County Shrievalty

The sheriff's administration of the county containing the March, with its surveyed shrievalty line; the higher office sits at the county town and an under-sheriff's staff works from Harrowgate. It issues writs, assesses taxes and makes returns.

The Crown's county office for the march, based at Harrowgate. It keeps the local register of recovered land, writes the annual returns sent south, calls the muster, issues warrants and serves judgements. It has only two bailiffs of its own.

Named with it

• Under-Sheriff Ralph Kexby · Notes for a Successor, 4620
• Under-Sheriff Cuthbert Ilkley · A Reading of the Black Thorn Roll, 4621
• Under-Clerk Peter Hawnby · Returns Made to the Sheriff
• Sheriff Reynold Bossall
• Sheriff's Clerk Robert Tyas
• Sheriff's Clerk Aaron Bewerley

Ties

• serves the Crown
• adjourns the assize when the Westminster justice is stopped by snow
• answers to the Crown and Westminster
• calls the northern march muster
• keeps the local register of recovery claims
• Under-Sheriff has visited the valley held by a stayed reclamation company

At the table

Its returns cannot name ground a district has given up on its own, writing only negatives ('not in use, not maintained, no return received'); a Crown officer's own closings go on the 'shut list'. Crossing the shrievalty line changes only which sheriff may arrest a man. It has a small purse, but its written warrant opens doors everywhere in the march. Standing commissions include serving a judgement at Redham and asking why four parishes stopped mustering. The Under-Sheriff keeps an unfunded list of eleven jobs. The returns are accurate in every figure yet give Westminster a false picture. Presenting oneself as the sheriff's man is an offence the assize takes seriously.