High Sheriff of Antrim

The High Sheriff of Antrim is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Antrim. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the high sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judicial importance, he has 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. Despite however that the office retains his responsibilities 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.

Medieval 1326: John AthyPatent Roll 20 Edward II

James I, 1603–1625

1603: Thomas Pavell 1613: Hugh Clotworthy 1618: Sir Hugh Clotworthy 1622: Sir Hugh Clotworthy

Charles I, 1625–1649

1625: Moses Hill 1626: Neal Oge O'Neill 1627: Cormick O'Hara 1628: William Houston 1629: Alexander MacDonnell 1630: Robert Adair 1631: Arthur O'Neill 1632: Alexander Stuart 1633: John Donaldson 1634: Arthur Hill 1635: Edward Maxwell 1636: John Dalway

English Interregnum, 1649–1660

1656: Roger Lyndon 1659: John Upton

Charles II, 1660–1685

1660: John Shaw 1661: Hercules Langford 1662: Alexander Dalway 1663: Thomas Warrin 1664: Richard Dobbs 1665: John Donaldson 1666: Anthony Horsman 1667: Francis Stafford 1668: Patrick Agnew 1669: Archibald Edmonston 1670: Sir Robert Colville 1671: George Maccartney 1672: William Upton

1673: Thadeus O'Hara 1674: John Galland 1675: Randall Bryce 1676: William Huston 1677: William Lesley 1678: Edward Harrison 1679: Henry Spencer 1680: Randall Smith 1681: George Macartney 1682: John Bickerstaffe 1683: John Bickerstaffe † / succeeded by Charles Stuart 1684: Henry Davys

James II, 1685–1688

1685: Thomas Knox 1686: Cormick O'Neill

1687: Cormick O'Neill 1688: Shane O'Neill

William III, 1689–1702

1689: Shane O'Neill 1690: Isaac MacCartney 1691: Thomas Smith 1692: Thomas Smith 1693: William Shaw 1694: Richard Dobbs 1695: Clotworthy Upton

1696: Sir Robert Adair 1697: Michael Harrison 1698: Edmond Ellis 1699: Andrew Clements 1700: John O'Neill 1701: John Davys

Anne, 1702–1714

1702: Benjamin Galland 1703: Charles O'Neill 1704: Brent Spencer 1705: John Davys 1706: Westerna Warring 1707: Edward Clements

1708: Benjamin Galland 1709: Arthur Davys 1710: William Shaw 1711: Andrew Clements 1712: Westerna Warring 1713: Brent Spencer

George I, 1714–1727

1714: Robert Green 1715: Edmund T. Stafford 1716: Edward Clements 1717: James Hamilton 1718: William Moore 1719: Hercules Upton 1720: Arthur Dobbs

1721: Francis Clements 1722: Henry O'Hara 1723: William Johnston 1724: Ezekiel William Crombie 1725: Ezekiel Davys Wiilson 1726: Sir Robert Adair

George II, 1727–1760

1727: Rowley Hill 1728: John Skeffington 1729: Charles O'Neill 1730: Valentine Jones 1731: Alexander Stuart 1732: John Moore 1733: Hector McNeill 1734: Hugh Boyd 1735: John Houston 1736: Clotworthy O'Neill 1737: Hill Wilson 1738: Edward Smith 1739: Davys Wilson 1740: William Boyd 1741: Conway Spencer 1742: Felix O'Neill 1743: George Macartney

1744: William Agnew 1745: Charles MacDaniel 1746: John Cuppage 1747: Edmund MacNaghten 1748: Edward Brice 1749: Roger MacNeill 1750: Roger Moore 1751: John Dunkin 1752: Conway Richard Dobbs 1753: Robert Adair 1754: Bernard O'Neill 1755: John Rowan 1756: John MacNaghten 1757: Arthur Upton 1758: Charles O'Hara 1759: James Leslie

George III, 1760–1820

1760: Richard Magenis 1761: Alexander Boyd 1762: Alexander Stuart 1763: John Henry 1764: Rowley Heylands 1765: Charles Hamilton 1766: Alexander MacAuley 1767: Sampson Moore 1768: Thomas Thomson 1769: Bryan MacManus 1770: Alexander Legge 1771: Randal William MacDonnell, Viscount Dunluce 1772: John O'Neill 1773: Hugh Boyd 1774: St John O'Neill 1775: Robert Morris Jones † / succeeded by Samuel Bristow 1776: Ezekiel Davies Boyd 1777: William Dunkin 1778: William Moore 1779: Robert Rowan 1780: William Legge 1781: Bartholomew MacNaghten 1782: Alexander MacManus 1783: John Brown 1784: John Crombie 1785: Henry O'Hara 1786: John Allen 1787: Robert Gage 1788: Henry W. Shaw 1789: Charles Crymble

