Bailiff

An outsider frequently employed by a feudal lord to look after his estates. Such men collected rents, managed the production of the holdings, protecting the lord’s interests on the estate in his role as freeman. Once per year an audit would generally be held, to be certain that the bailiff, a man of great power in the absence of the rightful lord, would be checked. Because of the potential for treachery, larceny, and abuse, bailiffs were generally very well paid.