Note 626 — Chapter XIII
Reading edition
It used to be thought that “lodemenage” had some connection with the mariner’s compass, but this is not the case. The word is a hybrid, part English, part French, and means “pilotage.” It is used several times in that sense in 3 George i. c. 13. Compare with it, “Loadsman” (the priest), “Loadstar,” and “Loads-stone,” all agreeing in their composition with “load,” i.e. some leading or guiding influence.