Legal Definitions - profer

Historically, "profer" referred to an offer or a proffer. In a more specific historical context, it also described a sheriff's return of an account into the Exchequer.

The term profer is a historical legal concept, primarily used in medieval English law, referring to the formal presentation of something. It has two main applications:

• An Offer or Proffer: In this sense, a profer was a formal proposal or offer made by one party to another, often in a legal or dispute resolution context, put forward for consideration or acceptance.

  • Example: During a land dispute in 13th-century England, if a baron wished to avoid a trial by combat, he might make a profer of a specific sum of money or a portion of the contested land to his opponent as a formal settlement proposal.

    Explanation: Here, the baron's act of formally presenting a specific offer to resolve the conflict without further litigation illustrates "profer" as a deliberate and official proposal.

• A Sheriff's Account to the Exchequer: Historically, a profer also referred to the formal submission of financial accounts by a sheriff to the Exchequer. The Exchequer was the central treasury and court of accounts in medieval England, responsible for managing royal finances.

  • Example: A sheriff in 15th-century Kent, after collecting taxes, fines, and other royal revenues within their county for a quarter, would be required to travel to Westminster. There, they would make a profer to the Exchequer, presenting detailed records and the collected funds to account for their stewardship.

    Explanation: This example demonstrates the sheriff's formal duty to present a comprehensive financial report and the collected monies to the central government authority, which was known as making a "profer" to the Exchequer.