0 an official who takes part in some church or university ceremonies --
The beadle had to call the children to classes by ringing the village bell.
He refused to go unless accompanied by a beadle or a servant.
The "schulklopfer" was usually a beadle, who would perform the task by wandering around the community, knocking on each household's door.
Henceforth, the authority of the chancellor came to be symbolized in the maces carried by his two beadles on official occasions.
Punishment of delinquents or the control of town life by officers of the town council (such as the beadle), however, also played a minor but formative regulatory role.
The subordination of the beadle to the other burghers was also expressed in the social obligation of the beadle to doff his hat before all burghers.
Tellingly (considering what was to come later) he had the parish beadles canvass on his behalf.
The guards and beadles, by contrast, just stood back and watched while the burghers looked for ways to resolve the conflict.
