Reeve (England) facts for kids
In old Anglo-Saxon England, a reeve was an important local official. They worked for the king or queen. For example, a reeve might be the main leader of a town or a whole area.
After the Normans took over England, the reeve's job changed. They became a manager of a large farm estate, called a manor. They also watched over the peasants who worked the land. One historian, H. R. Loyn, said the reeve was "the earliest English specialist in estate management." This means they were the first people in England to really focus on managing big land areas.
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Reeves in Anglo-Saxon England
Before the Norman Conquest (which happened in 1066), a reeve (from the Old English word ġerēfa) was an officer who helped manage things. They were usually lower in rank than a powerful ealdorman or earl. The word ġerēfa was first a general term, but it soon got a more specific meaning.
Land was divided into areas called hides. A hide was enough farmland to support one family. Ten hides made up a tithings. The families living there (supposedly ten of them) had to help each other. This was like an early form of neighbourhood watch, where everyone was responsible for the group. This system was called frankpledge.
Groups of ten tithings were called hundreds. They were named this because they were supposed to contain 100 hides. Even today, many of these old "hundreds" still have their original borders. Each hundred had a constable in charge. Groups of hundreds formed bigger areas called shires. Each shire was controlled by an earl.
Every one of these units (tithings, hundreds, shires) had a court. A reeve was the officer who made sure the court's decisions were carried out. So, there were different kinds of reeves:
- A high-reeve
- A town-reeve
- A port-reeve (for towns with ports)
- A shire-reeve (who later became known as the sheriff)
- A reeve of a hundred
- A reeve of a manor
Sometimes, historians like Bede used the Latin word praefectus (which means "prefect" in modern English) to describe a reeve. However, some old West-Saxon documents used praefectus only for the more important ealdormen (earls).
Reeves After the Norman Conquest
After the Normans took over, a new system called feudalism was brought to England. This system organized land around large estates called manors. It worked alongside the existing local courts. Landlords had managers called stewards to run their manors. The Norman word for a court official was bailiff. This word started to be used for reeves who worked in lower-level courts or in the feudal courts of landlords.
Courts did more than just settle legal fights. They also handled daily tasks, like managing farm fields. So, a manorial bailiff might be told to make sure certain crops were collected. They also enforced rules, like making sure debts were paid. Sometimes, bailiffs had helpers to do these tasks. This is when the term "reeve" started to be used for this helper role. A reeve would assist the steward, and sometimes the bailiff, by directly supervising the daily work on a manor's land.
This new type of reeve was very important to the manorial system. They had to watch over the work that peasants were required to do for the lord of the manor. This work was part of the deal for holding land on the manor. Reeve's generally oversaw the serfs and peasants on the estate. They were also in charge of many money matters for the manor. This included selling farm products, collecting money, and paying bills.
The reeve was usually a peasant themselves. They were chosen once a year, often around Michaelmas (September 29th). In some manors, the lord of the manor picked the reeve. But in others, the peasants voted for their reeve. The lord might or might not have the power to say no to their choice. It depended on the manor's traditions. However, choosing by election became more common. An elected reeve was probably easier for the other peasants to obey. Sometimes, if an elected reeve made a mistake with money, the peasants would have to pay for it.
Even though the reeve reported to the steward, the steward might not live on the manor. A steward might manage many manors and usually didn't get involved in the daily work. A good reeve who did their job well and was trusted by both the lord and the peasants often stayed in office for a long time. By the 1300s, the reeve was often a permanent officer of the manor.
Later, the feudal system slowly ended. New officials called justices of the peace (magistrates) took over many court duties. Because of this, the role of the reeve as a manor manager eventually stopped being used.
The Reeve in Chaucer's Tales
There is a famous story about a reeve from the late 1300s. This reeve is one of the travelers going to Canterbury in Geoffrey Chaucer's famous book, The Canterbury Tales. The book's introduction describes this man very well. He used to be a carpenter but had worked as a reeve for many years and was quite old.
The Reeve's Tale is the third story in The Canterbury Tales. In it, Chaucer describes a very skilled servant. No one could trick or outsmart him. He was never in debt and knew exactly how much the manor should produce. This is an early picture of a very reliable accountant. He was a bit cold, but everyone needed him.
See also
- High-reeve
- Reeve (Canada)
- Sheriff
- Verderer
