Bailiff

Bailiff's notice on boarded-up premises, London, 2015

A bailiff[1] is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offices and duties vary greatly.[2]

Another official sometimes referred to as a bailiff was the Vogt. In the Holy Roman Empire a similar function was performed by the Amtmann. They are mostly known for being the officer that keeps the order in a court of law and swearing litigants in.

  1. ^ (from Middle English baillif, Old French baillis, bail "custody")
  2. ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bailiff". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 218.