The Common Serjeant of London (full title The Serjeant-at-Law in the Common Hall) is an ancient British
legal office, first recorded in 1291, and is the second most senior permanent judge of the
Central Criminal Court after the
Recorder of London
The recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The recorder is appointed by the Cr ...
, acting as deputy to that office, and sitting as a judge in the trial of criminal offences.
He is also one of the High Officers of the
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...
, and must undertake certain civic obligations alongside his judicial duties: each Midsummer he presides at the election of
Sheriffs in the
Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...
, and each Michaelmas he plays a key role in the ceremonial election of the
Lord Mayor
Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
. He presents the Sheriffs to the
King's Remembrancer at the annual
Quit Rents ceremony, and is in attendance on most other major ceremonial occasions.
The Common Serjeant is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
.
Formerly, the Common Serjeant of London was a legal officer of the City Corporation of London. The Common Serjeant of London attended on the
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
and the
Court of Aldermen
The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five Aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior Alderman during his or her year of office). ...
on court days, and acted with them in council. He also attended the Court of Aldermen and
Common Council, and had charge of the Orphans' Estates
Judge Richard Marks, KC, was appointed the 81st Common Serjeant on 3 March 2015.
Incomplete list of Common Serjeants
*
Thomas Juvenal (1291–1309)
* Thomas de Kent (1309–c.1318)
* Gregory de Norton (c.1318–1329)
* William de Ford (1333–1353)
* John Wentbrigg (c.1353–1362)
*
Ralph Strode (c.1375–1385)
* John Tremayne (1388–1389)
*
John Fray (1421–1422)
* Alexander Anne (1424–?1435)
* John Wilton (1437–?1441)
* Robert Danvers (1441–1442)
* Richard Moyle (1441–?1443)
*
Thomas Billing (1443–1449)
* John Nedeham (1448–?1452)
* Thomas Urswick (1452–1455)
* Robert Ingleton (1454–1456)
* Guy Fairfax (1456–?1457)
* Thomas Rigby (1457–?1460)
*
Thomas Bryan (1460–1463)
* John Baldwyn (1463–1469)
* Robert Molyneux (1469–)
* John Haugh
* Richard Higham
*
Thomas Frowyk (1486–1496)
* Thomas Marowe (1496–)
* John Greene (1495–)
* Henry White
* William Walsingham of Gray's Inn (1526–)
* John Onley (1530–1533)
*
Edward Hall (1533–1535)
*
Robert Southwell (1535–1536)
* Thomas Atkyns
*
Sir Robert Broke (1536–1546)
* John Marshe (1547–1563)
* Bernard Randolph (1563–1583)
* Thomas Kirton (1583–1601)
* Richard Wilbraham (died 1601)
*
Richard Wheler of Lincoln's Inn (1601–?1608)
* Daniel Hills of Lincoln's Inn
* Thomas Jones of Gray's Inn (died 1625 - Sergeant for 12 years)
* Ralph Latham (died 1641)
* Henry Proby (1643–) (died 1660)
*
Sir Richard Browne, 2nd Baronet (1661–1671)
*
George Jeffreys (1671–1678)
* Henry Crispe (1678–1700)
* Duncan Dee (1700–1720)
* John Lingard (1720–1729)
* Thomas Garrard (1729–1758)
* Thomas Nugent (1758–1790)
*
John Silvester (1790–1803)
*
Newman Knowlys (1803–1811)
*
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman (1822–1830)
* Hon.
Charles Ewan Law (1830–1833)
* John Mirehouse of Angle, Pembrokeshire (1833–1850)
* Edward Bullock (1850–1855)
*
Thomas Chambers (1857–1878)
*
Sir William Thomas Charley (1878–1892)
* Sir
Forrest Fulton (1892–1900)
* Sir
Frederick Albert Bosanquet, MA, KC, JP (1900–1917)
*
Sir Henry Fielding Dickens KC (1917–1932)
*
Henry Holman Gregory KC (1932–1934)
*
Cecil Whiteley (1934–1942)
* Sir
Hugh Loveday Beazley (1942–1953)
* Sir
Edward Anthony Hawke (1954–1959)
* Sir
Carl Douglas Aarvold (1959–1964)
*
Mervyn Griffith-Jones CBE MC QC (1964–1979)
*
Sir John Leonard (1979–1981)
Obituary
in ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
''
* Sir David Tudor Price (1981–84)
* Thomas Herbert Pigot QC (1984–90)
* Robert Davison Lymbery QC (1990–1993)
* Neil Denison QC (1993–2001)
* Peter Beaumont QC (2001–2004)
* Brian Barker QC (2005–2013)
* Nicholas Hilliard
Nicholas Hilliard ( – before 7 January 1619) was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval miniatures, but also some l ...
QC (2013–2015) (80th Serjeant)
* Richard Leon Marks KC (2015–Present)
Gallery
Image:Sir Robert Broke.jpg, Sir Robert Broke, Common Serjeant of London in 1536
Image:George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem by William Wolfgang Claret.jpg, Judge George Jeffreys, Common Serjeant of London in 1671
Image:Sir John Silvester.jpg, Sir John Silvester, Common Serjeant 1790-1803
Image:1stLordDenman.jpg, Lord Denman, Common Serjeant of London 1822 - 1830
Image:W T Charley.jpg, William Thomas Charley, Common Serjeant of London in 1878
File:Forrest Fulton Vanity Fair 9 July 1903.jpg, Sir Forrest Fulton by 'Spy' in '' Vanity Fair'' (1903)
Image:Frederick-Albert-Bosanquet-1901.jpg, Sir Frederick Bosanquet as Common Serjeant of London. Caricature
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
by 'Spy' from '' Vanity Fair'' (1901)
Image:judge-brian-barker.jpg, Judge Brian Barker QC, Common Serjeant of London 2005 to 2013
References
External links
Appointment of Common Serjeant of LondonCommon Serjeant of London on the Probert Encyclopaedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Common Serjeant of London
Law in London
English law
Common Serjeants of London
Historical legal occupations
Old Bailey