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| Cyning (king) |
| Ealdorman (Earl after c.1000) |
| Hold / High-reeve |
| Thegn (thane) |
| Thingmen / housecarl (retainer) |
| Reeve / Verderer (bailiff) |
| Ceorl (churl, free tenant) |
| Villein (serf) |
| Cottar (cottager) |
| Þēow (thrall, slave) |
In Anglo-Saxon England, a reeve (Old English: gerefa) was an administrative official serving the king or a lesser lord in a variety of roles. After the Norman Conquest, it was an office held by a man of lower rank, appointed as manager of a manor and overseer of the peasants. In this later role, historian H. R. Loyn observes, "he is the earliest English specialist in estate management."[1]