Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†BATTONMAN, n. 1. A constable, tipstaff.Edb. 1798 Edb. Weekly Jnl. (2 May) 143:
To which Meetings they shall conveen the Constables, ordinary and extraordinary, Battonmen, Schoolmasters, and other persons whose assistance shall be necessary for the purpose of carrying the said measures into execution.
2. One who carried a baton or draped stick at a funeral, a hired mourner.Rxb. 1747 in T. Lever Lessudden Ho. (1971) 55:
To 4 Battonmen . . . 4s.
