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

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The

stewardship Stewardship is a practice committed to ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, places, property, information ...

was established by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

of Charles I dated 9 July 1635. 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. Following his defeat at the 2015 UK General Election, former

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

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.

Office holders

* The Earl of Holland, who was beheaded. * The

Duke of Albemarle The Dukedom of Albemarle () has been created twice in the Peerage of England, each time ending in extinction. Additionally, the title was created a third time by James II in exile and a fourth time by his son the Old Pretender, in the Jacobit ...

, who lived in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, and never even visited the town. * Charles Crickitt, who duelled with a local member of the clergy. *

John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham General John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (9 October 1756 – 24 September 1835) was a British soldier and politician. He spent a lengthy period in the cabinet but is best known for commanding the disastrous Walcheren Campaign of 1809. Chatham wa ...

1807–1818 *John Round 1818–1860, former

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

MP for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

and

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is prod ...

. *

John Gurdon Rebow John Gurdon Rebow ( John Gurdon; 1799 - 11 October 1870) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1857 and 1870. John Gurdon was the son of Theophilus Thornhaugh Gurdon of Letton, Norfolk, ...

, of

Wivenhoe House Wivenhoe House is a grade II-listed house located in Colchester, Essex. It is in use as a 4-star hotel. History Wivenhoe House's history began in 1759 when Isaac Rebow asked Thomas Reynolds to build the house. In 1816, owner Major-General Franci ...

, MP for

from 1865. 1861–1870 *George Henry Errington, banker and former

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of th ...

1870–1883 * Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper * Viscount Cowdray 1910–1927, industrialist and former MP for

* Annie Pearson, Viscountess Cowdray 1927–1932 in succession to her husband. * Sir William Gurney Benham, three times mayor and local notable 1933–1944 * Field Marshal Wavell,

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

of India 1947–1950. *Sir Percy Saunders CBE, businessman, former mayor and member of Colchester council for 30 years. 1950–1962. *

Cuthbert Alport, Baron Alport Cuthbert James McCall Alport, Baron Alport, (22 March 1912 – 28 October 1998), was a Conservative Party politician, minister, and life peer. Early life "Cub" Alport was educated at Haileybury College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire, England, ...

, former MP for

. October 1967 – 1988. 21st High Steward * Professor Ivor Crewe, 2003–2009. 22nd High Steward * Sir Bob Russell, former MP for

, 2015–present. 23rd High Steward

References

{{reflist
High Stewards speech 2003

History of Colchester