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Simple English definitions for legal terms
sea reeve
Read a random definition: Department of Housing and Urban Development
A quick definition of sea reeve:
Term: SEA REEVE
Definition: A long time ago, there was an officer called a sea reeve who was in charge of watching the shore and making sure that a lord's rights on the sea were respected. This included the right to collect things that washed up on the shore, like wreckage from ships.
A more thorough explanation:
A sea reeve was an officer who was appointed to watch the shore and enforce a lord's maritime rights. These rights included the right to wreckage, which meant that any goods that washed up on the shore belonged to the lord.
For example, if a ship sank off the coast and its cargo washed up on the shore, the sea reeve would be responsible for making sure that the lord received his share of the goods. The sea reeve would also be responsible for preventing anyone else from taking the goods.
The term "sea reeve" is not commonly used today, but it was an important position in medieval times when lords had significant maritime rights.