Headed by an Earl, it was composed of local magnates, both secular and spiritual, who sat in council for the shire; also present was the county sheriff, or shire-reeve, who, after the conquest, became the king's representative.
[1] Most legal issues, including theft or murder, were managed by tithing and hundred courts in the south, or wapentakes in the northern shires.
[2] Using multiple courts often led to arguments over jurisdiction, that delayed legal resolution; in addition to those of the hundreds, these included borough.
The process monetised taxes paid in goods or food lower down, with the members of the court then responsible for converting it into coin.
Over the next century, criminal justice was gradually transferred to the Crown, starting with the Curia regis; by 1278, shire courts only tried civil cases under 40 shillings (2 pounds sterling).