What is a Beadle?
Question
At St Bartholomew’s Hospital, there is a man who deals with paperwork who’s title is the ‘Beadle’. Where does that title come from? What does it mean?Joe, Walthamstow
Answer
** Joint definitive **
Name: Shaun, Mitcham
Qualification: Used to work at Covent Garden Market
Answer: In wholesale markets, Beadles had a charter to police ourselves – essentially a private security guard. They are still called Beadles in markets, such as Covent Garden.
** Joint definitive **
Name: Tim, London
Qualification: Got it from a beadle for the Stonemasons
Answer: It comes from Romans, where the Beadle (or Biggle) was the administrators of governments and institutions.