In medieval times what was the baillifs job?

Answer 1

1st Answer:

He was the jailer and ran the jail.

2nd Answer:

He did nothing of the sort, except possibly as a superintendant role in his capacity as magistrate or governor. A Bailiff was and is, an officer of the Crown whose duties are diverse and innumerable, usually effected by Royal Warrant, Commission or Letters Patent, and frequently, though not always, answerable to the Sheriff.

3rd Answer:

When the position of bailiff was created, it applied to just about any office as a representative of the king. In various medieval countries, it was a title for a variety of specific officers, ranging from governors of a state to local judges and magistrates. It was applied to people who governed districts smaller than counties, called hundreds. The jurisdiction of a bailiff was a bailiwick. It was always an important office.

In time the office changed in some places. In the modern United States, it is an officer of the court with power to make arrests and maintain order in the courtroom. In some places, such as the Channel Islands, it is the highest office of the land, and given by appointment of the monarch, with a term lasting to retirement. In Ontario, the people who transport prisoners between prisons and jails, but they also have duties not related to prisons, as they are people with other positions who act in this capacity temporarily.

I can find no documentation of bailiffs ever running jails.

There is a link to an article on bailiffs below.