1790: Samuel Allen 1791: Richard Gervais Kerr 1792: Hugh Boyd 1793: Edmund Alexander Macnaghten 1794: Roger Moore 1795: Stewart Banks 1796: James Watson 1797: Hon. Chichester Skeffington 1798: James Stewart Moore 1799: James Leslie 1800: George A. MacCleverty 1801: Thomas Benjamin Adair 1802: Langford Heylands 1803: Edward Jones-Agnew 1804: Hugh Montgomery 1805: Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, 2nd Bt 1806: Hon. John Bruce O'Neill 1807: Francis MacNaghten 1808: William Moore 1809: Stephen Moore 1810: Ezekiel Boyd 1811: James Caulfield 1812: John Campbell 1813: George Bristow 1814: John Rowan 1815: James Agnew Farrell 1816: Robert Thompson 1817: Samuel Thompson 1818: Hon. Thomas Henry Skeffington 1819: John Montgomery

George IV, 1820–1830

1820: Edmund MacDonald 1821: John Cromie 1822: Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham 1823: William Wallace Legge 1824: Francis Turnley

1825: George Hutchinson of Ballymoney 1826: Alexander MacManus 1827: John McCance 1828: Cunningham Gregg 1829: Nicholas de la Cherois-Crommelin

William IV, 1830–1837

1830: Richard Magennis 1831: George H. Macartney of Lissanoure Castle 1832: Alexander McNeill 1833: Charles O'Hara

1834: David Kerr 1835: Hugh Leckey of Beardiville 1836: Edward Bruce of Scoutbush

Victoria, 1837–1901

1837: Edmund C. MacNaghten 1838: James Owens 1839: James Agnew 1840: T. Gregg 1841: Conway Richard Dobbs 1842: Alexander Henry Haliday 1843: John MacNeill 1844: John MacGildowney 1845: John White 1846: Thomas Morres Hamilton Jones of Moneyglass House 1847: William Moore 1848: Charles MacGarel 1849: James Stewart Moore 1850: Alexander Montgomery 1851: James Thomson Tennant 1852: Robert Smyth 1853: Robert Alexander Shafto Adair, 1st Baron Waveney 1854: James Edmund Leslie 1855: Ambrose O'Rorke 1856: Robert Grimshaw 1857: David Stewart Ker of Montalto 1858: Andrew Mulholland of Springvale, Ballywalter 1859: George Gray 1860: Henry Hugh McNeile 1861: Henry H. H. O'Hara 1862: Frederick Hugh Henry 1863: John Young 1864: 1865: 1866: William Thomas Bristow Lyons 1867: Robert James Montgomery 1868: Richard Henry Magenis

1869: William Coates 1870: Robert James Montgomery 1871: Henry Adair 1872: 1873: James Chaine 1874: Thomas Casement 1875: Robert Jackson Alexander, J.P., Portglenone House, BallymenaThom's Directory of Ireland,1876, P. 1008 1876: Sir Charles Lanyon 1877: Sir Francis Edmund Workman-Macnaghten, 3rd Baronet 1878: James Owens 1879: Edmund McNeill 1880: James Stewart-Moore 1881: John Casement 1882: 1883: Ogilvie Blair Graham 1884: Anthony Traill 1885: Thomas Montgomery 1886: Samuel Allen 1887: Henry Cole Magenis 1888: Montagu William Edward Dobbs 1889: James Sinclair Cramsie 1890: William Moore 1891: James Macaulay 1892: George Edmondstone Kirk 1893: Victor Coates of Rathmore, Dunmurry 1894: 1895: Harold William Stannus Gray 1896: 1897: Sir William Quartus Ewart, 2nd Bt 1898: William James Pirrie 1899: Hugh Houston Smiley 1900: George Johnston Preston

Edward VII, 1901–1910

1901: Robert Henry Sturrock Reade 1902: William Chaine 1903: Thomas Hugh Torrens 1904: William Henry Holmes Lyons 1905: John Milne Barbour

1906: Hercules Arthur Pakenham 1907: James Graham Leslie 1908: Sir William Grey Ellison-Macartney 1909: Archibald Edward Dobbs 1910: John Alexander Montgomery

