The Lord Mayor of Sheffield is a ceremonial post held by a member of Sheffield City Council. They are elected annually by the council. The post originated in 1843, with the appointment of

William Jeffcock William Jeffcock, JP (1800 – 1871) a coal-master of Jeffcock, Dunn & Co., later known as the Sheffield Coal Company, Ltd.Family Recollections, by William Philip Jeffcock, published 1941 became the first Mayor of Sheffield in 1843. Biograph ...

as the first Mayor of Sheffield. Early mayors had significant powers and chaired both council meetings and the bench of magistrates. In 1855, the then-

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

was refused a good seat at the opening of the Paris Exhibition, as he did not have a

chain of office A livery collar or chain of office is a collar or heavy chain, usually of gold, worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty or other association in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards. One of the oldest and best-known livery collars is the ...

. As a result, one was purchased the following year, and this has remained in use. In 1897, in the same year as the opening of Sheffield Town Hall, the mayor was given the right to style himself the " Lord Mayor". To mark this, the first Lord Mayor, Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, gave the Sheffield Mace to the city to mark the royal authority invested in the post. The Lord Mayor has the use of the Lord Mayor's Parlour in Sheffield Town Hall, an official badge and the honorary presidency of several organisations. The Lord Mayor's Awards and the Lord Mayor's Charity Fund are local institutions organised in the name of the Lord Mayor. Ann Eliza Longden was the first female Lord Mayor (1936–7).www.picturesheffield.com
Mrs. Ann Eliza Longden, First woman Lord Mayor 1936 (picture) Notable former mayors include George Bassett, founder of a confectionery firm, and the

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...

maker

Mark Firth Mark Firth (25 April 1819 – 28 November 1880) was an English industrialist and philanthropist. Biography Firth was born in Sheffield, the son of Thomas Firth (1789–1850), of Pontefract, York, and Mary Loxley. He joined the crucible steel wor ...

List of mayors of Sheffield

List of lord mayors of Sheffield

Notes

References

{{Lists of mayors in the United Kingdom

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...