The role of the Beadle
This blog article was update on 13 January 2024. The City of London has many civic and ceremonial officers that are unknown, or long since lost to the civic apparatus of other towns and cities throughout the United Kingdom. Ancient offices such as that of the Ale Conners, the Bridge Masters, the Chief Commoner, the Clerk to the Chamberlain's Court, the Secondary, and the Undersheriff are just a few among the panoply of robe wearing; sceptre, mace or sword bearing custodians of the City's traditions. The Beadle is the one office holder which is common to both the City of London Wards and to its many Livery Companies, yet in typical City style the role is not the same in every Company and certainly not between the Companies and the City. Such is the way of the City that delights in creating myriad exceptions to, and variations on, a common theme! The role of Beadle probably grew out of the ecclesiastical role of Verger, and to this day the Verger of St Paul's Cathedral w...