English

Noun

shrievalty ‎(plural shrievalties)

1. The office, jurisdiction, or tenure of a sheriff
   • 1913, Clement King Shorter, George Borrow and His Circle:

     John Timbs, in his Walks and Talks about London, tells us that Phillips's colleague in the shrievalty was one Smith, who afterwards became Lord Mayor: The personnel of the two sheriffs presented a sharp contrast.

   • 1911, Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, Brother Copas:

     He ought to do something to make his shrievalty memorable .

   • 1851, Various, Notes and Queries, Number 68, February 15, 1851:

     --Can any of your readers inform me the origin of the delivery of water-buckets, glazed and painted with the city arms, given to the sheriffs of London and Middlesex at the expiration of the year of their shrievalty?

   • 1663, Samuel Pepys, Diary of Samuel Pepys, September/October 1663:

     After discourse of this, and of supplying the garrison with some more horse, we rose; and Sir J. Minnes and I home again, finding the street about our house full, Sir R. Ford beginning his shrievalty to-day and, what with his and our houses being new painted, the street begins to look a great deal better than it did, and more gracefull.

Synonyms

• sheriffalty