George V, 1910–1936

1911: Robert Peel Dawson Spencer Chichester 1912: Sir Thomas James Dixon, 2nd Bt 1913: Edward Johnson Charley 1914: 1915: 1916: Sir William Thompson Adair 1917: John Johnston Kirkpatrick 1918: 1919: 1920: 1921: Arthur Frederick Dobbs 1922: Charles Lewis MacKean 1923: Sir Francis Alexander Macnaghten, 8th Baronet

1924: Thomas Kelly Evans Johnston 1925: James Love McFerran 1926: James Young 1927: Robert Arthur Alexander 1928: St Clair Mulholland Dobbs 1929: William Stewart Traill 1930: Hugh Lecky 1931: Sir William Frederick Coates, 1st Bt 1932: Sydney James Lyle 1933: Arthur O'Neill Cubitt Chichester 1934: Sir Robert William Hugh O'Neill, 1st Bt 1935: Godfrey William Ferguson 1936: John Alexander James Montgomery

George VI, 1936–1952

1937: James Stewart Moore 1938: Robert Christopher Alexander 1939: Anthony O'Brien Traill 1940: Sir George Ernest Clark, 2nd Bt 1941: David Cecil Lindsay 1942: John Dermot Campbell 1943: Sydney Adam McNeill 1944: William Samson Moore

1945: William Litton Rowland De Burgh Young 1946: Arthur Cochran Herdman 1947: Henry Adair Allen 1948: Edward Stanley Clarke 1949: Archibald Gordon Edward Turnley 1950: Alexander James Henry Cramsie of O'harabrook, Ballymoney 1951: Francis Casement

Elizabeth II, 1952–2022

1952: Hugh Cameron McGildowney 1953: Terence O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine 1954: Sir George Clark, 3rd Baronet 1955: Samuel Gillmor Haughton 1956: Robert Henry Reade 1957: George Burrell MacKean 1958: Phelim O'Neill, 2nd Baron Rathcavan 1959: Ralph Pethebridge Martin 1960: John William Frazer 1961: Martin Edward Harcourt Mulholland 1962: Redmond Rochfort Young 1963: John Young 1964: William Roger Clotworthy Moore 1965: Robert Simpson Hanson 1966: Sir Antony MacNaghten, 10th Bt 1967: James Francis Leslie 1968: John O'Neill McClintock 1969: Sir Robert George Caldwell Kinahan 1970: Hugh James Montgomery 1971: Charles Henry Grierson Kinahan 1972: Anthony Kenneth Frazer 1973: Alec Cooke, Baron Cooke of Islandreagh 1974: Arthur Henry Bates 1975: Frank Bryan Savage Maclaran 1976: Sir William Ivan Cecil Ewart, 6th Bt 1977: Josias Cunningham Junior 1978: William Hunter Robert Charley 1979: William Denis Grenville Mackie of Lissanoure Castle 1980: Richard Severn Traill 1981: John Michael Ross 1982: William David Boyle Vandeleur 1983: Robin Dixon, 3rd Baron Glentoran 1984: J. P. Cooke 1985: P. C. D. Campbell 1986:

1987: 1988: 1989: Sandy Cramsie 1990: 1991: M. D. Stewart-Moore 1992: Richard G. Reade 1993: P. D. Cooke 1994: Andrew David Frazer 1995: John H. H. Stewart 1996: Daniel de Burgh Kinahan 1997: Richard Francis Andrew Dobbs 1998: Ronald Conway 1999: Pamela Traill 2000: Patricia Elise MacCarthy-Morrogh 2001: John Weir Wallace 2002: Michael John Alexander Cooke 2003: Hugh Edward John Montgomery 2004: Sheelagh Elizabeth Hillan 2005: David John Reade 2006: James Seymour Leslie 2007: Joseph Wilson 2008: Lady Juliet C. Frazer 2009: Nigel Dobbs 2010: Steven Montgomery 2011: David Severn Traill of Bushmills 2012: Julia Elizabeth Shirley of Larne 2013: Mervyn G Rankin of Portglenone 2014: Shane O'Neill of Shanes Castle 2015: John Pinkerton of Ballymoney 2016: James Ernest Perry of Ballymena 2017: Miranda Tisdale, DL of Muckamore 2018: Gillian May Bingham of Ballyclare 2019: James Ronald Hassard of Ballyclare 2020: Rupert Cramsie of O’Harabrook 2021: Susan Jane Pinkerton of Ballymoney 2022: John Anthony Lockett of Lisburn

Charles III, 2022–present

See also The Antrim Lieutenancy Website

Notes † Died in office

References