'Burgess oath' definitions:

Definition of 'Burgess oath'

From: GCIDE
  • Burgess \Bur"gess\, n. [OE. burgeis, OF. burgeis, fr. burcfortified town, town, F. bourg village, fr. LL. burgus fort, city; from the German; cf. MHG. burc, G. burg. See 1st Borough, and cf. 2d Bourgeois.]
  • 1. An inhabitant of a borough or walled town, or one who possesses a tenement therein; a citizen or freeman of a borough. --Blackstone. [1913 Webster]
  • Note: "A burgess of a borough corresponds with a citizen of a city." --Burrill. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. One who represents a borough in Parliament. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. A magistrate of a borough. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. An inhabitant of a Scotch burgh qualified to vote for municipal officers. [1913 Webster]
  • Note: Before the Revolution, the representatives in the popular branch of the legislature of Virginia were called burgesses; they are now called delegates. [1913 Webster]
  • Burgess oath. See Burgher, 2. [1913 Webster]