Catchpoles were the debt collectors of the 16th century
Working as a debt collector is not something new or out of the ordinary nowadays. But it may not be known that there were also debt collectors back in England during the 16th century. Even 400 years ago, people fell into debt. In those cases back then, people could count on the “catchpoles” to get their money back.
Even in the 16th century, people hated debt collectors. During the British colonization, catchpoles were the ones who used to roam the towns and cities, collecting all the unpaid taxes and monetary debts. Nowadays, the word remains a surname, but it is, understandably, not super popular.