Daily AncestorPound keeper
A pound keeper was a town officer who looked after the pound, the enclosure where stray livestock were held until their owners paid to reclaim them.
Many towns built a walled or fenced pound for stray cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. The pound keeper fed the animals, recorded them and collected fees before releasing them.
Unclaimed animals could be sold. The office appears in town meeting records, and some old stone pounds still stand.
As seen in a recordTown meeting records
Voted: Eli Bates, pound keeper
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Pound keeper." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/pound-keeper. Last checked 2026-10-01.