With two such catchpoles as Henry and Uncle Fred at his heels there was nothing left for Grandpa Piper but to sign his abdication to the drapery business.1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 247:
2
A sheriff’s officer, usually one who arrests debtors.
Historical An implement formerly used for seizing and securing a person who would otherwise be out of reach.
The use of the catch-pole is said to have been to take horsemen in battle by the neck and drag them from their horses.1843, Henry Shaw, Dresses and Decorations of the Middle Ages, W Pickering: