High Sheriff of County Waterford

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 in 1258.[1] Besides his judicial importance, the sheriff had ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs.[2]

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 in 1294–6.[3]

The first (High) Shrievalties were established before the Norman Conquest in 1066 and date back to Saxon times.[4] In 1908, an Order in Council made the Lord-Lieutenant the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the High Sheriff's precedence.[5] Despite that, however, the office retained his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in a county.[2]

  1. ^ John David Griffith Davies; Frederick Robert Worts (1928). England in the Middle Ages: Its Problems and Legacies. A. A. Knopf. p. 119.
  2. ^ a b Alexander, George Glover (1915). The Administration of Justice in Criminal Matters (in England and Wales). The University Press. pp. 89.
  3. ^ Ball, F. Elrington "The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921" London John Murray 1926 pp.52-3
  4. ^ Morris, William Alfred (1968). The Medieval English Sheriff to 1300. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 73. ISBN 0-7190-0342-3.
  5. ^ Millward, Paul (2007). Civic Ceremonial: A Handbook, History and Guide for Mayors, Councillors and Officers. Shaw. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-7219-0164-0.