The High Sheriff of Fermanagh is the Sovereign's judicial representative in
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...
. 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 of County Fermanagh
17th century
18th century
19th century
20th century
21st century
References
Sources
List of Fermanagh High Sheriffs 1606–1865
{{DEFAULTSORT:High Sheriff Of Fermanagh
Fermanagh
Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...
History of County Fermanagh