The High Sheriff of

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

is annually appointed as the sovereign's representative in West Sussex county for all matters relating to the judiciary and the maintenance of law and order.

History of the office high sheriff

The oldest office under the crown, the office of High Sheriff is over 1000 years old, with its establishment 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 ...

. The Office of High Sheriff remained first in precedence in the counties until the reign of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

when an Order in Council in 1908 gave the Lord-Lieutenant the prime office under the Crown as the Sovereign's personal representative. The High Sheriff remains the sovereign's representative in the county for all matters relating to the judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. Prior to 1974, there was one High Sheriff for the whole of Sussex. The High Sheriff is appointed annually in March.

Roles and responsibilities

High Sheriffs are responsible in the Counties of England and Wales for duties conferred by the Crown through Warrant from the Privy Council, including: *Attendance at Royal visits to the County *The wellbeing and protection of Her Majesty's High Court Judges when on Circuit in the County and attending them in Court during the legal terms. *The execution of High Court Writs and Orders (which is mainly achieved through the Under Sheriff) *Acting as the Returning Officer for Parliamentary Elections in County constituencies *Responsibility for the proclamation of the accession of a new Sovereign *The maintenance of the loyalty of subjects to the Crown

High Sheriffs of West Sussex

*1974-1975: Wing Commander Geoffrey Harry Briggs *1975-1976: Donald D Scott *1976-1977: David S W Blacker *1977-1978: Geoffrey M Cresswell-Wall *1978-1979: Peter M Luttman-Johnson *1979-1980: Henry Edward Boscawen *1980-1981: Leslie Langmead *1981-1982: David I Bosanquet *1982-1983: Peter Langmead *1983-1984: Edward John Frederick Green *1984-1985: Major General John Cain Cowley *1985-1986: Major General Sir Philip John Newling Ward *1986-1987: James Frederick Godman-Dorington *1987-1988: David Hugh Laing Hopkinson *1988-1989: Ronald Charles Langmead *1989-1990: John Richard Bine Morgan-Grenville, of Upperton, Petworth *1990-1991: David William Bowerman *1991-1992: Michael Desmond Sugden *1992-1993: Jeremy Fox Eric Smith *1993-1994: Richard Harry Goring *1994-1995: Peter Longley *1995-1996: Hugh Rowland Wyatt *1996-1997: John Martyn Drysdale Knight *1997-1998: Col Sir Brian Walter de Stopham Barttelot *1998-1999: Brian Sadler Leigh Trafford *1999-2000: Judith Buckland *2000-2001: Robert (Robin) Reginald Loder *2001-2002: Graham George Ferguson *2002-2003: Mark William Burrell *2003-2004: Major Mark Frederick Hakon Scrase-Dickins *2004-2005: Roger William Hampson Reed *2005-2006: (Vyvyan Alexander) Gordon Tregear *2006-2007: Charles Torquil de Montalt Fraser *2007–2008: Colin Peter John Field *2008-2009: Sir Richard Drake Kleinwort *2009-2010: Simon Fairfax Knight *2010–2011: Elizabeth Bennett *2011-2012: David Henry Tupper of Petworth *2012-2013: Andrew John Patrick Stephenson Clarke *2013-2014: (David) Patrick Henry Burgess of Chichester *2014–2015: Jonathan Charles Lucas of Warnham Park, Horsham *2015-2016: Denise Lesley Anne Patterson of Aldwick Bay, Bognor Regis *2016–2017: (David) Mark Spofforth of Slindon, Sussex *2017–2018: Lady Emma Lavinia Barnard of

Parham Park Parham Park is an Elizabethan house and estate in the civil parish of Parham, west of the village of Cootham, and between Storrington and Pulborough, West Sussex, South East England. The estate was originally owned by the Monastery of West ...

, Pulborough *2018–2019: Caroline Nicholls of Worthing *2019–2020: Davina Mary Irwin-Clark of Handcross, Haywards Heath *2020–2021: Dr Timothy John Charles Fooks of Pulborough *2021–2022: John Neil Hart of Bepton, Midhurst *2022–2023: James Nicholas Whitmore of Pulborough *2023–2024: Andrew Graham Bliss

References

{{High Shrievalties Politics of West Sussex

West Sussex High Sheriffs