SHERIFF, the Shire-Reve (scyr-ge refa), from the Saxon word recifan, "to levy, to seize," whence also Breve. The German word is graf. The gerefa seems to have been a fiscal officer. In the Saxon period he represented the lord of a district, whether township or hundred, at the folkmote of the county ; and within his district he levied the lord's dues, and per formed some of his judicial functions. (Palgrave, Rise and Progr., i. 82.) He was usually not appointed by the lord, but elected by the freeholders of the dis trict; and, accompanied by four of them, was required to be present on its behalf, as well as on the lord's, at the folkmote or county court. In like manner the Saxon prince or king employed in the shires or larger districts his gerefa or reve, who levied his dues, fines, and amerciaments ; to whom his writs were addressed ; who excercised on his behalf regal rights in the shire, for the preservation of the peace and the punishment of offenders ; presided over the courts-leet or views of frank pledge, and (at least in the absence of the earl in antient times, and since the Con quest instead of the earl) presided over the hundred and county courts. It is difficult to determine how far the func tions of the sheriff were concurrent with, and how far derived from; the ealderman or earl of Saxon and Danish times; and the confusion between these offices has been increased by the translation, in our antient laws, of the word sheriff in the Latin into vice comes, and in Norman French into visconte or viscount (deputy of the earl); whereas certainly many of the sheriff's polders even in Saxon times were derived from the freeholders, or from the crown alone, and the word graf (gerefa) in German was equivalent to our earl. That before and for a century after the Conquest the sheriff had powers inde pendent of the earl, is obvious from the fact, that in the circuit (tours) which he made periodically (Spelman's Gl., Vice Comes ') of his shire for the administra tion of justice (as the Saxon king made a circuit of his realm), he was accompanied not only by the freeholders, but by the bishop, the earl, and barons, until these noblemen were exempted from the duty by statute 52 Henry III. c. 10 (s.o. 1267).
Sometimes the shrievalty, by grant of the crown, was hereditary ; it was often held for life, or for many years, and there were sometimes more sheriffs than one in a county,th. persons chosen for the office being, according to Spelman, " totius regretproceres :" but the sheriff was usually chosen by the freeholders of the shire. The statute 28 Edward I. c. 8,
which says that " the king bath granted onto his people that they shall have elec tion of their sheriff in every shire (where the sheriff is not fixed in fee) if they list," is rather declaratory of the people's right than a grant of a new privilege. By the 14 Edward III. c. 7, it is enacted that no sheriff tarry in his bailiwick more than a year, and then another, who bath laud sufficient in his bailiwick, shall be ordained on the morrow cf All Souls 3rd November) by the chancellor, treasurer, and chief baron of the exchequer, taking to them the chief justices of either bench if they be present.
At present the crown in most cases appoints the sheriffs, and also fills up any vacancy which is occasioned by the death of a sheriff during his year of office. To some corporations of cities which are counties of themselves charters have given the power to elect their own sheriffs; and the city of London has the perpetual right to elect the sheriff of Middlesex. In the county of Durham the bishop NI as sheriff until he was deprived of palatine powers in 1836; and in Westmoreland the office is hereditary in the family of the earl of Thanet as heir-general of the Viponts, to whom the shrievalty was granted by King John. The annual ap pointment of sheriffs is now in most coun ties made thus :—On the morrow of St. Martin (12th November), the lord chan cellor, first lord of the treasury, and chan cellor of the exchequer, together with all the judges of the three courts of common law, meet in the exchequer chamber. the chancellor of the exchequer presiding. The judges then report the names of three fit persons in each county, and of these the first on the list is chosen, unless he assigns good reasons for exemption. The list thus made is again considered at a meeting of the Cabinet held on the morrow of the Purification (3rd Feb ruary), at the president of the council's, and attended by the clerks of the council, when the excuses of the parties nominated are again examined, and the names are finally determined on for the approval of the queen, who, at a meeting of the privy council, pierces the parchment with a punch opposite the name of the person selected for each county ; and hence has arisen the expression of " pricking the sheriffs." The judges of assize annually add the requisite number of names to their lists by inserting those of persons recommended by the sheriff who goes out of office.