beadsman
/ˈbiːdzmən
/noun (plural beadsmen) historical
A pensioner provided for by a benefactor in return for prayers, especially one living in an almshouse.As late as Shakespeare's plays we find allusions to medieval ‘beadsmen,’ that is, persons pensioned to ‘pray the beads’ on behalf of a benefactor....
- For Alfred society was divided three ways; beadsmen prayed, warriors fought and workmen laboured, each a necessary, distinct class.
- Indeed, texts of the time refer to three distinct types of freemen: labourers, soldiers and beadsmen or clergy.
