sheriffs

• Norman men who;

  • represented the king
  • collected the tax
  • answered to nobody but the king
  • administrated the royal demesne
• Importance - increased

  • appointed by the king, answered to nobody but the king - undisputed leaders of their shire - if they failed to keep control over their land, they forfeited their role
  • some were tenant-in-chiefs
  • some were castellans
• law and order

  • new laws to enforce - kept the legal system and responsibility for law and order but also new laws to punish rebellions and capture and punish those who broke the forest laws
  • lost some legal duties to the new church courts and some responsibilities over land issues as manorial and baronial courts took over due to the new feudal system
• defence

  • organise defence and the fyrd
  • not more important the knight service via the feudal system
  • main military role as castellans - people who look after castles
• were resented by many Anglo Saxons as they could;

  • keep some of the money they got from collecting taxes and fines - this meant they overtaxed people heavily so they could get rich
  • take money out of the demesne land once they extracted what the king wanted
  • forefront of land grabbing - no one could complain as they had the most power in their shires
• demesne land -

  ruled directly by the king

  the sheriff administrates it for him