aldermanate

From alderman +‎ -ate (forming nouns denoting rank or office).

aldermanate (usually uncountable, plural aldermanates)

1. The office of an alderman; the municipal legislative body of a city or town.
   • 1880, William Stubbs, The Constitutional History of England:

     As York was not divided into wards before the reign of Charles II, we must trace the existence of the aldermanate either to the ancient guild system, or to the combination of the merchant guild with the leet jury.

   • 1904, Frank Maloy Anderson, The Constitutions and Other Select Documents Illustrative of the History of France, 1789-1907, page 24:

     The actually existing municipalities in each city, borough, parish, or community, under the titles of hotels-dc-villc, mayoralties, aldermanates, consulates, and generally under any title or qualification whatsoever, are suppressed and abolished;

   • 1990, Stephen Porter, Exploring urban history: sources for local historians, page 99:

     Other fees were taken from new members of common councils, those who were raised to the aldermanate, and sometimes from those who resigned as councillors.

2. The members of the aldermanate, collectively.
   • 2006, Michael O'Donnell, Doctor Donovan's Bequest: Tales from the Slagthorpe Archive:

     The Lord Mayor and the aldermanate, who knew nothing about Finbar, were delighted to accept his generous offer.

   • 2015, Stephen Porter, London and the Civil War:

     This gave the army ample justification for its occupation of London in early August, which, as in 1642, was followed by a purge of the aldermanate.