Legal Definitions - vice-comes

Definition: Vice-comes (pronounced vI-suh-koh-meez) is a Latin term used in history and law to refer to a viscount or a sheriff. It is also spelled as vicecomes.

Example 1: The vice-comes was responsible for maintaining law and order in the county.

Example 2: In the court record, the entry "vicecomes non misit breve" means that the sheriff has not yet returned a writ.

Explanation: The term vice-comes was used in medieval England to refer to a high-ranking official who was responsible for maintaining law and order in a county. They were also responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing court orders. The second example illustrates how the term was used in a court record to indicate that the sheriff had not yet returned a writ, which is a legal document that orders someone to do something. This entry was made to keep track of the progress of a case and to ensure that the sheriff was fulfilling their duties.