Assizes
In the English justice system, a trial session held four times per year in specific locations (one per county), attended by an itinerant judge of a superior court.
banns
A public notice of an intended marriage, announced three times in the parish church of at least one of the betrothed.
beau
A dandy or fashionably dressed gentleman.
character
A character reference.
coach and six
A coach drawn by six horses; a status symbol.
crabstick
A cane or club made of wood, especially that of the crab apple tree.
curate
In the Church of England, a member of the clergy employed as a deputy to assist a rector or vicar.
cure
Curacy; the district of a curate, rector, or vicar; the spiritual or religious charge of the people within such a district.
excise-man
An official who collects excise taxes and enforces related laws.
free-thinker
In late-seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century Britain, a radical philosopher submitting traditional religious and moral authorities to the test of reason.
Gaffar
Localism for “Godfather,” a term of respect for an older man of low social status.
Gammer
Localism for “Godmother,” a term of respect for an older woman of low social status.
goal
Jail; alternate spelling of gaol.
ifaukins
Slang for “in faith,” truthfully.
Justice of the Peace
In the English system of justice, a local magistrate whose function is to try minor cases in his jurisdiction, recommend more serious cases for trial, and perform various administrative duties.
living
In the Church of England, a post granted to a clergyman that ensures a fixed amount of property or income.
mittimus
A warrant of commitment to prison.
night-gown
Dressing-gown.
parish
In Britain, a political subdivision of a county, its boundaries corresponding to those of an original ecclesiastical parish.
postilion
A servant who rides the left horse of the leading pair of horses drawing a coach.
settlement
In Britain, legal residence in a specific place, including (in the case of paupers) the right to claim food or shelter from the parish.
Smithfield match
A marriage for money.
trained-band
A civilian militia.
whipper-in
A servant who assists the huntsman in managing the hounds.
Whitefield, George
A leading English Methodist who pioneered the Calvinistic branch of Methodism emphasizing faith over works.
