Sheriffs of the City of London Estlin and Alderman William Anthony Bowater Russell. The Sheriffs' jurisdiction covers only the square mile of the City of London. The High Sheriff of Greater London covers areas of London outside the City, which today incorporates parts of several old counties, most notably Middlesex. The title of sheriff, or shire reeve, evolved during the Anglo-Saxon period of English history. The reeve was the representative of the king in a city, town or shire, responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing the law. By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, the City of London had sheriffs, usually two at a
Letter-Books of the City of London Letter-Books of the City of London The Letter-Books of the City of London are a series of fifty folio volumes in vellum containing entries of the matters of in which the City of London was interested or concerned, beginning in 1275 and concluding in 1509. The volumes are part of the collection of the City of London Records Office, and are kept in the London Metropolitan Archives. The volumes derive their name from being lettered from "A" to "Z" (with two odd volumes marked respectively "&c." and "AB") and again from "AA" to "ZZ". Besides being known by distinctive letters,