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. 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.
Prior to 1900, sheriffs were elected by the city council.
List of high sheriffs
20th century
1900: Sir James Henderson 1901: Otto JaffeJewishEncyclopedia.com – IRELAND 1902: Samuel Lawther 1903: Robert Anderson"City High Sheriffs", Weekly Irish Times, 7 February 1903 1904: Henry Hutton"City High Sheriffs", Weekly Irish Times, 13 February 1904 1905: Henry O'Neill"New High Sheriff of Belfast", Irish Times, 3 February 1905 1906: William Frederick Coates 1907: Peter O'ConnellAnthony C. Hepburn, A Past Apart 1908: John McCaughey"City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 29 January 1908 1909: Francis Curley"City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 30 January 1909 1910: George Doran"Judges leave Belfast", Irish Times, 28 March 1910 1911: Crawford McCullaghBiographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons 1912: James Johnston"The High Sheriff List", Irish Times, 27 January 1912 1913: Frank Workman"City High Sheriffs", Weekly Irish Times, 8 February 1913 1914: John Tyrrell"City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 31 January 1914 1915: John Campbell White"City High Sheriffs in Ireland", Weekly Irish Times, 6 February 1915 1916: Robert Dunlop"City High Sheriffs in Ireland", Weekly Irish Times, 5 February 1916 1917: William Tougher"Irish City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 31 January 1917 1918: Cllr Robert M Gaffikin JP"Viceroy in Belfast", Irish Times, 7 August 1918 1919: Samuel Mercier"Irish City High Sheriffs", Irish Times, 1 February 1919 1920: William George TurnerWho was who (1967) 1921: Joseph Davison"High Sheriff's luncheon", Irish Times, 21 July 1921 1922: Henry McKeag"Mr. Alexander McKeag, Belfast", Irish Times, 8 July 1924 1923: James Augustine Duff 1924: Hugh McLaurin JP"Civic day in Belfast", Irish Times, 23 July 1924 1925: William Macartney"Shrievalty of Belfast", Weekly Irish Times, 31 January 1925 1926: Oswald Jamison (Nationalist)"Four times Lord Mayor", Irish Times, 25 January 1926 1927: Samuel Cheyne"Northern Ireland", Irish Times, 24 February 1927 1928: Julia McMordie 1929: Samuel Hall-Thompson 1930: James McKinney"Civic affairs in Belfast", Irish Times, 21 January 1930 1931: C. Lindsay"Naval officers' visit to Belfast", Irish Times, 19 June 1931 1932: F. J. Holland"Belfast Lord Mayoralty", Irish Times, 23 January 1932 1933: Richard Milligan HarcourtBelfast Gazette, 10 February 1933 1934: James Dunlop WilliamsonBelfast Gazette, 2 February 1934, p.1 1935: George Ruddell BlackBelfast Gazette, 7 June 1935 1936: Thomas McConnell 1937: Thomas Loftus Cole? 1938: Thomas Loftus ColeBelfast Gazette, 10 June 1938 1939: Samuel Boyd ThompsonBelfast Gazette, 9 June 1939 1940: William Dowling 1941: Percival BrownBelfast Gazette, 6 June 1941 1942: Tommy Henderson 1943: Frederick William KennedyBelfast Gazette, 4 June 1943 1944: Alfred HindsBelfast Gazette, 2 June 1944, p.118 1945: Robert Brown Alexander 1946: Cecil McKee"Tributes paid to ex-Lord Mayor; Obituary", Belfast News Letter, 7 January 2003Belfast Gazette, 31 May 1946 1947: W. E. G. JohnstonBelfast Gazette, 13 June 1947 1948: James Henry NorrittBelfast Gazette, 11 June 1948 1949: Robert Harcourt 1950: Stuart Knox HenryBelfast Gazette, 16 June 1950 1951: William HarpurBelfast Gazette, 15 June 1951, p.1 1952: Andrew ScottBelfast Gazette, 13 June 1952 1953: Robert PierceBelfast Gazette, 19 June 1953 1954: William NeillWater and Water Engineering, Vol.64, p.84 1955?: Robert Kinahan 1956: Walter H. CooperBelfast Gazette, 15 June 1956 1957: Herbert JeffersonBelfast Gazette, 14 June 1957 1958: Florence Elizabeth BreakieBelfast Gazette, 27 June 1958 1959: Martin Kelso WallaceBelfast Gazette, 12 June 1959 1960: William Duncan GeddisBelfast Gazette, 17 June 1960 1961: William JenkinsBelfast Gazette, 16 June 1961 1962: William John McCrackenBelfast Gazette, 15 June 1962 1963: Joseph Foster CairnsBelfast Gazette, 14 June 1963 1964: William Christie 1965: John Abbott LewisBelfast Gazette, 18 June 1965 1966: Matthew Thomas OrrBelfast Gazette, 17 June 1966 1967: Thomas ReaBelfast Gazette, 16 June 1967 1968: Hugh Robert Brown June 1969-June 1970: Myles Humphreys"Former Lord Mayor Sir Myles dies at 72", Belfast Telegraph, 23 February 1998 June 1970-June 1971: John William Kennedy June 1971-June 1972: Francis Wills Watson June 1972-June 1973: Walter Shannon"Queen petitioned to keep governor", Irish Times, 23 June 1973 June 1973–June 1974: Alfred Walker Shaw 1975: James StewartFionnuala O'Connor, "Man at the door without much hope", Irish Times, 20 November 1975 1976: William Cecil CorryBelfast Gazette, 9 January 1976 1977: John AllenIrish Times, 22 February 1977, p.4 1978: John Carson"South-east SF group in Shankill tour", Irish Times, 12 October 1978 1979: Grace Bannister"Belfast woman elected mayor", Irish Times, 2 June 1981 1980: Michael Brown"Come shopping, appeals Belfast", Irish Times, 2 December 1980 1981: Muriel Pritchard"Woman installed as High Sheriff of Belfast", Irish Times, 7 February 1981 1982: Alfie Ferguson"Catholic voted sheriff", Irish Times, 2 November 1982 1983: Donnell Deeny 1984: Pauline Whitley"New Belfast High Sheriff", Irish Times, 4 February 1984 1985: Andrew CairnsBelfast Gazette, 28 December 1984 1985–1986: Herbert DittyBelfast Gazette, 26 July 1985"Paisley reaffirms council boycott", Irish Times, 26 November 1986 1987–1989: Post vacant"Belfast council set to end ban", Irish Times, 23 February 1991 1990: Jim Kirkpatrick 1991: Joe Coggle 1992: Thomas Patton"Death of former Mayor of Belfast", Irish Times, 21 October 1993 1993: Jim WalkerBelfast Gazette, 8 January 1993 1994: Mary Margaret CrooksBelfast Gazette, 7 January 1994 1995: John Parkes 1995: Joe Coggle 1996: Steve McBride"New High Sheriff for Belfast", Irish Times, 27 February 1996 1997: Nelson McCauslandNelson McCausland, Democratic Unionist Party 1998: Jim ClarkeGary Grattan, "High Sheriff of Belfast sworn in", Belfast Telegraph, 22 January 2003 1999: Robin NewtonBelfast Harbour Commissioners' Board Appointments , Department for Regional Development
21st century
See also Members of Belfast City Council
References