Comptroller

[L. Lat. contrarotulator: L. Fr. contrerouleur,'] In old English law. An officer who took notes of any other officer's accounts or receipts, to the intent to discover him if he dealt amiss. FUta, lib.

1, c. 18. Cowell, Stat, 12 Edw, III. c. 3.

One who kept a roll for this purpose, called a counter roll.* See infra. In modem law. An officer who has the inspection, examination or controlling of the accounts of other officers; one who keeps a counter register of accounts. Jacob, Whishaw, Webster, The office of the Roman antigraphus was of a similar character. Cui id muneris injunctum erat, ut observet pecuniam, quam in usum principis vel civitatis collegerunt exactores. Budceus, cited in Cowell, This word is frequently written, and sometimes defined, as though it were derived from the Fr. compte, or old English aecompt, an account. The error of thb derivation, however, is easily seen on reference to the L. Lat. and L. Fr. forms, (contrarotulator, contrerouleur, from the latter of which the English controller is undoubtedly taken,) which show it to be compounded of contra, or contre, against, and rotulator, rouleur, an enroller; making its true signification to be the keeper of a counter roll. i. e. a roll intended as a check upon another officer's roll or account. See the definition tupra. The correctness of this etymology is strikingly confirmed by the composition of the word antigraphus; (Gr. 6vjI, against, and yq&tpE^v, to write,) the title of an officer who was charged with a similar duty in the Roman law. See supra. Controller of the pipe is defined by Cowell to be an officer who " keeps a contra-rollment [or controlment] of the pipe."

So, by the Stat. 3 £dw.

I. c. 10, sheriffs are directed to have or keep counter rolls with the coroners, Ac, Termes de la ley, voc.

Counter rolls

And in Britton the sheriff is expressly declared to be the coroner's controller in all his office; (son countrerouleur en tout son office.) JSritt. c.

1.

This was so, however, at an earlier period. Bract, fol.

121 b, 140 b.

See Counter- Roll, Roll.