The High Sheriff of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and execute High Court Writs. The title was historically "Sheriff of Devon", but changed in 1974 to "High Sheriff of Devon".

History

The office of Sheriff is the oldest under the Crown. It is over 1000 years old; it was 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 Conq ...

. It remained first in precedence in the counties, until the reign of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

, when an Order in Council in 1908 gave the Lord-Lieutenant the prime office under the Crown as the Sovereign's personal representative. Under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974 the office previously known as Sheriff was retitled High Sheriff. The High Sheriff remains the Sovereign's representative in the county for all matters relating to the Judiciary and the maintenance of law and order.

Sheriffs of Devon

Before 1300

Names indented are those of undersheriffs.Note that all dates before 14 September 1752 use the

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandri ...

and after that date use the

Gregorian Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years d ...

which was adopted in the United Kingdom on that date. The beginning of the year is treated as 1 January in all years. See MOS:OSNS for more information.

History

Sheriffs of Devon

Before 1300

1300–1399

1400–1499

1500–1599

1600–1699

1700–1799

1800–1899

1900–1973

High Sheriffs of Devon

1974–1999

2000–present

References

Bibliography

External links