The High Sheriff of Armagh is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Armagh. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his/her judicial importance, they have ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court Writs.
History The first (High) Shrivalties were established before the Norman Conquest in 1066 and date back to Saxon times. In 1908, an Order in Council made the Lord-Lieutenant the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the High Sheriff's precedence. However the office still retained the responsibility for the preservation of law and order in a county.
While the office of High Sheriff ceased to exist in those Irish counties, which had formed the Irish Free State in 1922, it is still present in the counties of Northern Ireland.
James I, 1603–1625
1603: Sir Marmaduke Whitchurch 1613: Charles Poyntz 1618: 1622: 1623: Sir William Brownlow
Charles I, 1625–1649
1625: 1626: 1627: 1628: 1629: 1630: 1631: 1632: 1633: 1634: 1635: 1636:
English Interregnum, 1649–1660
1655: Sir George Acheson, 3rd Bt 1656: Sir George Acheson, 3rd Bt 1659:
Charles II, 1660–1685
1660: 1661: 1662: 1663: 1664: 1665: Edward Richardson of Legacorry 1666: 1667: 1668: Arthur Brownlow 1669: Arthur Brownlow 1670: 1671: 1672:
1673: 1674: 1675: 1676: 1677: 1678: Godfrey Walker 1679: 1680: 1681: 1682: 1683: 1684: George Blacker
James II, 1685–1688
1685: 1686: Marcus Clerk
1687: 1688: Hamlett Obins
William III, 1689–1702
1689: 1690: William Richardson of Legacorry 1691: 1692: 1693: 1694: 1695: Sir Nicholas Acheson, 4th Bt
1696: 1697: Arthur Brownlow 1698: 1699: 1700: 1701:
Anne, 1702–1714
1702: Roger Hall 1703: 1704: 1705: 1706: 1707:
1708: 1709: 1710: 1711: 1712: 1713:
George I, 1714–1727
1714: Edward Bond 1715: John Richardson 1716: James Maison 1717: Oliver St John 1718: John Maxwell 1719: John Bolton 1720: Henry Richardson
1721: Sir William Johnston 1722: Joshua Johnston 1723: Thomas Tipping 1724: Thomas Clarke 1725: Anthony Madden 1726: Francis Obre
George II, 1727–1760
1727: William Jones 1728: Sir Arthur Acheson, 5th Bt 1729: Meredith Workman 1730: John Ball 1731: Thomas D. Clarke 1732: Chapel Dawson 1733: Richard Johnston 1734: William Blacker of Carrickblacker and Brookend 1735: Randal Donaldson 1736: Robert Cope 1737: William Richardson of Richhill Castle 1738: William Graham 1739: Roger Hall of Mount Hall 1740: Francis Hall 1741: Edward Obre 1742: Richard Chapel Whaley 1743: Richard Graham
1744: Sir Capel Molyneux, 3rd Bt 1745: Henry Bond 1746: Thomas Tipping 1747: Middleton Bond 1748: Jonathan Seaver 1749: Thomas Bond 1750: William Brownlow 1751: Sir Archibald Acheson, 6th Bt 1752: Alexander Stewart 1753: Meredith Workman 1754: Thomas T. Dawson 1755: Huntly Hutcheson 1756: Hon. William Moore 1757: John Bond 1758: Richard Johnston 1759: Arthur Irwin
George III, 1760–1820
1760: Richard Jackson 1761: Daniel Kelly 1762: Richard Magenis 1763: Thomas Rowe 1764: Michael Obins of Castle Obins 1765: Thomas Clarke 1766: Arthur Cope 1767: John Moore 1768: Thomas Obre 1769: Henry Cust 1770: Thomas Dawson 1771: Richard Johnston 1772: Thomas Clarke 1773: Edward Tipping 1774: Arthur Graham 1775: Thomas Seaver of Heath Hall (son of Jonathan, HS 1748) 1776: Samuel MacGeough of Derrycaw 1777: William Richardson of Richhill Castle 1778: Arthur Noble 1779: Thomas M. Jones 1780: Maxwell Close of Elm Park 1781: James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon 1782: Henry Harden 1783: Sir Walter Synnot of Ballymoyer House 1784: Thomas Verner 1785: John Maxwell 1786: John Reilly 1787: William Brownlow 1788: Alexander Thomas Stewart 1789: James Verner
