Sheriff of Canterbury
Encyclopedia
The Sheriff of Canterbury is a shrievalty
in the city of Canterbury
, England. The office was first held in 1461 by Richard Carpenter, when a charter of king Edward IV
granted the city the perpetual status of a county independent of Kent
itself. The role was at that time involved in police and legal functions (overseeing public executions, collecting taxes and having powers of arrest), but is now honorific. The role survived the local government reorganisation
of 1974, when a large number of other areas lost County Borough status and thus had their Sheriffs' posts abolished, and the Sheriff is still elected at the Annual Council Meeting in May. Canterbury City Council in 2002 merged the role of deputy Chairman of the Council into that of Sheriff, to create a Civic Team of only the Sheriff and the Lord Mayor.
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
in the city of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, England. The office was first held in 1461 by Richard Carpenter, when a charter of king Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
granted the city the perpetual status of a county independent of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
itself. The role was at that time involved in police and legal functions (overseeing public executions, collecting taxes and having powers of arrest), but is now honorific. The role survived the local government reorganisation
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
of 1974, when a large number of other areas lost County Borough status and thus had their Sheriffs' posts abolished, and the Sheriff is still elected at the Annual Council Meeting in May. Canterbury City Council in 2002 merged the role of deputy Chairman of the Council into that of Sheriff, to create a Civic Team of only the Sheriff and the Lord Mayor.
List of holders
- 1461 Richard Carpenter
- 1934 Alfred Baynton
- 1971 Mary Keith-Lucas (née Hardwicke)
- 2006-07 Jeanne Harrison
- 2008-09 Charlotte MacCaul
- 2009-2010 Councillor Gabrielle DavisGabrielle DavisGabrielle Davis, Sheriff of Canterbury 2009–2010, is a Conservative councillor for Canterbury City Council. She is notable for volunteering to head the "defence of our heritage" movement against a vote by Canterbury City Council Executive Committee on 21 January 2010 to close Herne Bay Museum...
- 2010-2011 Sally Pickersgill