The High Sheriff of King's County was the British Crown's judicial representative in King's County (now County Offaly), Ireland, from 1556, when King's County was created, until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Offaly County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court writs. 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 sheriff retained his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in the county. The usual procedure for appointing the sheriff from 1660 onwards was that three persons were nominated at the beginning of each year from the county and the Lord Lieutenant then appointed his choice as High Sheriff for the remainder of the year. Often the other nominees were appointed as under-sheriffs. Sometimes a sheriff did not fulfil his entire term through death or other event and another sheriff was then appointed for the remainder of the year. The dates given hereunder are the dates of appointment. All addresses are in King's County (County Offaly) unless stated otherwise.
High Sheriffs of King's County 1656: Henry L'Estrange 1657: Sir George Blundell, 2nd Baronet 1662: Philip Bigoe 1663: Charles Lyons of River Lyons 1667: Thomas Wakely 1671: John Reading of Readingstown 1672: John Baldwin 1674: Jonathan Darby of Leap Castle 1680: Edward Bagot Robert Lovett 1693: Geoffrey Lyons of River Lyons 1694: James Sterling 1695: John Wakely of Ballyburly 1697: John Baldwin, jnr of Corolanty 1698: Hector Vaughan of Dromoyle and Knocknamease 1701: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch 1702: Geoffrey Lyons of River Lyons 1703: John Reading of Readingstown 1704: Geoffrey Lyons of River Lyons 1705: Francis Heaton of Mount Heaton 1707: Peter Holmes of JohnstownThe Midland Septs and the Pale 1708:Sir George Seymour 1711: James Forth of Charleville Castle 1713: George Holmes of Liscloony 1715: Colley Lyons, MP, of River Lyons 1717: Benjamin Frend of Boskell, County Limerick and Ballyreehy 1720: Henry Malone of Litter 1721: 1726: Thomas Wakely of Ballyburly 1730: Edmund Armstrong 1731: 1738: Warenford Armstrong 1738: Hector Vaughan of Fancroft 1740: John Frend of Boskell, County Limerick and Ballyreehy 1741: Nicholas Biddulph of Fortal and Rath-Robin 1744: Henry Lyons of River Lyons 1750: Arthur Judge of Readingstown 1751: Andrew Armstrong 1752: George Fraser of Park and Cuba Househttp://sources.nli.ie/Record/MS_UR_025963/Details National Library of Ireland 1753: 1754: Peter Marsh of MoyallyThe Gentlemen's and London Magazine, Feb 1754 1755: Francis Lumm, later Sir Francis Lumm, 1st Baronet of LummvilleComplete Baronetage, p.384 1756: 1759: John O'Connor of Mount Pleasant
George III, 1760–1820 1763: John Wakely of Ballyburly 1764: Daniel Chenevix, of Ballycommon 1766: William Peisley Vaughan of Golden GroveA genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland, 1912, Bernard Burke 1768: John Minchin of Bushertown 1769: 1771: Gilbert Holmes of Belmont 1772: Owen Moony of Lackaghbeg 1774: Denis Bowes Daly 1777: Christopher Bor 1777: Andrew Armstrong of Castle ArmstrongA genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain. 1779: Sir William Parsons, 4th Baronet 1780: John Drought 1782: John King 1782: Benjamin Frend of Clooneen 1783: Maurice Nugent O'Connor 1784: James Frank Roleston of Dunkerrin 1785: Thomas Bernard, of Castle-Town 1786: John Warburton of Garryhinch 1787: Jonathan Darby of Leap Castle Google Books 1788: 1792: Thomas Ryder of Laughton 1793: William Carroll Moony of New Lawn, County Tipperary 1794: Robert James Enraght-Moony of The Doon 1796: John Wakely of Ballyburly 1798: Thomas Bernard of Castle Bernard 1799: Henry Verney Lovett Darby of Annvilla 1801: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch 1801: Joseph Studholme of Ballyeighan and Kilmaine 1802: Charles Baldwin 1803: Jackson Wray Atkinson of Cangort 1804: James Frank Rolleston of Frankfort CastlePapers by Command, Volume 16 1805: William Peasley Vaughan of Golden Grove 1806: Maunsell Andrews of Rathenny 1807: John Downing Nesbitt 1808: John Drought 1809: Thomas St George Armstrong of Garry Castle House 1810: George Arbuthnot Holmes of MoorockA genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland 1811: Sir Andrew Armstrong, Bt 1812: George Meares John Drought 1813: Humphrey Borr 1814: Henry Spunner 1815: George Marsh 1816: Thomas Homan Mulock of Bellair 1816: Henry Peisley l'Estrange, jnr of MoystownVisitation of Ireland, p.112 1817: Richard Malone 1818: Edmund Armstrong 1819: Garrett O'Moore
