High Sheriff of Carrickfergus

The Sheriff (later High Sheriff) of Carrickfergus was the high sheriff (British monarch's judicial representative) in the county of the town of Carrickfergus until the county was abolished under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898.McSkimin and M'Crum 1909 p. 241, footnote

In medieval times, the Earldom of Ulster was split into multiple counties, each with a seneschal representing the earl and a sheriff representing the King of England in his role as Lord of Ireland. Adjoining counties were centred on the towns of Antrim and Carrickfergus and shared a sheriff; the earliest surviving record found by Samuel McSkimin in 1812 dated from 1325.McSkimin and M'Crum 1909 p. 242 About 1305, Elys de Berkeweye was treasurer and chancellor of Ulster and sheriff of Carrickfergus.

The town of Carrickfergus formerly had two bailiffs; in 1523 these were Thos. Unchile and Henry Fythe.McSkimin and M'Crum 1909 p. 409 Under the 1569 royal charter which established Carrickfergus as a county corporate, the town had two sheriffs, elected annually at the same municipal corporation meeting which elected the mayor; the new mayor's first official act was to swear in the new sheriffs.McSkimin and M'Crum 1909 p. 269 Until 1743, the mayor selected one sheriff and the full council the other, the latter taking precedence; thereafter, the council elected both sheriffs.Kirk 1826 q. 3 The same sheriff often served multiple consecutive years.Kirk 1826 q. 10

The sheriff's annual salary from the corporation was £6 13s 4d in 1601, increased to £10 in 1732 and £20 in 1797. In 1624, other allowances were replaced with the right to collect certain fines. Other fees were supposed to be forwarded to the Court of Exchequer in Dublin, but by 1800 this duty had been neglected, and several sheriffs were arrested and imprisoned for failing to provide proper accounts.McSkimin and M'Crum 1909 pp. 269–271 In 1820, the sheriff's corporation salary was increased to £40 to cover the expense of making accounts and delivering them to the Exchequer.McSkimin and M'Crum 1909 p. 271Kirk 1826 q. 12 At that time he also received £8 on presentment from the grand jury in lieu of fees from the prisoners in the town gaol; and his estimated income from fees for serving writs was £25 to £30.Kirk 1826 q. 14 His only other expense was three guineas to the town criers for each of the two annual assizes.Kirk 1826 q. 16

The Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 abolished the town's corporation (effective 1842) but not its county grand jury and assizes.Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, s. 13 and Schedule (B) Thereafter a single sheriff was appointed annually in the same manner as counties-at-large:Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, s. 150 the justice at the summer assizes made a shortlist of three, from which the King's Bench justices collectively chose one name for the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to appoint by letters patent under the Great Seal of Ireland. Carrickfergus was the smallest county in Ireland in area and population, and the number of landed gentry with sufficient property to be eligible to serve as sheriff was in consequence small; on several occasions the person nominated committed the crime of refusal to serve in a public office.Hansard HC Deb 25 February 1897 vol 46 c1137Hansard 17 December 1902 Irish County And Borough SheriffsMcSkimin and M'Crum 1909, pp. 507–509

County Antrim surrounds Carrickfergus and the corporate county of Carrickfergus was merged into the administrative county of Antrim in 1899, abolishing the office of high sheriff of Carrickfergus.

List of sheriffs and high sheriffs Source:McSkimin and M'Crum 1909, pp. 409–430; pp. 501–502

