Lit. 'a place man'. An important officer of the royal household, perhaps equiv. to the 10c *pedesecus. The title's origin is disputed; since the earliest known stallers were Danes, it was perhaps introduced in the time of Cnut. Since it is not recorded in contemporary sources until Edward the Confessor's reign, it has been seen as an English equivalent of the continental *con-stable. [OldEngl. steallere < OldEngl. stallari = marshal; or < Lat. constabularius = man in charge of the stables]
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.