shire reeve was an England term for sheriff?

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shire reeve was an England term for sheriff?

2007-03-04 09:12:54 · 3 answers · asked by keekee123 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay

3 answers

Yup.
The Shire Reeve was in charge of maintaining order in the realm.
The Shire Reeve has been shortened to the term, 'Sheriff'.

2007-03-04 09:17:35 · answer #1 · answered by CyberCop 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

A shire is an English town, and a reeve was an Anglo-Saxon official of high rank exerting local jurisdiction, so a shire reeve is a high ranking official in charge of keeping the peace in every shire.

2007-03-04 17:27:36 · answer #2 · answered by cbee 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋

You're absolutely correct. Shire reeve is today abbreviated to 'sheriff' but there's no explanation for how that last 'v' got transformed into two 'f's.

2007-03-04 17:25:42 · answer #3 · answered by old lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