The High Sheriff of Queen's County was the British Crown's judicial representative in Queen's County, Ireland (now County Laois), Ireland from the 16th century 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 Queen's County (County Laois) unless stated otherwise.
High Sheriffs of Queen's County 1579: Robert Bowen of Ballyadams 1593: Terence O'Dempsey, 1st Viscount Clanmalier 1623: Barnaby or Brian Oge Dunn of Brittas 1627: Sir Walter Crosbie, 1st Baronet 1637: Gerald Fitzgerald of Tymogue and Moret and Loughcurran 1639: Edward Brereton 1663: Thomas Pigott of Capard 1676: Samuel Preston of Emo"Genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland" 1677: Edward Brereton 1689: Sir Gregory Byrne, 1st Baronet 1704: Gerald Fitzgerald of Coolanowle 1712: Robert Pigott of Capard 1719: Edmond Butler 1732: Lewis Moore I 1736: Lewis Moore of Cremorgan 1753: Sir John Parnell
George III, 1760–1820 1760: Lewis Moore II of Durrow 1763: Stephen Cassan of Sheffield HouseThe Gentleman's magazine, Volume 147 1764: 1772: Richard Croasdaile of Rynn 1773: 1779: Stewart Weldon 1780: John Brereton 1782: Jonathan Chetwode of Woodbrook 1782: John Adair of Rath 1783: Matthew Cassan of Sheffield House 1784: Henry Moore of Cremorgan 1785: Thomas Fitz-Gerald of Corbolly 1786: 1787: 1790: Edward Dunne of Brittas 1791: Charles Henry Coote of Forest LodgeHistory of Parliament Online 1792: Sir John Allen Johnson, 1st Baronet, later Sir John Allen Johnson-Walsh, 1st BaronetComplete Baronetage, p.383 1794: John or George Hartpole 1795: Joshua Kemmis of KnightstownA genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland 1799: Thomas Murray Prior (1773–1854) 1800: Sir Erasmus Dixon Borrowes, 6th Baronet 1801: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch 1802: 1804: Coghran PalmerPapers by Command-Great Britain, Parliament, House of Commons-Volume 6 1805: John Bland 1806: Robert Laurenson 1807: Gilbert fitz Gerald 1808: Sir George Pigott 1809: Thomas Cosby of Stradbally Hall 1810: Frederick Thompson 1811: Lancelot Croasdaile of Rynn 1812: John Alien Johnston-Walsh 1813: Hon Lord Sidney Osborne 1814: Lord Henry Seymour Moore 1815: Charles White of Charleville 1816: James White of Aghavoe 1817: Sir Walter Dixon Borrowes, 7th Baronet 1818: Robert White of Old Park (Grantston Manor) 1819: Sir Robert Staples 1820: Hugh Aldborough-Bowen
George IV, 1820–1830 1821: Pierce Moore 1822: George Adair of Rath 1823: Hon. Lionel Dawson 1824: Henry Smith, of Mount Henry 1825: Edward John Johnson-Walsh, later Sir Edward Johnson-Walsh, 2nd Baronet of Ballykilcavan. 1827: Hon. John Vesey, of Abbeyleix 1828: Lewis Moore III 1829: John Warburton of Garryhinch
William IV, 1830–1837 1831: William Cope Cooper of Cooper's Hill 1832: Thomas Kemmis of Shaen Castle and Straboe 1834: Thomas Phillips Cosby of Stradbally Hall 1835: John Pigott of Cappard, Mountmellick"The Heraldic Calendar" 1836: John Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Castletown of Upper Ossory
Victoria, 1837–1901 1839: Sir Anthony Weldon, 4th Baronet of Rahan, Ballylinan 1842: Edmund Staples of Dunmore 1843: Matthew Sheffield Cassan of Sheffield House 1845: Horace William Noel Rochfort, of Clogrenan 1846: Chidley Coote of Huntingdon, Portarlington 1848: J.H. Leckie of Coolbrook, Creetyard 1849: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch, Portarlington 1850: Henry D. Carden of Rathmanna, Maryborough 1852: William Gilbert Kemmis of Ballinacor 1852: Michael James Sweetman of Lamberton Park 1854: John Allen Johnson-Walsh, later Sir (John) Allen Johnson-Walsh, 4th Baronet 1855: John Croasdaile of Rynn 1856: Henry Jeffrey Flower, 6th Viscount Ashbrook 1857: James Butler of Lamberton Park 1858: John Grace of Gracefield, Athy 1859: Edmund Gerald Dease of Rath House 1860: Thomas Kemmis of Shaen 1861: Sir Anthony Crossdill Weldon, 5th Baronet 1862: M.J.Sweetman of Lamberton Park, Maryborough 1863: Robert Ashworth Godolphin Cosby of Stradbally Hall 1865: Edward Skeffington Randal Smyth of Mount Henry 1869: Richard Warburton of Garryhinch 1870: James W. Butler Scott of Annegrove Abbey, Mountrath 1871: Mathew Villiers Sankey Morton of Little Island, County Tipperary 1873: Robert Hamilton Hamilton-Stubber of Moyne and Castle Fleming 1875: William YoungA genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland, 1912, Bernard Burke 1876: Bernard Edward Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown of Upper Ossory 1877: 1878: Francis Plunkett Dunne of Brittas 1880: Sir Erasmus Dixon Borrowes, 9th Baronet 1881: William Duckett of Duckett's Grove 1882: Robert Edward Reeves of Morenane, County Limerick, and Skeard, County Kilkenny 1883: Henry Moore of Cremorgan 1884: John Michael Sweetman-Powell of Lamberton Park 1886: Eyre Coote 1886: William Gilbert of Killeen, Portarlington 1888: Sir Robert Edward Pigott of Capard 1889: 1891: Sir Hutcheson Poë, 1st Baronet of Heywood, Ballinakill 1892: Sir Percy Raymond Grace, 4th Baronet of BoleyComplete Baronetage 1893: Standish Grady John Parker-Hutchinson of Timoney Park and Castle Lough, County Tipperary 1895: Charles Joseph Blake 1897: Sir Algernon Coote, 11th Baronet.Visitation of Ireland 1900: Sir Hunt Henry Allen Johnson-Walsh, 5th Baronet
Edward VII, 1901–1910 1902: Matthew Henry Franks of Westfield 1904: Joseph Henry Lachlan White of Gracefield 1905: Henry Charles White of Charleville 1906: Sir Anthony Arthur Weldon, 6th BaronetComplete Baronetage, p.466 1907: Sir Valentine Raymond Grace, 5th BaronetThe Catholic Who's Who 1908: Robert F.H. White 1909: William Hovenden Ffolliott of Tierernane Lodge
George V, 1910–1936 1910: 1911: Leigh Sadleir Stoney of Forrest 1912: Humphrey Loftus Bland of Blandsfort 1913: 1920: Llowarch Robert Flower, 9th Viscount Ashbrook of Castle Durrow 1921: Isidore Blake
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