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Concept
Sheriff
Summary
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly translated to English as sherif.
Historically, a sheriff was a legal official with responsibility for a shire, the term being a contraction of
"shire reeve" (Old English scīrgerefa). The sheriff would manage a county on behalf of the king. Typical duties would include the collection of taxes. This process involved each division of the county (known as the hundred) paying geld (a form of land tax). To assess how much everyone had to pay, a clerk and a knight were sent by the king to each county, they sat with the sheriff of the county and a select group of local knights. There would be two knights from each hundred. After it was determined what geld had to be paid, then the knights of the hundred and the bailiff of the hundred were responsible for getting the money to the sheriff, and the sheriff to the Exchequer.
In British English, the political or legal office of a sheriff, term of office of a sheriff, or jurisdiction of a sheriff, is called a shrievalty in England and Wales, and a sheriffdom in Scotland.
In modern times, the specific combination of legal, political and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country.
In England, Northern Ireland, or Wales, a sheriff (or high sheriff) is a ceremonial county or city official.
In Scotland, sheriffs are judges.
In the Republic of Ireland, in some counties and in the cities of Dublin and Cork, sheriffs are legal officials similar to bailiffs.
In the United States, a sheriff is a sworn law enforcement officer whose duties vary across states and counties. A sheriff is generally an elected county official, with duties that typically include policing unincorporated areas, maintaining county jails, providing security to courts in the county, and (in some states) serving warrants and court papers.
Official source
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