The High Sheriff of County Waterford was the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Waterford. Initially, an office for a lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became an annual appointment following 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, the sheriff had ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs. The first High Sheriff of County Waterford whose name is known for certain seems to be Maurice de Porta in 1235; Sir William de la Rochelle was High Sheriff in 1262-3, and William of London in 1270-3. Probably the most powerful of the early Sheriffs was Sir Walter de la Haye, a highly regarded Crown administrator and later a judge, who held office from 1272 to 1284. Unusually, instead of stepping down after a year, De la Haye's term in office continued year after year for more than a decade. He was then appointed Chief Escheator in 1285, and was briefly

Justiciar of Ireland The chief governor was the senior official in the Dublin Castle administration, which maintained English and British rule in Ireland from the 1170s to 1922. The chief governor was the viceroy of the English monarch (and later the British monarch ...

in 1294-6. Ball, F. Elrington ''"The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921"'' London John Murray 1926 pp.52-3 The first (High) Shrievalties 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 that, however, the office retained his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in a county.

High Sheriffs of County Waterford

*1235-1236: Maurice de Porta *1262-1263: Sir William de la Rochelle *1270-1271: William of London *1272-1284: Sir

Walter de la Haye Sir Walter de la Haye (died after 1309) was an English-born statesman and judge in Ireland of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, who served for many years as Sheriff of County Waterford and as Chief Escheator, and briefly as Just ...

Ball pp.52-3 *1390: Peter Poer *1408: John Lyverpole *1414: Nicholas Walshe *1424: Nicholas Poer *1535: Sir Richard Poer *1607: Laurence Esmonde, 1st Baron Esmonde of Lymbricke *1613: Sir Richard Smyth of Ballynatray *1639: Edward Fitzgerald *1644: Andrew Lynn *1663:

Valentine Greatrakes Valentine Greatrakes (14 February 1628 – 28 November 1682), also known as "Greatorex" or "The Stroker", was an Irish faith healer who toured England in 1666, claiming to cure people by the laying on of hands. Early life Greatrakes was born on ...

*1666: Richard Moore of Clonwel *1670: John Nettles of Toureen *1671:

Sir Richard Osborne, 2nd Baronet Sir Richard Osborne, 2nd Baronet, MP (1618 – 2 March 1685) was an Irish baronet and politician. Biography Osborne was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1628 and sat as a Member of Parliament for Dungarvan in the Irish House of Commons between 1639 ...

*1672:

Sir Thomas Osborne, 5th Baronet Sir Thomas Osborne, 5th Baronet, of Tichenor, County Waterford (1639 – 10 October 1715) was an Irish baronet and landowner. Biography He was the eldest son of Nicholas Osborne (1620 – 18 April 1696), Clerk of the Crown of Ireland, who wa ...

*1673: *1678: Thomas Christmas *1676: Richard Christmas *1687: Richard Fitzgerald *1689:

John Hore John HoreAlternative spellings of Hore's surname include "Hoar" and "Hoare" (baptised 13 March 1680 – 12 April 1763Other sources give Hore's year of birth as 1690, and year of death as 1762) was an English engineer, best known for making the Ri ...

*1690: Benjamin Bolton *1691:

18th century

19th century

20th century

*1900: Lucien William Bonaparte Wyse of the Manor of St Johns. *1901: Richard John Ussher of Cappagh House. *1902: John Henry Graham Holroyd Smyth *1903: *1905: William Joseph Gallwey of Rockfield,

Tramore Tramore (; ) is a seaside town in County Waterford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. With humble origins as a small fishing village, the area saw rapid development upon the arrival of the railway from Waterford City in 1853. Initially, the ...

. *1906: John Congreve of

Mount Congreve Mount Congreve is an 18th-century Georgian estate and mansion situated near the village of Kilmeaden in County Waterford, Ireland. The architect was John Roberts, a Waterford-based architect who subsequently designed and built most of the 18t ...

. *1907: Henry Chavasse. *1908: William Moore Perceval-Maxwell of Moore Hill,

Tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, includ ...

. *1909: Hon. Claud Anson. *1909: Robert Conway Dobbs Dobbs. *1910: James Grove White of Kilbyrne. *1911:

Sir John Keane, 5th Baronet Sir John Keane, 5th Baronet, DSO (3 June 1873 – 30 January 1956) was an Irish barrister and politician. Early life Keane was the son of Sir Richard Keane, 4th Baronet and Adelaide Vance, daughter of John Vance MP. He was educated at Clifton ...

. *1913: John William Rivallon de la Poher Poer, 2nd (papal) Count de la Poer. *1914: Sir Herbert William Davis-Goff, 2nd Baronet. *1915: *1919: Sir Alexander Kay Muir, 2nd Baronet.

References

{{High Shrievalties High Sheriffs of County Waterford

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History of County Waterford