Sheriff's Office History

The first sheriff in America is believed to be Captain William Stone, appointed in 1634 for the Shire of Northampton in the colony of Virginia. The first elected sheriff was William Waters in 1652 in the same shire (shire was used in many of the colonies before the word county replaced it.)

Most would probably believe that the office of Sheriff is quintessentially American.  In fact, it is wholly British in origin, as is the office of Coroner.

While the origins of the sheriff date back more than 1000 years, the history of the American sheriff began in Virginia in 1634 when British soldiers were replaced by a civil government.

As royal property holdings were divided into manageable administrative units called “shires”, Saxon kings appointed “reeves” or guardians to protect their interests.  Throughout the medieval period, shire-reeves, or sheriff’s as they would come to be known, had great and terrible authority.

As the King’s representatives, they had powers of arrest, could raise armies, collect taxes and fines and deal with traitors.  Naturally, this unbridled authority led to great opportunities for extortion and corruption.

The office of the Royal Sheriff was reformed, in a sense, but remained critically important to the Crown for hundreds of years.  In fact, of the 63 clauses of the Magna Carta, 27 are directly concerned with the sheriff and his office.

One of the reforms included the appointment of “Crowners” in each county to, amongst other duties, provide a system of oversight for the corrupt and greedy sheriffs.

The coroner, as we now know the position today, dates back to September 1194, during the reign of Richard the Lionheart.  Among other administrative duties, the Royal Coroner was to respond to the scene of sudden deaths.  Not to determine a cause or provide for the security of the remains, but to assure those who discovered the body or who were otherwise involved, reacted in compliance with the King’s convoluted requirements in such an event.  If not, penalties were assessed and fines collected.  It cost a lot of money to maintain a monarchy.

In fact, there simply is nowhere on earth that today enjoys the protection of a “high sheriff” or coroner that once wasn’t under British rule, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Kenya, and Hong Kong.

Today, the obligations and expectations of the Merced County Sheriff/Coroner are well defined by California law. Included in his responsibilities today is the duty to maintain jail facilities, preserve peace, make arrests, prevent and suppress affrays, breaches of the peace, riots, and insurrections.  Additionally, the Sheriff is compelled to investigate public offenses and search for missing persons.  In his role as Coroner, he protects the interests of the deceased and has considerable authority to investigate sudden or suspicious deaths.

The role of the Sheriff has undergone considerable change in the last 1000 years.  However, New Mexico State University Professor Edward A. Farris perhaps summed it up best when he wrote: “His (the Sheriff’s) duties and powers may be altered by the existing social and political climate, but his basic responsibility – to protect life and property – has not been diminished.”