High Steward of Colchester

The High Steward of Colchester is a ceremonial office awarded by Colchester City Council, Essex, England.

The stewardship was established by royal charter of Charles I dated 9 July 1635.[1] The charter, naming all the officials and councillors of the Council, stipulated that:

"henceforth for ever there may be and shall be in the borough a High Steward to advise and direct the Mayor and Commonality in the chief business touching that borough which High Steward shall continue in the office of High Steward during his natural life."

The 1835 Municipal Corporation Act abolished most High Stewards and only allowed Colchester’s petition to retain a High Steward on condition that the wording of the Charter "...advise and direct..." be reduced to merely "...advise..."

The office was held by Professor Ivor Crewe until his resignation in July 2009 and remained vacant from 2009 to 2015.[1]

Following his defeat at the 2015 UK General Election, former Colchester MP, Sir Bob Russell, was appointed to the position, which he currently holds. He held the seat for the Liberal Democrats for 18 years, from 1997 to 2015.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Council Meeting. Supplementary Information" (PDF). Colchester Borough Council. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  2. ^ "Colchester Borough Council, Governance Committee: Report on Appointment of High Steward of Colchester". colchester.cmis.uk.com. Retrieved 19 January 2016.