A historical term for a student or servant at a university, particularly at Oxford, responsible for providing meals and managing college accounts.
From Middle English and Old French 'buteler' (butler), derived from 'bote' (wine cask). The term evolved to describe college staff who managed provisions and accounts.
Oxford and Cambridge batlers were the original college workers—think of them as part butler, part accountant, keeping records and distributing meals to students centuries before cafeterias existed!
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