What Does The Word Beadle Mean?

Question

What Does The Word Beadle Mean?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

The word beadle refers to individuals who work in the church or even in a Jewish synagogue. This individual will also help the clergy. Their main work is to take people to the seats available and also to keep the order during church services.
This word also refers to as a last name. Some of the users with the name Beadle are Brictmarus Bedel (year 1066), Richard Budel (year 1148), Robert le Budel (year 1327), Richard Bedle (year 1541), John Biddle (year 1655) and William Beadle, 1664.

Answer 2

In British English, a beadle is a ceremonial officer in a college or other learning institution. Formerly the beadles in places like Oxford University were quite active officials, but now are rarely found at all.

In Scotland a beadle can mean a church officer who assists the minister; in the past one of his duties was to ensure that people behaved themselves in church.

In the past, in England outside the colleges, a beadle was a minor parish officer. Like a kind of policeman, his main role was to deal with petty offenders. (Mr Bumble in Dickens's Oliver Twist is probably the most famous beadle in literature.)

Beadle comes from the French bedel, which was the name of a parish officer in medieval France. It is also a fairly widespread surname (examples include TV entertainer Jeremy Beadle.)