1790: James Johnston 1791: Nicholas Archdall Cope 1792: James Harden 1793: John Pringle 1794: John Ogle 1795: Savage Hall of Narrow Water 1796: John Ogle 1797: Robert Bernard Sparrow 1798: Kenrick Cope 1799: Robert Camden Cope ‡ / succeeded by Archibald Eyre Obins 1800: Thomas Verner 1801: Du Pré Alexander, Viscount Alexander 1802: John Henry Burges 1803: John Moore 1804: John O'Donnell 1805: Sir Capel Molyneux, 4th Bt 1806: George Ensor 1807: Jonathan Seaver of Heath Hall (son of Thomas, HS 1775) 1808: John Reade 1809: Robert Harden 1810: Hon. Jerome de Salis 1811: William Blacker 1812: Nicholas George Johnston 1813: Charles Eastwood 1814: Robert Macan 1815: Roger Hall 1816: Joseph Atkinson 1817: William Irwin of Mount Irwin 1818: Maxwell Close of Drumbanagher 1819: Walter MacGeough-Bond of Drumsill, Siver Bridge
George IV, 1820–1830
1820: Thomas J. Thornton 1821: Samuel Cope 1822: William Verner 1823: Sir James Strong 1824: James Johnston
1825: Thomas Atkinson 1826: Acheson St George 1827: William Olpherts 1828: Barry Fox 1829: Hunt Walsh Chambre of Hawthorn Hill
William IV, 1830–1837
1830: Marcus Synnot of Ballymoyer House 1831: Hugh Harris 1832: Hon. Henry Caulfeild 1833: James Eastwood
1834: Charles Brownlow 1835: Sir Edmund Bacon, 10th Baronet 1836: James Alexander, Viscount Alexander
Victoria, 1837–1901
1837: Sir George King Adlercron Molyneux, 6th Bt 1838: Leonard Dobbin 1839: Thomas Wilson 1840: William Jones Armstrong 1841: John Whaley 1842: James Molyneux Caulfeild 1843: Sir James Matthew Stronge, 3rd Baronet 1844: John Robert Irwin 1845: Thomas Morris Hamilton Jones of Moneyglass House 1846: Robert Wright Cope 1847: Maxwell Cross of Dartan 1848: William Verner 1849: Richard Blackson Houston 1850: James Harden 1851: George Robinson 1852: Marcus Synnot of Ballymoyer House 1853: Hon. Peter John Fane de Salis 1854: Maxwell Charles Close of Drumbanagher House 1855: Joseph Atkinson of Crowhill 1856: Henry Alexander of Forkhill House 1857: George Dunbar 1858: Stewart Blacker 1859: Edward James Saunderson 1860: William Cross of Dartan 1861: St John Thomas Blacker-Douglass of Grace Hall 1862: John James Bigger 1863: William Kirk 1864: Sir Capel Molyneux, 7th Baronet of Castle DillonComplete Baronetage, p. 350 1865: Hugh Harris of Ashfort 1866: H. W. Canefeild 1867: Sir Capel Molyneux, 7th Bt 1868: John Alexander Mainley Cope of Drumilly
1869: Samuel Madden Francis Hall of Narrow water 1870: John William Ellison-Macartney of Mountjoy Grange 1871: Richard James Harden of Harrybrook 1872: Joshua Walter MacGeough Bond of Drumsill 1873: 1874: 1875: Henry Armstrong 1876: Mark Seton Synnot of Ballymoyer House 1877: Thomas Simpson 1878: Patrick George Hamilton Carvill 1879: James Henry Todd-Thornton of Westbrook, Co. Donegal 1880: William James Hall of Narrow Water 1881: 1882: 1883: Granville Henry Jackson Alexander 1884: George Miller Dobbin of Drumulla House, Co. Louth 1885: Sir James Henry Stronge, 5th Bt 1886: William Arthur Irwin of Carnagh 1887: George de la Poer Beresford of Awbawn 1888: John Mervyn Archdall Carleton Richardson 1889: 1890: Henry Barcroft of the Glen 1891: James Rolston Lonsdale 1892: William Maynard Sinton 1893: 1894: 1895: John Brownlee Lonsdale 1896: Harry Felix Verner 1897: 1898: James Barrington-White 1899: 1900: Roger Hall of Narrow Water
