Page:Englishhistorica36londuoft.djvu/495

 1921 'ADVENTUS VICECOMITUM 1258-72 487 count was very rare. If the years 1258-76 are excluded from the calculation, I have found only three cases before 13 Edward III where a sheriff of a normal county answered for three years at one time ; none of a sheriff answering for more than three years. 1 Between 1262 and 1276 these long intervals became common, and periods of over three years without any account being rendered were no longer unknown. Hereford answered for as many as seven years at one time in 52 Henry III, while the Pipe Roll of the previous year shows that two sheriffs answered at that date for six years at once. 2 A list of these accounts is given below, showing in each case the number of years which had elapsed since the last account. Number of years for which Pipe Roll. County. account was rendered 49 Henry III Gloucestershire. 3 years >> Warwickshire 3 55 50 Henry III Northampton 3 55 51 Henry III Buckingham and Bedford 3 55 »> Oxfordshire and Berkshire. 3 55 >> Yorkshire .... 3 55 55 Cambridge and Huntingdon. 4 55 55 Norfolk and Suffolk. 4 55 55 Cumberland. . 5 55 55 Northumberland 5 55 55 Shropshire and Staffordshire. 6 55 55 Surrey and Sussex 6 55 52 Henry III Warwick and Leicester 3 55 >> Devonshire 4 55 55 Somerset and Dorset. 5 55 55 Hereford. . . 7 55 53 Henry III Gloucestershire. 3 55 >> Nottingham and Derby 3 55 54 Henry III Yorkshire. 3 55 55 Henry III Cumberland. 2( 2 omitted) >> Kent 3 years 56 Henry III Devonshire. 3 55 1 Edward I Shropshire and Staffordshire. 2| 2 omitted) 2 Edward I Cumberland . . 3^ fears 3 Edward I Northumberland . 3* 55 55 Worcestershire . 3 55 4 Edward I Nottingham and Derby 3 55 1 Northumberland in 40 Hen. Ill for 38-40 Hen. Ill, Yorkshire in 42 Hen. Ill for 40-2 Hen. Ill, and Surrey and Sussex in 30 Edw. I for 28-30 Edw. I. Lancashire is not included in this statement. 2 Surrey and Sussex, Shropshire and Staffordshire. 3 The figures are based on the table of attendances at the exchequer of audit for these years, the summary of which is given in the next set of tables.