He in 1568 is said
to have been an Alderman. In England, an Alderman was
originally a member of a municipal legislative body.
In early English law there were up to 11 classes of
Aldermen. Among the Anglo-Saxons, Earls, Governors of
Provinces, and other persons of distinction received
the title; later it was used to designate the chief
magistrate of a county or group of counties. He in 1570
was Sheriff of London, although the full term of his
office is not known. A sheriff was the senior executive
officer in an English county or smaller area who performed
a variety of administrative and judicial functions.
The Office of Sheriff existed before the Norman Conquest
(1066). Although the office had historically been very
powerful , from the time of HENRY II (1133-1189) the
jurisdiction of the Sheriff was severely restricted
as a result of the growing jurisdiction of the 'curia
regis' or 'king's court.' His duty there after was to
investigate allegations of crime from within his shire,
to conduct a preliminary examination of the accused,
to try lesser offenses, and to detain those accused
of major crimes for the itinerant justices.
