portreeve
(ˈpɔətriːv)
Forms: 1 portᵹerefa, -irefa, 3 -yreue, 3–5 -ereve, 3–8 -reve, 6 -rief, porte ryve, port reeue, 7 portriefe, -reive, -riff, port riffe, 8 portrieve, 7– port-reeve, 9 portreeve. β. 5–7 portgreve, 6–8 -grave.
[OE. port-ᵹeréfa (whence ON. port-greifi), f. port n.2 town + ᵹerǽfa, ᵹeréfa, reeve n.1; as to the forms portgreve, -grave, see 1 β.]
1. orig. The ruler or chief officer of a town or borough (= borough-reeve a); after the Norman Conquest often identified with the Mayor or holding an equivalent position, as still in some boroughs; in later times, sometimes an officer, or one of two or more officers, inferior to the Mayor; a bailiff.
| 901–924 Laws of Edward I, c. i, Ic wille ðæt..nan man ne ceapiᵹe butan porte, ac hæbbe þæs portᵹerefan ᵹewitnesse oððe oþera..manna, ðe man ᵹelyfan mæᵹe. c 1000 ælfric Gram. xiv. (Z.) 88 Hic prefectus urbis, ðes portᵹerefa oððe burhealdor. c 1000 ― Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 111/6 Municeps, portᵹerefa uel burhwita. 1066–75 Will. I Charter to London (Stubbs Select Ch. 79), Willelm kyng gret Willelm bisceop and Gosfreᵹð portirefan, and ealle þa burhwaru binnan Londone, Frencisce and Englisce, freondlice. 12.. transcr. of Charter of Brihtmǽr (1053) in Kemble Cod. Dipl. IV. 133 Hyerto byeð ywiðnesse Lyefstan portyreue and biscop, and Eylwyne stikehare, and manie oðre. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 11205 Willam þe spicer & geffray of hencsei þat þo were Portreuen & nicole of kingestone þat was mere [of Oxford] Nome of þis clerkes & in prison caste. Ibid. 11223 Suþþe þe portereues house hii sette afure anon. a 1300 St. Gregory 601 in Herrig Archiv LVII. 65 He toke an In as a knyȝt ful large at þe portreues hous. 1449 Rolls of Parlt. V. 155/2 The Maire, Baillifs, Porterevys, Customers..and Sarcheours. 1541 in P. H. Hore Hist. Wexford (1900) I. 242 [Not to sell] any franke tenement..to any forrener, without speciall license of the Soverayne and Portriefs. 1599 in Harington Nugæ Ant. 35 Mr. Hammon..who is this year Port Reeue of Trim, as much in effect as Mayor. 1603 Owen Pembrokeshire ii. (1892) 22 And licenced them to chose yeerelye amonge them selues two portriefes for theire gouernement. 1660 in J. Simon Ess. Irish Coins (1749) 127 All mayors, sheriffs, portriffs, baylifs, and other chief officers of corporations. 1702 Lond. Gaz. No. 3809/5 An humble Address of the Portrieves, Burgesses, and Freemen, of the ancient Borough of Tulske, in the County of Roscomon. 1824 Hitchins & Drew Cornwall I. xvii. §17. 650 Formerly the government [of Tregony] was vested in a portreeve or mayor. 1883 Standard 28 Sept. 3 The Drake Memorial was unveiled yesterday at Tavistock by the Portreeve. 1894 Northumbld. Gloss., Reeve, the chief officer in the ancient borough of Warkworth. He is to this day usually styled the ‘borough-reeve’ or ‘port-reeve’ at that town. 1898 Daily News 19 Apr. 3 Hungerford is..electing to-day, in place of Mayor and Corporation, a constable, a portreeve, a keeper of the coffers, a hayward, two aletasters and a bellman. |
(β) In the forms 5–8 portgreue, (6 -gereue), 6–7 -graue, -grave, partly scribal modifications of the OE. form, partly after MDu. portgrave (in Kilian poortgrave) and the synonymous greyve, grave: see grieve, n., grave n.3
| 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 293 At the comynge of Wyllyam Conquerour into this londe..the rulers of the sayd citezens [were] named portgreuis, whiche worde is deriuat or made of .ii. Saxon wordis,..port is to mean a towne, and greue is meant for a gardyen or ruler. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 83 The same before tyme was gouerned by persones graue and wyse, and were named Portgreues, or rather Portgraues, the which is deriued of..Greue, or rather Graue, for so are the rulers of the townes in Duchelande called at this day. 1598 Stow Surv. (1842) 185/2 In the time of King Henry II., Peter Fitzwalter was portgrave [of London]. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 378 Portgraue and principall Magistrate..of this Citie. 1772 Jacob's Law Dict. s.v., Instead of the portgreve [of London], Richard the first ordained two bailiffs, but presently after him King John granted them a mayor for their yearly magistrate. |
2. Erroneously referred (by later compilers) to port n.1 2, as if the reeve of a sea-port town.
| 1607 Cowell Interpr., Portgreue..signifieth with vs the chiefe magistrate in certaine coast townes. 1616 Bullokar Eng. Expos., Portgreue, a chiefe officer in certaine Port tounes. 1622 Callis Stat. Sewers (1647) 34 That Officer called Portgreve, which signifieth the Governor of the Port. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl., Portgreve, or Portgrave, was anciently the principal magistrate in ports and other maritime towns. 1851 Dixon W. Penn i. (1872) 6 When the country wanted fleets,..she had only to send for the port⁓reeves and masters of companies. |
Hence ˈportreeveship, the office of portreeve.
| 1467–8 Rolls of Parlt. V. 593/2 Th' Office of Portreveship of Prestende. 1487 Ibid. VI. 406/2 The Portreveshipp of Llanvayr in Buelld. |