Reeve

Reeve (Sax. gerēfa), a title applied to several classes of old English magistrates over various territorial areas: thus, there were borough-reeves, over boroughs; port-reeves, in trading-towns, in ports, as in London (q.v.); high-reeves, &c. The Sheriff (q.v.) is the shire-reeve. The reeve in Chaucer is what is still called grieve in Scotland, a land-steward.