THE BEADLE 181
subversion of justice; kept for himself the fines paid over to him,
and generally used the lord's property as if it were his own.1
There is nothing here for surprise: when we remember the many
thousands of men who held this difficult office what is surprising
is that we do not get a larger volume of complaint and accusation.
When we turn to the hayward's companion (or other office) we
find that while his duties were various, they were mostly asso-
ciated with the activities of the Manor Court. The following
description of the beadle of Stowe in Lincolnshire, in 1283, gives
an excellent summary of his duties.
R. Wale holds i bovate of land for which he ought to collect all the
moneys of the Bishop [of Lincoln], as well in respect of rents as of
other things... and to pay them at the will of the sergeant; and he
ought to summon all the work-tenants (operarii) and to look after
them while they are at work; and he ought to make the summonses
for paying hens... and to pay them at the next manors if they ought to
be sent there.. .and he ought to make all summonses and distresses,
etc., as often as they should be made----*
So on various other manors we find him summoning the
tenants to the Court, collecting the fines imposed on them, or
evicting them from their holdings by order of the Court.3 As the
harvest season came round he visited all the tenants and warned
them of the days they would have to appear to gather in their
lord's corn; at other times he would seize their cattle found
straying in the lord's meadows or closes, and put them in the
village pound until the will of the lord was known concerning
them.4
Clearly, such an officer was of great practical importance on
the manor, and we might extend our list of his duties to any
length by recording the innumerable variations of practice
throughout England. Much that we should like to know the re-
cords do not tell us. Was he a very unpopular man on the manor?
Did men hate serving as beadle more than as reeve or hayward?
Was he often molested while performing his duty? These and
1 Selden Soc. rv, 140; Davenport, op. cit. 75 n. 2. Compare all this passage
with the extract quoted above from Seneschaucie, and also with Glouc. Cart*
III, 2I3ff.
* A.A.S.R. xxrv, 332.
8 Selden Soc. II, 112; Eynsham Cart, xiii, xlv; Holes Rolls, 36.
* V.CJ&. Middlesex, n, 67; Hales Rolls, 26; Davenport, op. cit. 25.