From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbeadlebea‧dle /ˈbiːdl/ noun [countable] BORRCan officer in British churches in the past, who helped the priest in various ways, especially by keeping order
Examples from the Corpus
beadle• The ward bailiffs and beadles are not interested.• They were in the custody of the court beadle who lived some distance away.• The feeling of contentment produced by gin-and-water had now disappeared, and the beadle was in a bad mood once more.• The Presbytery appoints the beadle of the parish to summond him pro secundo.• It was, in fact, Mr Bumble the beadle, Oliver's old enemy.• Discreet chorales endorse the beadle, who gathers cash on a wooden plate.• A very beadle to a humorous sigh. 