In
England, a 'reeve' was an official elected annually by the
serfs to supervise lands for a
lord. The 'reeve' himself was a serf. He had many duties such as making sure the
serfs started work on time and ensuring that no one was cheating the lord out of money. The system was introduced by the
Saxons, dating at least to the
7th century, and continued after the
Norman conquest.
The reeve of an entire
shire was a Shire-reeve, predecessor to the
Sheriff.
See also:
UK topics
External links
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Medieval Sourcebook: Manorial Management & Organization, c. 1275