SOCIETY — 120/262 — Bailiff and city council
At the head of the town stood a bailiff appointed by the monarch (his office was hereditary), and a city council consisting of aldermen (known as councillors or elders). The head of the council was the Bürgermeister or underchamberlain.
The council members were mostly wealthy townsmen, and their rotation in office depended on whether it was a royal, manorial, or free city.
The council decided on the most important matters concerning the city and its inhabitants. Courts, consultations, records, the sale or donation of property, registers, contracts, and other documents were prepared and stored at the Town Hall.
— The office of bailiff is older than many medieval towns. The term comes from the Normans and referred to an official who carried out the decisions of a court, much like the earlier Saxon reeve. A bailiff’s duties included delivering summonses, enforcing court orders, collecting fines, and overseeing arrests or seizures ordered by the law. The area under a bailiff’s authority was called a bailiwick, a word that is still used today.
Bailiffs were usually appointed from outside the district they served and were free men, not tied to local families or obligations. This made them more dependable as representatives of royal or judicial authority, rather than local interests. Over time, many of their administrative tasks were taken over by elected town councils, especially from the modern period onward. Even so, the title of bailiff did not disappear. It survived in ceremonial and administrative roles, particularly in important towns and royal castles. In Scotland, the related title of bailie continued to be used for a town official whose role closely resembled that of an alderman.