1568–1569 John Teade and Nicholas Wilis 1569–1570 Nicholas Rogers and John Flude 1570–1571 Wolston Elderton and Cornell O'Kane 1571–1572 William Dobbin and Patrick Savadge, jnr 1572–1573 Wolston Elderton and John Dyer 1573–1574 Gregory Grafton and William Field, snr 1574–1575 Humphrey Potts and John Cockrill 1575–1576 John Cockrill and John Dishford 1576–1577 John Dyer and John Dishford 1577–1578 Robert Magye and Robert Warcope 1578–1579 Humphrey Johnston and Mychaell Savadge 1579–1580 Barnabic Ward and Thomas Stephenson 1580–1581 Humphrey Johnston and John Dyer 1581–1582 John Savadge and Phellimy Magye 1582–1583 John Dishford and James Dobbin 1583–1584 John Dyer and Rychard Thomas 1584–1585 Mathew Jones and John Scully 1585–1586 John Dishford and Mychael Savadge 1586–1587 Humphrey Johnston and John Scully 1587–1588 John Dyer and James Dobbin 1588–1589 Thomas Vaughan and John Lugg 1589–1590 James Dobbin and Roger Cooper 1590–1591 William Savadge and Henrie Ockforde (John Dyer deputy) 1591–1592 Moyses Hill and Roger Cooper 1592–1593 Alexander Haynes and James Dobbin 1593–1594 John Hooper and James Rice 1594–1595 Robert Wills died, succeeded by John Dyer; and Richard Thomas 1595–1596 Roger Cooper and Rychard Conlon 1596–1597 Thomas Vaughan and Thomas Wytter 1597–1598 Rychard Thomas died, succeeded by Henry Ockford; and Thomas Gravott 1598–1599 Rychard Newton and Owen Magye 1599–1600 Henrie Spearpointe and Sydney Russel 1600–1601 Rychard Newton and Rychard Faythe 1601–1602 Rychard Newton and Rychard Faythe 1602–1603 Mychaell Whyte; and Ralph Storie died, succeeded by Thomas Gravott 1603–1604 Dudley Yearworth and Robert Lyndon 1604–1605 Thomas Wytter and Clement Foard 1605–1606 Thomas M'Manus and Thomas Cooper 1606–1607 Owen Magye and Leonard Gale 1607–1608 Nicholas Dobbin and Dermot Haynes 1608–1609 Robert Elice and Walter Hilman 1609–1610 Jasper Happer and Thomas Powell 1610–1611 Bartholomewe Johnston and Rychard Wytter 1611–1612 William Hurley and Edward Hodgsone 1612–1613 Thomas Bashford and Ezechiel Davis 1613–1614 William Dobbin dismissed, succeeded by Carew Hart; and William Stephenson 1614–1615 Clement Foard and Anthony Dobbin 1615–1616 Thomas M'Manus and Thomas Papes 1616–1617 William Hurley and Thomas Kirkpatrick 1617–1618 Matthewe Johnston and John Redworth 1618–1619 Nicholas Dobbin and Cornell O'Kane 1619–1620 Edward Wilkinson and Edward Hodgsone 1620–1621 Inghram Horsman and Cornell O'Kane 1621–1622 James Savadge died, and William Story 1622–1623 Robert Savadge and John Davis 1623–1624 Rychard Spearpoynte and William Cloughe 1624–1625 Marmaduke Newton (I) and Edwarde Mason 1625–1626 Edwarde Hodgsone and Andrewe Dixon 1626–1627 Cornelius Hermans and John Howsell 1627–1628 Thomas Richison and Ralph Kilman 1628–1629 Thomas Turner and John Edgar 1629–1630 William Penrie and William Cankarth 1630–1631 Thomas Whitager and Anthony Haull 1631–1632 Joshua Wharton and Clement Bashford 1632–1633 Rychard Spearpoynte and Marmaduke Newton (I) 1633–1634 John Davies and John Parkes 1634–1635 William Happer and William Ayshworth 1635–1636 Thomas Gravott and William Bashforde 1636–1637 Thomas Richison and William Williams 1637–1638 Edward Johnston and John Hall 1638–1639 William Happer and William Penrie, jnr 1639–1640 Thomas Gravott and Humphrey Johnston 1640–1641 Robert Savadge and George Happer 1641–1642 T. Baker and Mychaell Savadge 1642–1643 John Bullworthy and William Bashforde 1643–1644 Patrick Fitz-James Savadge and William Bashforde 1644–1645 Patrick Fitz-James Savadge and James F. N. Dobbin 1645–1646 John Savadge and William Bashforde 1646–1647 Thomas Tennison and John Orpin 1647–1648 John Boyd and James Dobbin 1648–1649 John Boyd and James Dobbin 1649–1650 William Cathcart and John