The High Sheriff of Down is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Down. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the

Provisions of Oxford The Provisions of Oxford were constitutional reforms developed during the Oxford Parliament of 1258 to resolve a dispute between King Henry III of England and his barons. The reforms were designed to ensure the king adhered to the rule of law and ...

in 1258. Besides his judicial importance, he has ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court Writs.

History

The first (High) Shrivalties were established before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

in 1066 and date back to Saxon times. In 1908, an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

made the Lord-Lieutenant the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the High Sheriff's precedence. Despite however that the office retains his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in a county. While the office of High Sheriff ceased to exist in those Irish counties, which had formed the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

in 1922, it is still present in the counties of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

High Sheriffs

Francis Charles Needham, Vanity Fair, 1876-10-28

*1326: John Mandeville *1610: Richard West *1620: Nicholas Ward *1624: Nicholas Ward *1634: Henry Savage *1641: Peter Hill *1655: James Trail *1656: Bernard Ward (son of Nicholas HS 1620) *1657: Roger West (son of Richard HS 1610) *1661: Robert Ward (son of Bernard HS 1656) *1662: Nicholas Ward (son of Bernard HS 1656) *1663: John Savage *1667: Robert Ward *1669: William Waring of Waringstown *1670: William Montgomery *1675: John Hawkins of Rathfriland *1690: Bernard Ward (killed in duel, 1690) *1699: John Haltridge

History

High Sheriffs

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

References