High Sheriff of Belfast
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Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox political post
The High Sheriff of Belfast is a title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with Sir James Henderson the first holder. Like other high sheriff positions, it is largely a ceremonial post today. The current high sheriff is Councillor Fiona McAteer, who took office in January 2025.
The high sheriff is theoretically the judicial representative of the King in the city, while the Lord Lieutenant of Belfast is the Sovereign's personal representative. Today, the office is now largely symbolic, with few formal duties other than deputising for the Lord Mayor of Belfast at official events. Irish Nationalists and Republican council members generally do not allow their names to go forward for the nomination, as the post is seen as a reflection of the city's imperialist past.
Appointments are made annually by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who asks the outgoing high sheriff and Belfast City Council to suggest the names of three people who are deemed suitable to hold the position. In recent years the council has suggested only one candidate, who is normally a member of the council.[1] The high sheriff's term of office runs from January to December, which is distinct from the term of office for the lord mayor and deputy lord mayor who take up office in May or June each year.[2]
Prior to 1900, sheriffs were elected by the city council.
List of high sheriffs
20th century
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- 1900: Sir James Henderson[1]
- 1901: Otto Jaffe[3]
- 1902: Samuel Lawther[4][5]
- 1903: Robert Anderson[6]
- 1904: Henry Hutton[7]
- 1905: Henry O'Neill[8]
- 1906: William Frederick CoatesScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 1907: Peter O'Connell[9]
- 1908: John McCaughey[10]
- 1909: Francis Curley[11]
- 1910: George Doran[12]
- 1911: Crawford McCullagh[13]
- 1912: James Johnston[14]
- 1913: Frank Workman[15]
- 1914: John Tyrrell[16]
- 1915: John Campbell White[17]
- 1916: Robert Dunlop[18]
- 1917: William Tougher[19]
- 1918: Cllr Robert M Gaffikin JP[20]
- 1919: Samuel Mercier[21]
- 1920: William George Turner[22]
- 1921: Joseph Davison[23]
- 1922: Henry McKeag[24][25]
- 1923: James Augustine Duff[13][26]
- 1924: Hugh McLaurin JP[27][28][29]
- 1925: William Macartney[30][31]
- 1926: Oswald Jamison (Nationalist)[32][33]
- 1927: Samuel Cheyne[34]
- 1928: Julia McMordie[13]
- 1929: Samuel Hall-Thompson[13]
- 1930: James McKinney[35]
- 1931: C. Lindsay[36]
- 1932: F. J. Holland[37]
- 1933: Richard Milligan Harcourt[38]
- 1934: James Dunlop Williamson[39]
- 1935: George Ruddell Black[40]
- 1936: Thomas Edward McConnell
- 1937: Thomas Loftus Cole?[13]
- 1938: Thomas Loftus Cole[41]
- 1939: Samuel Boyd Thompson[42]
- 1940: William Dowling[13]
- 1941: Percival Brown[43]
- 1942: Tommy Henderson[13]
- 1943: Frederick William Kennedy[44]
- 1944: Alfred Hinds[45]
- 1945: Robert Brown Alexander[13]
- 1946: Cecil McKee[46][47]
- 1947: W. E. G. Johnston[48]
- 1948: James Henry Norritt[49]
- 1949: Robert Harcourt[13]
- 1950: Stuart Knox Henry[50]
- 1951: William Harpur[51]
- 1952: Andrew Scott[52]
- 1953: Robert Pierce[53]
- 1954: William Frederick Neill[54]
- 1955?: Robert Kinahan[13]
- 1956: Walter H. Cooper[55]
- 1957: Herbert Jefferson[56]
- 1958: Florence Elizabeth Breakie[57]
- 1959: Martin Kelso Wallace[58]
- 1960: William Duncan Geddis[59]
- 1961: William Jenkins[60]
- 1962: William John McCracken[61]
- 1963: Joseph Foster Cairns[62]
- 1964: William Christie[63]
- 1965: John Abbott Lewis[64]
- 1966: Matthew Thomas Orr[65]
- 1967: Thomas Rea[66]
- 1968: Hugh Robert Brown[67]
- June 1969-June 1970: Myles Humphreys[68]
- June 1970-June 1971: John William Kennedy[69]
- June 1971-June 1972: Francis Wills Watson[70]
- June 1972-June 1973: Walter Shannon[71][72]
- June 1973–June 1974: Alfred Walker Shaw[73]
- 1975: James Stewart[74]
- 1976: William Cecil Corry[75]
- 1977: John Allen[76]
- 1978: John Carson[77]
- 1979: Grace Bannister[78]
- 1980: Michael Brown[79][80]
- 1981: Muriel Pritchard[81]
- 1982: Alfie Ferguson[82]
- 1983: Donnell Deeny[82]
- 1984: Pauline Whitley[83][84]
- 1985: Andrew Cairns[85]
- 1985–1986: Herbert Ditty[86][87]
- 1987–1989: Post vacant[88]
- 1990: Jim Kirkpatrick[89]
- 1991: Joe Coggle[90]
- 1992: Thomas Patton[91]
- 1993: Jim Walker[92]
- 1994: Mary Margaret Crooks[93]
- 1995: John Parkes[90]
- 1995: Joe Coggle[90]
- 1996: Steve McBride[94]
- 1997: Nelson McCausland[95]
- 1998: Jim Clarke[96]
- 1999: Robin Newton[97]
21st century
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See also
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ JewishEncyclopedia.com – IRELAND
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs", Weekly Irish Times, 7 February 1903
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs", Weekly Irish Times, 13 February 1904
- ↑ "New High Sheriff of Belfast", Irish Times, 3 February 1905
- ↑ Anthony C. Hepburn, A Past Apart
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 29 January 1908
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 30 January 1909
- ↑ "Judges leave Belfast", Irish Times, 28 March 1910
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
- ↑ "The High Sheriff List", Irish Times, 27 January 1912
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs", Weekly Irish Times, 8 February 1913
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 31 January 1914
