THE SHERIFF
The sheriffs were the ministerial officers of the County Court,
and performed the duties pertaining to that office as they were
understood in England, so far as applicable to Virginia; they
collected the "quit rents," the public and county levies, the
parish levy, and also held the election for burgesses, and summoned
the juries for both County and General Courts. Trial by jury
was given the colony in 1621, and was confirmed and established
by the Act of 1642. The juries which tried capital offenses in the
General Court were summoned from the county in which the
crime was alleged to have been committed, but no juror could
serve if challenged by the accused.
