ALDERMAN, among our ancient Saxon ancestor., was the second of their three orders or nubility. Alder man, in its original, is compounded of two words, e/t/r1 and man, Elderman. It must be however observed, t„at among the Saxons that word was joined to others, still further designating title or office : Thus they had ./11,1er mannus nails dldermannus Regis, Coinitat Civitatis, Burgi, Castelli, Ifundredi, side il'apenrueoil, and Decimorum. The first of these scents to lie the same officer to whom the title was afterwards given ui Capitalis justitiarius duglitc, or chief justice of Eng land ; the second we suppose to have been a magistrate acting with occasional authority, answering to the pre sent office of his majesty's justice of assize ; the third held a middle rank between what was afterwards called earl and sheriff; he sat at the trial causes, with the bishop; and whilst the latter expounded the ecclesias tical, it was the duty of the former to declare the coin mon law of the land : The fourth, fifth, and following offices, perhaps, are now combined in that of our pre sent alderman, whose duties, &c. we shall notice, after having enumerated those which anciently belonged to the title. We learn from the most respectable autho rities, that Conies, YEldorman, and Earl, are equivalent in Latin Saxon, and Danish Saxon. The holders of these offices were admitted into the Wittenagemot, or great council of the nation, and gave consent to pub lic statutes ; they assisted the bishops, as we have be fore seen ; but except to keep order among the free holders, and to interpose with their opinion, they had no further power : they received a third of the fines, however, and, as most of the punishments were then pecuniary, this formed a considerable part of their re sources. Excepting when restrained in their judicial authority by the bishops, they appear to have been pos sessed of the highest dignity and power; this office was therefore generally enjoyed by Thanes of large estates, and ancient families. Possessing the civil and military government of his shire, the earl swelled into the im portance of a petty king ; and in his own domains, as sumed that title in his subscription of charters and every other deed. It was in war that he enjoyed actually the consideration he only usurped in peace ; and that the Thane, who durst not oppose the bishop even in his own shiremotes or courts, became the ITeretogen or commander, and was honoured as a powerful prince. This office was, in the most ancient times of the Anglo Saxon governments, filled by royal appointment ; but towards the conclusion of that period, aldermen were elected by the votes of the shire. Lands were allotted
them to enable them to support their dignity ; and from this custom we have the term " the earl's lands :" To these may be added the fines above mentioned, and other less important perquisites. Though possessing so much power, and, front being the choice of the people, so much popularity, they could be displaced by the sove reign, when they were either thouzht to be too power ful, or not sufficiently suppliant. Towards the conclu sion of the Anglo-Saxon government, they were most frequently succeeded by their sons ;—and a power which at first was elective and uncertain, became, by conni vance, by stratagem, or by force, hereditary and fixed. As in the ancient governments of the Anglo-Saxons, the term alderman WaS applied, in conjunction with other titles, to many offices, so in our ancient governments the law dictated the title annexed also to that of others ; thus we had the Aldermen of the Merchants, of Hos pitals, of Hundreds, or Wapentakes, &c. &c.
The duties of aldermen, as the title at present is un derstood, the privileges and advantages of the office, may be collected from the 16Hewing observations :—Al dermen are joined to the mayor, or chief-magistrate of a corporate town or city, for the better administration of his office ; they form, together with him, a council ; and govern the place where they reside according to the re gulations of its charters ; whilst they also act as justices of the peace, (by the 15th Geo. 1I.,) and in that character take cognisance of civil as well as criminal matters ; that is to say, at one time they administer laws emanating from a British parliament, and at another they act under a code of corporation-laws, many of which have been pronounced from the highest legal authorities, laws in restraint of trade ; in other words, laws made in open hostility to those of the kingdom. Their numbers vary in various places ; the extremes are six to twenty-six ; out of these the mayor is elected, who fills his office for a year, and is then succeeded by another; and thus that office circulates by a regular, fixed, and positive routine. In London the 26 wards of the city have each an alder man to represent them in the civic council. When one dies or resigns, a successor is chosen by the wardinote, (or ward-meeting,) that is vacant ; lie is admitted, and is sworn into office by the lord-mayor and the other aldermen. Amongst their privileges, they arc exempt from sitting in inferior offices; they can neither be put upon assizes, nor serve On juries. See Millar on Go o'ernment, vol. i. p. 78. Flume's Hist. vol. i. p. 211. note G. (e)