Messenger of the Court

In common law, a Messenger of the Court is an officer of the court whose duties include, carrying written or verbal communications and executing orders of the court. In the case of a bankruptcy court, the Messenger's duties include seizing and taking possession of the bankrupt's estate.{{cite book|last=Black|first=Henry Campbell|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_R2c8AAAAIAAJ/page/n785/mode/2up|title=A Law Dictionary|date=|publisher=West Publishing Company|year=1910|location=St. Paul, Minnesota|page=776}}

In the Plymouth Colony, the Messenger's duties included serving summonses, keeping the jail, and carrying out executions.{{cite book|last=Stratton|first=Eugene Aubrey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TH062rPP2MC|title=Plymouth Colony, Its History & People, 1620–1691|date=|publisher=Ancestry Publishing|year=1986|isbn=9780916489182|edition=illustrated, annotated|page=306}}