A poundmaster, or poundkeeper, was a local government official responsible for the feeding and care of stray

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

such as

domestic pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, and

geese A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...

. This was common in

colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 1776, during the Re ...

and continued into the 19th century. Unlike today, the control of stray

companion animals A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, intel ...

(cats and dogs) was not the duty of the poundmaster.

Duties and function

The poundmaster was tasked with impounding livestock that were loose in a city, town, or village. Wayward animals were brought to the

pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

by the poundmaster,

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

s, or private citizens. The poundmaster would attempt to notify the owner, who could pay a fine and any associated fees, and claim the animal(s). If unclaimed, the animals would be sold at auction. More valuable livestock could require longer periods of public notification before an auction. In

New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, in the early 19th century, the poundmaster was required by law to sell unclaimed impounded animals within six days and give 48 hours' notice of the sale. The owner could claim the proceeds of the sale (less fines and fees) for one year after the sale at which time the money would be transferred to the

overseer of the poor An overseer of the poor was an official who administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing in England and various other countries which derived their law from England, such as the United States. England In England, overseers of the po ...

for their use. Fees include the fee for the poundmaster plus daily feeding costs of the animals, fees of any

fence viewer A fence viewer is a town or city official who administers fence laws by inspecting new fences and settles disputes arising from trespass by livestock that had escaped enclosure. The office of fence viewer is one of the oldest appointments in New En ...

s involved in the case, and any property damages assessed by the fence-viewers. A New York State law of March 19, 1813 required each town to choose as many poundmasters as the electors determined to be "necessary and convenient." While other town officials were elected by secret ballot, the

town clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

used a blank sheet of paper to write the names of poundmaster candidates and record their votes. In some areas, the poundmaster would slaughter the animals and sell only the meat. In the 18th century, the pound was typically a centrally located stone fenced enclosure. Two such partially surviving structures, the

Pownal Cattle Pound The Pownal Cattle Pound is a historic stone animal pound in Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal, Maine. Built in 1818, it is one of a modest number of these once-common structures left in the state. It was listed on the National Register of ...

and the Turner Cattle Pound, both in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Since the need to deal with stray livestock today is rare, the function has evolved into the modern dog-catcher or

animal control officer An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals, including wild animals, dangerous animals, and animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity was once kn ...

. While not commonly used, the term poundmaster is often found in local government charters. It is referring to the person in charge of a (companion animal)

Other countries

The poundmaster also existed in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and may go back to

England in the Middle Ages England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Middle Ages, medieval period, from the end of the 5th century through to the start of the Early modern Britain, early modern period in 1485. When England emerged from the co ...

References

{{reflist 19th-century disestablishments in the United States Animal law Animal care occupations Civil services Colonization history of the United States Local government in the United States Obsolete occupations