Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Beadle
(951 words)

1. Early modern term and job description

Originally, a beadle (Old English bydel  from beodan, 'to proclaim'; Old High German poto, putil; Middle High German Bütel; Middle Low German bodel, boddel, Modern German Büttel) was a herald, then a warrant officer in secular administration. As a translation of the German term "Büttel", a beadle was a court bailiff in the Holy Roman Empire. In English, the word "beadle"…

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Bendlage, Andrea, “Beadle”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_017954>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160321



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