sumner
n. countablen. a person whose job was to call people to appear in a church court. This is an old word for a job that does not exist anymore.
n. an official responsible for summoning individuals to appear before an ecclesiastical court. Historically associated with the medieval church and famously depicted in Middle English literature.
The sumner arrived at the village to deliver the court's message.
In medieval England, a sumner was often feared because he could force people to answer for their sins in a religious court.
Chaucer’s depiction of the sumner in The Canterbury Tales presents a corrupt figure who uses his power to extort money from those he is meant to bring to justice.
Archaic; primarily encountered in historical contexts or medieval literature.