often in the name of the council or parish.
Grammar: Countable: the town beadle, two town beadles.
Patterns
- the town beadle of somewhere
The town beadle rang a bell and read the notice aloud in the market square.
In the novel, the town beadle chased the beggars away from the church steps.
The town beadle was paid a small wage to keep the streets quiet at night.
Word forms
| plural | town beadles |
|---|
Common combinations
- the town beadle announced
- The town beadle announced the new market rules.
- appoint a town beadle
- The council appointed a town beadle to patrol the streets.
- stern town beadle
- A stern town beadle watched the children play.
- parish and town beadle
- He served as both parish and town beadle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- town crier
- A town crier announced news aloud, while a beadle enforced order and delivered messages.
- constable
- A constable had real police powers, but a beadle was more of a minor officer.
- bailiff
- A bailiff handled legal and financial tasks, so his role was different from a beadle's.
- warden
- A warden watches over a place or group, a looser sense than a beadle's set duties.
Word family
- beadle noun
- a minor official in a parish, town or university
- beadledom noun
- stuffy officialdom, in old usage
- parish beadle noun
- a beadle serving a church parish
Commonly confused: town beadle or bead?
town beadle vs bead
A bead is a small ball with a hole for stringing, which has no link to the official called a beadle.
Practice
In the old story, the ___ walked the market square keeping order for the council.
Choose one answer.
A town beadle was an official who kept order. A town planner is a modern profession, and the other options do not fit the role.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “town beadle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.