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bailliwick

Bailliwick, also spelled bailiwick, is a historical term for the territory or jurisdiction administered by a bailiff (bailli). The word denotes the district over which a bailiff had authority to collect revenues, render justice, and oversee royal or feudal officials. The form bailliwick emphasizes the function and limits of the bailiff’s office within a larger realm.

Etymology: The term derives from the Old French bailli, meaning bailiff, combined with wick, an Old English/Old

Historical usage: In medieval France, the bailiwick (bailliage) was an administrative unit governed by a bailli

In England and Norman territories, similar jurisdictions existed under sheriffs and other royal officials; the term

Modern usage: Today, bailiwick is the standard spelling in most varieties of English and is occasionally used

Germanic
word
for
a
settlement
or
district.
The
spelling
with
double
l
reflects
the
influence
of
French
on
English
administrative
vocabulary.
appointed
by
the
crown.
A
bailli
exercised
civil
and
criminal
jurisdiction,
supervised
taxation
and
feudal
dues,
and
oversaw
royal
justice
within
the
bailliwick.
The
boundaries
and
composition
of
bailliages
varied
by
region
and
period,
often
corresponding
to
other
feudal
districts
such
as
senechaussées
or
châtellenies.
appears
in
charters
and
legal
texts
to
describe
the
bailiff’s
territorial
authority.
Over
time,
the
spelling
bailliwick
fell
out
of
common
use,
with
bailiwick
becoming
the
predominant
form.
in
historical
writing
to
refer
to
the
old
jurisdiction
of
a
bailiff.
The
term
survives
in
the
official
name
of
certain
territories,
such
as
the
Bailiwick
of
Jersey,
where
the
bailiff
is
a
constitutional
officer,
and
in
other
Channel
Islands
contexts.