Bailiff

A bailiff is a governor, a legal officer for the government. There are many different kinds of bailiffs, and they have different jobs. The word comes from the Latin word, baiulivus.

Medieval bailiffs

Great Britain

The word was first used in England for the king's officers, such as sheriffs and mayors. It was also the title for the chief officer of a hundred. The sheriff looked after an area called his bailiwick. Bailiff is kept as a title by the chief magistrates of various towns and the keepers of royal castles, such as the High Bailiff of Westminster, and the Bailiff of Dover Castle. In a medieval manor, a bailiff was in charge of the farming.