Names & titles

This on titles and names in the e-newsletter from the DOR –

Antiquated Titles
Tony Rassias – Bureau of Accounts Deputy Director

Today’s cities and towns exercise many oversight and regulatory functions, which isn’t to say that 200 years ago they didn’t. It’s just that many of those functions from 200 or more years ago have slipped out of sight during the passage of time and societal change. Let’s look at three of them.

1.) Ralph Waldo Emerson once held the title. So did William Cullen Bryant. Lesser known individuals like Joseph Wayte and Thomas Newhall saw to it in Malden, as did Dr. Israel Whiton in Winchendon and Allester Grime in Salem Village. Some of these names you know, others not so much, but all of them once held the title of Hog Reeve.

The job of the Hog Reeve, sometimes called the hog constables, swine ringers, hogreaf and hog wards, was to prevent or appraise damage caused by stray swine.  Back some time, hogs could run loose provided they were collared and had rings in their noses, which reduced the amount of garden and crop damage. The owners of stray swine were fined for any damage caused, provided the damaged party had a proper fence. (Could one have claimed that they didn’t heareth yon Town Crier hollereth the new law?) The swine were captured by the Hog Reeve and taken to the pound until they were claimed by their owner. The Hog Reeve could legally charge a small service fee.

It is written that the Hog Reeve was selected from amongst the newly married men in town. One town wrote that a person could not become a Hog Reeve until “he experienced a change of heart.”  Another indicated that the position was facetious.

2.) They were the morals or religious police. It has been written that the only thing certain about them was that selectmen had to see to it that they were elected annually. They were the Tythingmen.

Their history goes way back to England when families were divided into groups of ten called “tithes” and were headed by a Tythingman who was responsible for their moral behavior. In the 1700s, they were an early form of police force, peacekeepers by way of informing a Justice of the Peace or the County Court of disorders or misdemeanors occurring in taverns and inns. Disorders such as excessive drinking, selling liquor without a license, gaming, dancing, or reveling could have resulted in tavern and inn keepers forfeiting their license. They reported those attending a music concert, sporting event or unnecessarily travelling on a Sunday. They patrolled the church watching for sleeping adults or disorderly boys and for their efforts could receive half of the fine paid.

By the mid-1800s and with the beginnings of community policing, opinions varied in some towns on the need and usefulness of electing Tythingmen. One town considered the Tythingmen as the “most sedate and respectable men” in the town. Another admitted that the Tythingmen weren’t popular and their position wasn’t very desirable. An Essex County town refused to elect a Tythingman until they were ordered by a sheriff to do so. Eventually, Selectmen and Constables took over the role of Tythingmen in places. All this begs the question; did the Tythingmen see their demise coming?

3.) If everyone was named either Cooper or Hooper, I wouldn’t have to explain about staves, hoops, the chime, the bilge, a bung and withies. A cooper was a barrel-maker, the hooper was an assistant and the other words are all parts of a barrel. Barrels, casks, kegs and buckets were important years ago because so many dry and liquid goods were either stored or shipped in them.

Staves are the wooden pieces that make up the shape of the barrel and the hoops are the metal pieces that hold the wood together. It was important that the wood and hoops were properly made or else dry goods such as gunpowder would become moist and liquid goods such as water would escape. The Culler of Staves and Hoops was responsible for sorting through the staves and viewing the hoops to determine if they were properly made as required by law.

If your last name is Cooper (English), Tonnelier (French), Varelas (Greek), Cuypers (Dutch), Bednarski (Polish), Bodner (Yiddish), Toneleiro (Portuguese) or Bottai (Italian), your ancestors may have been barrel-makers!

The author would like to thank Bob Bliss, Regional Offices Manager at the Division of Local Services, and Wikipedia for their assistance.