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A '''sheriff''' is a [[shire]]-[[reeve]] in [[England]].

They were Royal appointments, and were often "sold" -- that is, someone who wished to be sheriff would pay the King an amount for the job, which represented a "fair" tax-return, and was then allowed to levy [[tax]]es for the [[King]] but keep what he obtained.  This balanced the need of the King for ready cash with the greed of the would-be sheriff.


''This article is just a stub. Feel welcome to elaborate on the development of the roles and responsibilities of period sheriffs.''
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