We don’t know precisely when the office of sheriff came into being, but educated estimates place it sometime before the Norman Conquest of England. When William the Conqueror crossed the Channel, he found the countryside already divided into administrative units called shires, and within each shire was a reeve whose responsibility it was to conduct the King’s affairs.
These shire reeves not only collected taxes but kept the King’s peace as well. They had the authority to raise the “Hue and Cry” for the pursuit of thieves and other criminals. All who heard that cry were obligated and bound by honor to join the pursuit until the scoundrel was captured or the reeve called off the search.
After 1066, William appropriated the office of shire reeve and in a short time, the two words became one. The shire reeve became the sheriff.