Sheriff of Dublin City was a judicial and administrative role in Ireland. Initially, the Sovereign's judicial representative in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, the role was later held by two individuals and concerned with a mix of judicial, political and administrative functions. In origins, an office for a lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

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.

Background

The first 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 Conque ...

in 1066 and date back to

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

times. Besides his judicial importance, the sheriff had ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs. 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 ('' Ki ...

made the

Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the Sheriff's precedence. Despite this, the office retained responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in a county.

Dublin

Sheriffs (two for each year) were first appointed in Dublin in 1308 under the name of bailiffs; the title was changed to sheriff in 1548. The sheriffs presided at meetings of the Common Council (the "commons" or lower house of the City Assembly of Dublin), and after their year in office took their place among up to 48 Sheriffs Peers, who sat alongside 96 Guild representatives as the Common Council.

List of Sheriffs of Dublin City

15th century

*1406

Thomas Shorthalls Thomas Shortalls, or Shorthals (c.1370–1445) was an Irish municipal official and judge of the fifteenth century.Ball p.176 He was probably born in Kilkenny city, where the Shorthalls were a leading local family, but seems to have spent most of ...

, later a Baron of the Court of Exchequer, first termBall, F.Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 p.176 *1414

, second term *1424

, third term *1442/3 William de la Field''Patent Roll 22 Henry VI'' *1489 Patrick Mole; Thomas Bermingham''Patent Roll 4 Henry VII''

Background

Dublin

List of Sheriffs of Dublin City

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

References