Edward VII, 1901–1910
1901: Joseph Henry Gray 1902: 1903: William John Talbot 1904: 1905: Sir John Milne Barbour
1906: Joseph Mansergh Palmer 1907: 1908: Maxwell Archibald Close of Drumbanagher House 1909: William McCrum 1910:
George V, 1910–1936
1911: 1912: 1913: 1914: Hunt Walsh Leech 1915: 1916: William Byers 1917: 1918: 1919: 1920: 1921: 1922: Thomas Bowen Johnston 1923: Thomas Trew Maclean
1924: James Edward Calvert 1925: Thomas Henry White 1926: John Charters Boyle 1927: Samuel Alexander Bell 1928: William M. Clow 1929: Charles Barclay Macpherson Chambré 1930: Thomas Grevilie Sinton 1931: Noel Stephen Smith 1932: Gilbert Evelyn Barcroft 1933: David Malcomson Barcroft 1934: Arthur Dawson Allen 1935: Hector Charles Chatterton Deane 1936: Richard Henry Stephens Richardson
George VI, 1936–1952
1937: Arthur Delacherois Irwin 1938: William Edward Greeves 1939: George Valentine Crossley Irwin 1940: James Edwards Harden 1941: George Scott 1942: Thomas Averell Shillington 1943: Alfred William Cowdy 1944: Bunbury Archer Atkinson
1945: John Stephen Wakefield Richardson 1946: George Norman Proctor 1947: Robert McKean Cowdy 1948: Archibald Dunlap Gibson 1949: Alexander Reginald Wakefield Richardson 1950: George Fitzroy Gillespie 1951: Ynyr Alfred Burges
Elizabeth II, 1952–2022
1952: Walter Albert Nevill MacGeough-Bond 1953: Cecil Brown 1954: William Alexander Mullen 1955: Harold Brown 1956: James Nicholson Brown 1957: Edward Kennedy Walkington 1958: Alleyn Cardwell Moore 1959: Richard Graves Johnston 1960: James Robert Bargrave Armstrong 1961: Henry Alwyn White 1962: Francis Edward Nangle 1963: Acheson Harden Glendinning 1964: George Edwin McCaw 1965: Michael Henry Armstrong 1966: George Dougan 1967: James Matthew Stronge 1968: Thomas Carter Johnston 1969: Alexander Edmond Knight 1970: John Fitzroy Gillespie 1971: Geoffrey Alastair Nisbet Boyne 1972: Kenneth McCleery 1973: W. Bernard Cowdy 1974: Henry William Francis Reid 1975: Henry George Glendinning 1976: Alexander Hugh O'Brien Greer 1977: Donald Henry Stevenson 1978: Ronald McIlroy Wilson 1979: Frederick Michael Alexander Torrens-Spence 1980: John Reginald Miller 1981: Alexander Hugh Courtney 1982: Andrew Alwyn White 1983: J. H. H. Balmer 1984: W. H. Jordan 1985: E. B. Wilson 1986:
1987: 1988: 1989: 1990: 1991: John Daniel Thompson 1992: James Rochester Nelson 1993: J. N. Greenlee 1994: J. E. Lamb 1995: John C. K. Magowan 1996: Margaret Patton 1997: John Oliver Woods 1998: David Eric Dorman 1999: Anne E. Cullen 2000: Archibald Thomas Laughlan Gibson 2001: Patrick Stephen Kellett 2002: Mary Catherine Dixon 2003: Barbara Ann Gillespie 2004: Caroline Bridget Good 2005: Leslie Victor Johnston of Armagh 2006: Ralph Edward Cope Cowdy of Loughgall 2007: Colin Wallace Mathews 2008: Desmond Robert David Mitchell 2009: Gerard Patrick Millar 2010: John Niall Collen 2011: Dr Peter W.B. Colvin of Hockley 2012: Dr Edmund Peter Beckett of Armagh 2013: James Magowan of Loughgilly 2014: Paul Reaney of Armagh 2015: Anna Louise Shepherd of Tandragee 2016: James Arthur Crummie of Portadown 2017: Godfrey William McCartney of Killylea 2018: Catherine Mary Adams of Craigavon 2019: Ian James Chapman of Craigavon 2020: Michael Frederick Dickson of Armagh 2021: Dr Alan Manson Turtlem of Richhill 2022: Henry Gabriel McMullen of Armagh
Charles III, 2022–present
Notes ‡ Stood as Member of Parliament
References