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LSDefine
Simple English definitions for legal terms
reeve
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A quick definition of reeve:
A reeve is a person who used to have an important job in England a long time ago. They were in charge of a place called a hundred, which was like a small area with its own rules and laws. The reeve made sure everyone followed the rules and went to court if they didn't. Sometimes, the reeve was also in charge of a town or village. There were different types of reeves, like a borough reeve who was in charge of a small town, or a shire-reeve who was in charge of a whole area called a shire. Nowadays, we don't have reeves anymore, but we have other people who do similar jobs to keep our communities safe and fair.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: A reeve (reev) is a historical ministerial officer of high rank who had local jurisdiction. They were the chief magistrate of a hundred and executed process, kept the peace, and enforced the law by holding court within the hundred.
There were different types of reeves:
- A minor officer serving the Crown at the hundred level; a bailiff or deputy-sheriff.
- An overseer of a manor, parish, or the like.
- The head of an unincorporated municipality in England.
- The reeve of a shire, who was a forerunner of the sheriff.
For example, in Anglo-Saxon times, the reeve was an independent official, and the hundred-moot was not a preliminary stage to the shire-moot at all. But after the Conquest, the hundred assembly lost its importance very quickly. The reeve of the hundred became the deputy of the sheriff, and the chief purpose of holding the hundred court was to enable the sheriff to hold his tourn and to permit a ‘view of frankpledge,’ i.e., an inspection of the person who ought to belong to the frankpledge system.
Another example is the borough reeve, who was the head of an unincorporated municipality in England.
The examples illustrate how the reeve was an important historical figure who had local jurisdiction and was responsible for executing process, keeping the peace, and enforcing the law. They were also responsible for overseeing different areas, such as manors, parishes, and municipalities. The reeve of the hundred became the deputy of the sheriff, and the chief purpose of holding the hundred court was to enable the sheriff to hold his tourn and to permit a ‘view of frankpledge.’