Constables were elected by town officials to serve the writs and
processes described in section ninety-two of the General Court and
warrants and processes in criminal cases, where their town, parish,
religious society or district is a party or interested. They shall
have the powers of sheriffs to require aid in the execution of their
duties. They shall take due notice of and prosecute all violations of
law respecting the observance of the Lord’s day, profane
swearing and gaming. They shall serve all warrants and other
processes directed to them by the selectmen of their town for
notifying town meetings or for other purposes. They may serve by
copy, attested by them, demands, notices and citations, and their
returns of service thereof shall be prima facie evidence; but this
provision shall not exclude the service thereof by other persons.
As the name implies, was the person responsible for the collecton of
taxes due the town. In Chelsea, the constable was usually the
collector of taxes. The collectors received 3d on a pound for the
taxes collected.
Each year, New England towns appointed a variety of minor officials.
One of these offices was that of fence viewer, who was responsible
for inspecting each resident’s allotted portion of the common fence
and any particular [individual] plots to see that regulations were followed.
The fence viewer is not a surveyor and is not concerned with the
location of a line. He, or the board of two or three, looks at the
line between neighbors to decide who takes care of his half. An
attempt is made to divide the responsibility equally, as fencing over
rock ledge is more difficult than fencing meadowland. The rule was
that a line fence must be “hog tight and horse high.” Good
fences did make good neighbors, but good neighbors made good fences,
and back when everybody had livestock it was equally important either way.
New England towns appointed hog reeves (officers charted with the
prevention or appraising of damages by stray swine). Hogs were
usually supposed to be yoked (wear collars) and have rings in their
noses, which reduced the amount of damage they could do to gardens
and crops by rooting. This was not a minor concern, because this food
was necessary for human survival. There were punishments established
for failure to control animals. The fine in Chelsea was “10
shillings for each swine for every time it is found without a
keeper.” But, the damaged party had to have an adequate fence,
as in 1643 Virginia where “if he be deficient therein, what
damage he shall systeyne by hoggs, goats or cattle whatsoever shall
be to his own losse and detriment.” Wandering livestock were
called “estrays,” they were “taken up,” and they
often were taken to the “pound.” Notice of such actions are
found in town records and county court minutes.
If the owner of a hog had not ‘rung’ and ‘yoked’ their hogs, and they
got loose and became a nuisance in the community, one or more of the
men assigned as Hog Reeve would be responsible for capturing the
animal and performing the necessary chore for the owner; who could
legally be charged a small fee for the service.
Reeve” derives from the same root as the “riff” in
sheriff, and a hog reeve rounded up stray hogs. He turned them over
to the pound keeper, who fed them until claimed by the owner, who
paid set fees.
An act of the General Court passed on November 3, 1675, “the
selectmen of every town shall choose some sober and discrete persons
to be authorized from the County Court, each of whom shall take
charge of ten or twelve families of his neighborhood, and shall
diligently inspect them, and present the names of such persons as
transgressed the law, receiving as compensation for their services
one third of the fines allowed, if faithful in the discharge of their
duty, otherwise to be liable to the same fine as the unlicensed
houses. The selectmen ordered that these men be notified to inspect
their precinct as the law directed “for the preuentinge of
disorders in private and unlicensed house of entertainment”
On May 24 and October 10, 1677, and on October 15, 1679 the duties of
the Tithingmen were increased and in 1679 they were to be chosen
annually. On February 4, 1679 a fine of 40 shillings was decreed for
those that refused to serve. It was their duty to seize liquors sold
without license, and also “to present the names of all single
persons that live under family government, stubborn and disorderly
children & servants, night walkers, typlers, saboath breakers, by
night or by day, & such as absent themselves from the public
worship of God on the Lords dayes, or whatever the course or practise
of any person or persons whatsoeuer tending to debauchery,
irreligion, prophaness, & atheisme among us, wherein by omission
of family government, nurture, & religious duties, &
instruction of children & servants, or idleness, profligat,
uncivill, or rude practises of any sort.“
An officer formally charged with the repair of cattle fences and the
retention of cattle in the town common. Also, an officer of a
township in charge of fences and enclosures
The hayward was elected by the villagers to lead the sowing and
harvesting, to impound stray cattle, and to supervise hedging and
temporary fencing around hay meadows. The ancient hayward’s symbol of
office was a horn, which he blew to give warning that cattle were
invading the crops.
The nursery rhyme character Little Boy Blue was a hayward.
An officer formally charged with assesing the value of property
within the munincipality or town.
“By 1638 the General Court, the Colony’s legislative body,
ordered that roads be laid out, and in 1640, that roads between the
early towns be maintained. Soon thereafter, the construction, care
and maintenance of highways was formally placed on the towns by the
General Court, primarily to ensure the care of the routes in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1643, the
Court ordered each Municipality to appoint two officials, known as
surveyors, who were given the power to “call out every Teeme
and person fitt for labour, in their course, one day every yeare, to
mend said highwayes wherein they are to have a spetiall to those
Common wayes which are betwixt Towne and Towne.” This
compulsory labor statute was enlarged in the 1650 Code of Laws, which
authorized financial penalties on those men who failed to meet their
annual road work obligation of two days work a year: “if any
refuse or neglect to attend the service in any manner aforesaid He
shall forefeit for every dayes neglect of a mans worke two shillings
sixpence, and of a Teame, sixe shillings . . .” This act
formalized a custom that dated at least from medieval England. It
would continue to remain in effect until the nineteenth century,
providing the main source of workers for road and bridge
construction.
Bridges were also under the jurisdiction of the General Court. In
1651, the Court resolved that a bridge should be built over the
Connecticut River at Hartford (although such a bridge was not to be
built until 1810). Throughout the seventeenth century, the Court
ordered that bridges be built in a variety of locations.
Responsible for maintaining the district or town animal pound.
The leather sealer was the town officer who had authority to see that
all sales of leather were made honestly as to quality and quantity.
The sealer of leather was authorized to put his “seal” or
stamp of approval on items he inspected, tested and certified.
Similar to the sealer of leather, the sealer of hemp and flax was the
town officer who had authority to see that all sales of hemp and flax
were made honestly as to quality and quantity. The sealer of hemp and
flaxr was authorized to put his “seal” or stamp of approval
on items he inspected, tested and certified.