Like the word sheriff itself, the office of sheriff has an interesting history.

Sheriffs have served and protected the English-speaking peoples for a thousand years.  The Office of Sheriff and the law enforcement, judicial and correctional functions he performs are more than 1000 years old.  The Office of Sheriff dates back at least to the reign of Alfred the Great of England, and some scholars even argue that the Office of Sheriff was first created during the Roman occupation of England.

In Anglo-Saxon, England a  reeve was an officer who was appointed by the king to be responsible for the public business of the locality. A high-ranking official, the shire-reeve was the representative of the royal authority in a shire or county.

The shire-reeve or King’s representative in each county became the Sheriff as the English language changed over the years.  The shire-reeve, or Sheriff, was the chief law enforcement officer of each county in the year 1000 AD.  He still has the same function in the United States today.

Clearly, the Sheriff is the only viable officer remaining of the ancient offices, and his contemporary responsibility as conservator of the peace has been influenced greatly by modern society. 

Now, more than ever before in history, law enforcement is faced with complex, moving, rapid changes in methodology, technology, and social attitudes.  As Thomas Jefferson wrote in his THE VALUE OF CONSTITUTIONS,  “the Office of Sheriff is the most important of all the executive offices of the county."

Lynchburg's History of Sheriffs

Some of America's firsts