Ealdorman

Imagine you are playing a game with a group of kids, and there is one kid who is in charge of making important decisions for everyone. This kid is called the ealdorman. The word ealdorman comes from an old word which means "elder" or "older man", and this is because the ealdorman is usually an older and wiser person.

In the olden times, when people lived in small villages and didn't have a government like we do today, they needed someone to lead and make decisions for the community. The ealdorman was chosen by the people in the village because they were trusted to make fair and smart choices.

The ealdorman's job was to keep everyone safe and make sure things ran smoothly in the village. They would listen to any problems or disagreements that people had and try to find a solution that was fair for everyone. They would also help organize things like building projects, farming, and defense against enemies.

The ealdorman would have helpers called householders or thegns. These helpers were like the ealdorman's special team. They would help with important tasks and give advice to the ealdorman on what to do.

While the ealdorman had a lot of power, they also had a lot of responsibility. They had to make decisions that would affect everyone's lives in the village, so they had to be very careful and thoughtful when making choices. It was important for the ealdorman to be fair and not favor one person over another.

In summary, the ealdorman was like the boss of a village. They were chosen by the people to make decisions and take care of everyone. They had helpers and had to be fair and responsible in their job.