alderman
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ALDERMAN. An officer, generally appointed or elected in towns corporate, or
cities, possessing various powers in different places.
2. The aldermen of the cities of Pennsylvania, possess all the powers
and jurisdictions civil and criminal of justices of the peace. They are
besides, in conjunction with the respective mayors or recorders, judges of
the mayor's courts.
3. Among the Saxons there was an officer called the ealderman.
ealdorman, or aldernwn, which appellation signified literally elderman. Like
the Roman senator, he was so called, not on account of his age, but because
of his wisdom and dignity, non propter oetatem sed propter sapientism et
dignitatem. He presided with the bishop at the scyregemote, and was, ex
officio, a member of the witenagemote. At one time he was a military
officer, but afterwards his office was purely judicial.
4. There were several kinds of aldermen, as king's aldermen, aldermen
of all England, aldermen of the county, aldermen of the hundred, &c., to
denote difference of rank and jurisdiction.