Joseph Andrews Glossary

Glossary of Terms

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.