1. The plural of beadledom; the domain, authority, or petty jurisdiction of a beadle (a minor parish or church official); also, the characteristic behavior or attitudes of beadles, especially officious or pedantic enforcement of rules.
Usage: archaic; chiefly British; often used critically or humorously to denote petty bureaucratic authority

Examples

• The novel satirized the beadledoms of Victorian parish life.
• He chafed under the beadledoms imposed by the church authorities.
• The story mocked the various beadledoms that governed small-town conduct.
• Such beadledoms were common in nineteenth-century English villages.