The Sheriff's Farm

A Sheriff's farm was the sum of money which he was required to pay annually at the Exchequer for his bailiwick. In virtue of this payment he was allowed to receive for his own use certain revenues paid to him in his official capacity. He was not entitled to all revenues so paid to him, but only to specific revenues; these he was said to farm. But he was not obliged to pay the whole of his farm directly to the king. In every year he would receive orders to apply portions of it in the discharge of all kinds of casual expenditure, civil, military, and domestic. He would also receive orders to apply other portions in the payment of annual salaries and fixed alms. Finally, he was allowed to make certain deductions from it for royal grants, by which the revenues farmed were diminished

Agricultural economics · Business · Casual · Economics · Exchequer · Payment · Political science · Revenue · Finance · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Law · Medieval and Early Modern Justice · Medieval Literature and History