The Tudor Sheriff: A Study in Early Modern Administration

Description

Sheriffs were among the most important local office-holders in early modern England. They were generalist officers of the king responsible for executing legal process, holding local courts, empanelling juries, making arrests, executing criminals, collecting royal revenue, holding parliamentary elections, and many other vital duties. Although sheriffs have a cameo role in virtually every book about early modern England, the precise nature of their work has remained something of a mystery. The Tudor Sheriff offers the first comprehensive analysis of the shrieval system between 1485 and 1603. It demonstrates that this system was not abandoned to decay in the Tudor period, but was effectively reformed to ensure its continued relevance. Jonathan McGovern shows that sheriffs were not in competition with other branches of local government, such as the Lords Lieutenant and justices of the peace, but rather cooperated effectively with them. Since the office of sheriff was closely related to every other branch of government, a study of the sheriff is also a study of English government at work. Cover Title_Pages Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Tables Conventions and Abbreviations A Typical High Sheriff ’s Calendar 1. Introduction 2. Fundamentals 3. Appointment and First Days in Office 4. The Execution and Return of Writs 5. Police Powers, Prison Keeping, and Other Duties 6. The County Court 7. The Sheriff ’s Tourn 8. The London Sheriffs’ Court and the York Court of Pleas 9. Revenue Collection and Accounting at the Exchequer 10. Conclusion Appendix 1: List of Known Sheriffs’ Tourns Appendix 2: Undersheriffs in England, Ireland, and Wales Appendix 3: Undersheriffs and Attorneys of the London Sheriffs’ Court (1537‒c.1601) Appendix 4: Bonds and Indentures Appendix 5: The Status of Sheriffs Glossary Bibliography Index