Crossword Genius

Instructed to lay down their heads (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

told

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'instructed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'to lay down their heads' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'to' is found in the answer.
'down' could be 'd' and 'd' is present in the answer.
A single letter 'l' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for told that I've seen before include "Assured" , "instructed" , "Made an impact" , "Produced effect; related" , "Said" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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