Sheriff Box

Another distinctive feature inside Plymouth’s 1749 Court House is the sheriff’s box. Its position within the courtroom reflected the important role the sheriff played in keeping the court functioning and maintaining order while the justices conducted the business of the day.

The sheriff was responsible for much more than simply guarding the courtroom. He brought accused prisoners before the court, supervised them during the proceedings, summoned jurors and witnesses, and carried out orders issued by the justices. When someone was sentenced, it was also the sheriff’s responsibility to see that the judgment of the court was enforced.

The sheriff was a particularly important official in colonial Massachusetts. With nothing resembling a modern police department, many responsibilities for maintaining public order fell to sheriffs, constables, and other local officials. The sheriff also served the court by delivering legal documents and assisting with the collection of fines and other judgments.

The placement of this box within the courtroom makes sense when we consider those responsibilities. From here, the sheriff could observe the prisoner’s dock, the justices, and the people gathered in the room. If a prisoner needed to be brought forward, order restored, or one of the court’s instructions carried out, the sheriff was close at hand.

As I looked around this courtroom, I began to appreciate how deliberately every person had been given a place. The justices sat elevated behind their bench, the accused stood confined within the prisoner’s dock, spectators watched the proceedings, the court crier called the room to order, and here sat the sheriff. This simple wooden box helps us picture not just what an 18th-century courtroom looked like, but how it actually worked.