George IV, 1820–1830 1820: Francis Moony Enragh-Moony of the Doon 1821: John Head Drought 1822: Thomas Hornan Molluck 1823: Benjamin Lucas 1824: George Minchin of Bushertown 1825: Lord Tullamore 1826: Sir Robert Waller, 2nd Baronet of NewportComplete Baronetage, p.398 1827: William H. Magan, Clocarl, Philipstown 1828: George Minchin of Bushertown
William IV, 1830–1837 1832: Francis Longworth-Dames of Greenhill 1834: John Tibeaudo, of Portnahinch, Portarlington 1835: Hector John Graham Toler, 3rd Earl of Norbury, of Durrow Abbey 1834: Sir Michael Cusac Smith of Newtown, Tullamore"The Heraldic Calendar" 1836: Sir Andrew Armstrong, Bt 1837: Thomas Bernard of Castle Bernard
Victoria, 1837–1901 1840: Henry Sandford Palmer of Ballinlough 1841: Garrett O'Moore of Cloghan Castle, Kinnitty 1842: Thomas Bernard of Castle Bernard 1844: Thomas Hackett of Moor Park 1845: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch 1846: Guy Atkinson of Cangort 1848: Charles B. Baldwin of London 1849: Thomas Homan Mulock of Bellaire, Ballycottier 1850: Edward John Corr, of Ballinolan, Ederderry 1852: John Gilbert King of Ballylinn, Ferbane 1853: John Wakely of Ballyburly 1854: Francis Valentine Bennett 1855: Robert James Enraght Moony of Mount Pleasant 1856: William G.D.Nesbitt of Thubberdaly House, Edenberry 1857: 1858: James Drought of Banagher 1859: Thomas Seymour of Ballymore Castle, Galway 1860: Edward John Briscoe of Screggan 1861: Hon. Alfred Bury, later 5th Earl of Charleville 1862: Arthur Henry Nicholas Kemmis 1863: John Craven Westenra 1864: 1866: John Lloyd of Gloster 1867: Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse 1868: Captain Maxwell Fox of Annaghmore 1869: Thomas Longworth-Dames of Greenhill 1870: George John Minchin of Bushertown 1871: Bernard Daly of Hazlebrook, Dublin and Tullamore 1872: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch 1873: Captain Ambrose Clement Wolseley Cox 1874: William Bassett Holmes of St David's 1875: Peter Hamlet Thompson of Stonestown and Park 1876: Marcus Goodbody of Inchmore 1877: Arthur Burdett of Coolfin 1878: William Peisley Hutchinson-Lloyd-Vaughan of Golden Grove 1879: John Sherlock of Rahan 1880: William Grogan Graves of Cloghan Castle, Banagher 1881: 1882: Henry Vincent Jackson of Inane 1883: Jonathan Charles Darby of Leap castle, Roscrea, County Tipperary 1884: Kenneth Howard Bury 1885: William Thomas Trench of Redwood, County Tipperary 1886: William Kennedy Marshall of Baronne Court, Ormond Lower 1887: Captain Caulfeild French of Castletehin, Roscommon and Castle Bernard, Kinnitty 1888: Arthur Frederick Churchhill Tollemache of Ballincur 1889: Capt. Thomas Armstrong Drought of Letty Brook, Kennitty 1890: 1892: Edward John Downing Beaumont-Nesbitt of Tubberdaly 1893: Hector Robert Graham Toler 1894: James Perry Goodbody of Inchmore 1895: William Bury Homan-Mulock of Bellair 1896: Arthur Hugo Florian de Burdet Burdett of Ballymany, County Kildare and Coolfin 1897: Bernard Daly of Dunboy 1898: 1899: Turner Oliver Read of Dungar House, Roscrea 1900: George Austin Medlen of Lowlands, Roscrea 1901:
Edward VII, 1901–1910 1901: Lieut.-Col. Middleton West Biddulph of Rathrobin, King's County 1902: Francis Berry Homan-Mulock of Ballycumber House. 1903: Henry Louis King of Ballylin. 1904: Christopher James Patrick Banon of Broughall Castle. 1905: Henry Charles White of Charleville. (also High Sheriff of Queen's County) 1906: John Hardress Lloyd of Gloster. 1907: Sylvester Rait Kerr of Edenderry. 1909: Launcelot Joseph Moore Studholme of Ballyeighan and Kilmaine.
George V, 1910–1936 1910: Valentine John Eustace Lenigan of Castle Ffogerty. 1911: Otway Scarlett Graham-Toler. 1914: Andrew Harvey Armstrong, 3rd Baronet. 1915: 1920: Georges Meares Stopford Enright-Moony. 1921: Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury.
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