Violence and authority: the sheriff and seneschal in late medieval Ireland

Abstract:The objective of this paper is to investigate how the sheriffs and seneschals of late medieval Ireland employed violence to enforce their authority, the consequences of this behaviour on society, and how and why violence was directed at these officials. The sheriff was the most important Crown official within the county and the seneschal was his counterpart within the liberty. Both the Crown and the lords of liberties required men who could uphold their rights and who were prepared, if necessary, to use aggression in defence of these rights. It was not uncommon for these men to have military backgrounds, or even violent, criminal pasts. Sheriffs could sometimes be the source of conflict, but usually they were responsible for controlling the worst excesses of the county community. Often when they had recourse to violence it was because they understood it played a key role in maintaining power.