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs in Ireland", Weekly Irish Times, 6 February 1915
- ↑ "City High Sheriffs in Ireland", Weekly Irish Times, 5 February 1916
- ↑ "Irish City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 31 January 1917
- ↑ "Viceroy in Belfast", Irish Times, 7 August 1918
- ↑ "Irish City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 1 February 1919
- ↑ Who was who (1967)
- ↑ "High Sheriff's luncheon", Irish Times, 21 July 1921
- ↑ "Mr. Alexander McKeag, Belfast", Irish Times, 8 July 1924
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Civic day in Belfast", Irish Times, 23 July 1924
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Shrievalty of Belfast", Weekly Irish Times, 31 January 1925
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Four times Lord Mayor", Irish Times, 25 January 1926
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Northern Ireland", Irish Times, 24 February 1927
- ↑ "Civic affairs in Belfast", Irish Times, 21 January 1930
- ↑ "Naval officers' visit to Belfast", Irish Times, 19 June 1931
- ↑ "Belfast Lord Mayoralty", Irish Times, 23 January 1932
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 10 February 1933
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 2 February 1934, p.1
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 7 June 1935
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 10 June 1938
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 9 June 1939
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 6 June 1941
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 4 June 1943
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 2 June 1944, p.118
- ↑ "Tributes paid to ex-Lord Mayor; Obituary", Belfast News Letter, 7 January 2003
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 31 May 1946
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 13 June 1947
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 11 June 1948
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 16 June 1950
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 15 June 1951, p.1
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 13 June 1952
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 19 June 1953
- ↑ Water and Water Engineering, Vol.64, p.84
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 15 June 1956
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 14 June 1957
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 27 June 1958
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 12 June 1959
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 17 June 1960
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 16 June 1961
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 15 June 1962
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 14 June 1963
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 18 June 1965
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 17 June 1966
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 16 June 1967
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Former Lord Mayor Sir Myles dies at 72", Belfast Telegraph, 23 February 1998
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Queen petitioned to keep governor", Irish Times, 23 June 1973
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Fionnuala O'Connor, "Man at the door without much hope", Irish Times, 20 November 1975
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 9 January 1976
- ↑ Irish Times, 22 February 1977, p.4
- ↑ "South-east SF group in Shankill tour", Irish Times, 12 October 1978
- ↑ "Belfast woman elected mayor", Irish Times, 2 June 1981
- ↑ "Come shopping, appeals Belfast", Irish Times, 2 December 1980
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Woman installed as High Sheriff of Belfast", Irish Times, 7 February 1981
- ↑ a b "Catholic voted sheriff", Irish Times, 2 November 1982
- ↑ "New Belfast High Sheriff", Irish Times, 4 February 1984
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 28 December 1984
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 26 July 1985
- ↑ "Paisley reaffirms council boycott", Irish Times, 26 November 1986
- ↑ "Belfast council set to end ban", Irish Times, 23 February 1991
- ↑ a b c New High Sheriff of Belfast to be sworn in, Belfast City Council
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Death of former Mayor of Belfast", Irish Times, 21 October 1993
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 8 January 1993
- ↑ Belfast Gazette, 7 January 1994
- ↑ "New High Sheriff for Belfast", Irish Times, 27 February 1996
- ↑ Nelson McCausland, Democratic Unionist Party
- ↑ Gary Grattan, "High Sheriff of Belfast sworn in", Belfast Telegraph, 22 January 2003
- ↑ Belfast Harbour Commissioners' Board Appointments, Department for Regional Development
- ↑ Tom Campbell Template:Webarchive, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
- ↑ Appointments of Members to Health and Social Services Councils, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ New Lord Mayor of Belfast elected, Belfast City Council
- ↑ Deputy Lord Mayor David Browne Template:Webarchive, Belfast City Council
- ↑ New High Sheriff of Belfast sworn in, Belfast City Council
- ↑ High Sheriff Frank McCoubrey Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ High Sheriff, Belfast City Council
- ↑ New High Sheriff sworn in, Belfast City Council, 12 January 2012
- ↑ New High Sheriff sworn in, Belfast City Council, 21 January 2013
- ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
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