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Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a [[sheriff]], a word that comes from the [[Old English]] "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). The most famous sherrif in history was the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] from the [[Robin Hood]] legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders.
Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a [[sheriff]], a word that comes from the [[Old English]] "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). The most famous sherrif in history was the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] from the [[Robin Hood]] legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders.
==Pronounciation==
The word "shire" is often mis-pronounced. When used on its own, the word is pronounced as "shy-er". This pronounciation also applies to other uses, such as in Shire Horse, Shire Hall, Shire Way, Shire Barn and so on.
When pronounced as part of a county name in the UK, the word is pronounced "sheer".
[[Category:sociology]]
[[Category:sociology]]