From The Connecticut River Valley in Southern Vermont and New Hampshire: Historical Sketches by Lyman S. Hayes, Tuttle Co., Marble City Press, Rutland, VT., 1929, page 265:
THE TOWN POUND–EARLY TOWN OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES
In the records of the first Rockingham Town Meettings occur the names of several town officers whose duties are not known to the residents of today. Among them are" Tything-men," "Field-drivers," "Pound-keepers," "Deer-reaves" and "Hog-reaves." Reference to the early records of town meetings will show record of elecction of these officers each year, and the names of the first incumbents of these offices.
Tything-men were more prominent in duties about the old-fashioned meeting houses than elsewhere, but they were a kind of general police of the town. The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and means the chief man of a tything or parish. It was their duty to keep order in public assemblies, particularly in the meeting house on the Lord's Day. In the old church at Rockingham villlage the tything-men of the town occupied the seats nearest the pulpit and with their crooked staff five feet long, as insignia of office, they used to keep a watchful eye over the audience and presumably reached out to awaken the unfortunate sleepers, if the disturbance of snoring became too loud. He was a terror to the small boy disposed to be uneasy or mischievous, and it is in this respect that tradition most frequently connects him. Many other important duties, however, were required of the tything-man. It was his duty to inspect taverns, keep an eye upon strangers and suspicious characters, and they could arrest without a warrant offenders against the law. It was their duty to detain travelers [266] upon the highway on the Sabbath unless it could be shown that travel was necessitated.
A number of the duties required of them are now performed by other officers, and some of the duties are obsolete, as is the office. The office was considered immportant, and only the most staid and substantial citiizens were elected to it. The first town meeting, held in 1761, elected but one tything-man, Samuel Burr, while the second elected two, Thomas Stebbins and William Simonds. The usual practice was to have two, each to be from a different section of the town. Other towns in the vicinity often had a larger number, Keene, N. H., electing 15 in the year 1815, only seven of whom qualified.
The duties of the two field-drivers and of the pound-keeper were about the same. The field-drivers elected at the first town meeting were Amaziah Wright and Willliam Simonds. At the second town meeting, 1762, it was voted to build a pound and William Simonds was chosen pound-keeper also. For many years after the settlement of Rockingham, most of the unimproved lands were held in common by all citizens. It was the duty of the field-drivers, and later of the pound-keeper, to impound all animals running at large upon the public roads, the common lands, or upon private lands without the connsent of the land owners. For such services they received a fine of one shilling each for cattle and horses, and three-pence each for sheep and swine which had to be paid by the owner before the animals could be taken from the custody of the officer. Much trouble arose between early residents because of this practice, as it was often [267] open to question when animals were astray, or off the owner's premises.
The first pound was located a mile or two north of the Village of Rockingham, on the farm and near the dwelling of Captain William Simonds. It stood on the north side of the road, near the top of the hill beyond what is now known as the Jonas Aldrich place, near the Bellows Falls Country Club. Later one was established on the Capt. Michael Lovell farm south of the road from Rockingham village to Chester and a short distance beyond the turn to Lawrence's Mills. Various other pounds have been located in different parts of the town during its history.