<P> With the subsequent decline of the feudal system, and the subversion of its courts by the introduction of Justices of the Peace (magistrates), this use of reeve fell out of practice . </P> <P> There is an exceptional literary portrait of a reeve in the second half of the 14th century . The reeve is one of the pilgrims who are making their way to Canterbury in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the Prologue paints a vivid picture of this man, who had originally been a carpenter but had served as reeve of a manor for many years and had grown old in service . Chaucer describes a highly efficient servant, impossible for any man to deceive or outwit, never in debt and knowing exactly how much the manor should produce . It is an early picture of a completely reliable accountant, rather a cold individual but indispensable . </P>

What did a reeve do in medieval times