Hundredmen

Hundredmen, also known as hunderdmen or hundreder, was a medieval administrative and judicial officer in England and other parts of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman realms. The name derived from the fact that they were typically responsible for a hundred, a subdivision of a shire or county.

The role of a hundredman varied somewhat over time and region, but generally included the supervision of a local area, the collection of taxes and fines, and presiding over hundred courts. These courts handled a range of local disputes, petty offenses, and civil matters that did not fall under the jurisdiction of higher courts. The hundredman would also be responsible for ensuring that the king's peace was maintained within his hundred.

In some instances, the hundredman was an appointed official, while in others, the position might have been hereditary or a responsibility held by a local prominent landowner. They often worked in conjunction with other local officials, such as the reeve. The importance of the hundredman declined with the development of more centralized legal and administrative systems, particularly after the Norman Conquest, as sheriffs and other royal officials gained more authority. Nevertheless, the hundred as an administrative division persisted for centuries.