Orpin 1650–1651 James Crooks and Robert Welsh 1651–1652 Rowland M'Quillan and Edmond Davies 1652–1653 Thomas Dobbin and John Bullworthy, jnr 1653–1654 Anthony Hall and Rowland M'Quillan 1654–1655 John Hall and John Birte 1655–1656 Peter Taylour and Thomas Dobbin 1656–1657 Robert Wytter and William Dobbin 1657–1658 Thomas Griffeth and Andrew Gardner 1658–1659 Jasper Haper and John Wadman 1659–1660 Samuel Trecherne and William Thomson 1660–1661 Michaell Kerr and Richard Johnston 1661–1662 Thomas Dobbin and Rowland M'Quillan 1662–1663 William Thomson and Rowland M'Quillan 1663–1664 Thomas Dobbin and Rowland M'Quillan 1664–1665 Rowland M'Quillan and Thomas Dobbin 1665–1666 Richard Johnston and John Magee 1666–1667 Cornelius Bashforde and Richard Westbrook 1667–1668 Henry Burnes and Ezekiel Davies 1668–1669 Richard Pendleton and William Hilditch 1669–1670 Samuel Trehecue and John Stubbs 1670–1671 John Henderson and Symon Richardson 1671–1672 Symon Richardson and William Bennett 1672–1673 Thomas M'Manus and John Smyth 1673–1674 James M'Cullogh and John Davies 1674–1675 George Walsh and Edward Hall 1675–1676 Thomas Harper and Adam Dennison 1676–1677 John Smyth and John Tyso 1677–1678 James M'Cullogh and William Dawson 1678–1679 Robert Williams and Cornelius Bashford 1679–1680 Richard Pendleton and John Magee 1680–1681 Andrew Clements and John Byrtt 1681–1682 John Dobbin and Henry Burnes 1682–1683 John Davies and William Johnston 1683–1684 John Kerr and Edward Hall 1684–1685 Symon Richison and John Henderson 1685–1686 James M'Cullogh and John Kerr 1686–1687 John M'Cullogh and Richard Kane 1687–1688 Richard Horsman and Marmaduke Newton (II) 1688–1689 Richard Horsman and Marmaduke Newton (II) 1689–1690 Richard Horsman and Marmaduke Newton (II) 1690–1691 Samuel Davys and William Tisdall 1691–1692 Soloman Bashford and John Brown 1692–1693 David Hood and John M'Cully 1693–1694 William Dawson and James Erwin 1694–1695 William Tisdall and Cornelius Crymble 1695–1696 Robert Williams and Cornelius Bashford 1696–1697 Roger Horseman and Soloman Bashford 1697–1698 David Hood and James Erwin 1698–1699 Captain Arthur Davys and Captain John Davys 1699–1700 John Chaplin and Captain James Gibbons 1700–1701 Soloman Bashford and James Erwin 1701–1702 John Bashford and Nathaniel Byrtte 1702–1703 David Hood and Thomas Bashford 1703–1704 David Hood and Thomas Bashford 1704–1705 John Chaplin and Thomas Bashford 1705–1706 John Chaplin and Thomas Bashford 1706–1707 Thomas Young and Nicholas Brown 1707–1708 Thomas Young and Nicholas Brown 1708–1709 John Bashford and Thomas Bashford 1709–1710 John Bashford and Thomas Bashford 1710–1711 Thomas Young and William Bashford 1711–1712 Rigby Dobbin and Nicholas Brown 1712–1713 Charles Howard and James Wilson 1713–1714 Ezekiel Davys Wilson and John Brown, jnr 1714–1715 Thomas Young and Thomas Bashford 1715–1716 Rigby Dobbin and Nicholas Brown 1716–1717 David Morrison and William Bashford 1717–1718 David Morrison and William Spencer 1718–1719 Rigby Dobbin and Andrew Newton 1719–1720 David Morrison and William Bashford 1720–1721 David Morrison and William Magee 1721–1722 William Bashford and James Erwin 1722–1723 David Morrison and Thomas Bashford 1723–1724 David Morrison and Thomas Bashford 1724–1725 David Morrison and Thomas Bashford 1725–1726 Willoughby Chaplin and Nathaniel Byrt 1726–1727 David Morrison and John Coleman 1727–1728 John Chaplin and George Spaight 1728–1729 Nathaniel Byrt and William Magee 1729–1730 Henry Gill and George Spaight 1730–1731 Willoughby Chaplin and Nathaniel Byrt 1731–1732 David Morrison and Clements Courtney 1732–1733 John Chaplin and Clements Courtney 1733–1734 John Chaplin and Nathaniel Byrt 1734–1735 Clements Courtney and John Coleman 1735–1736 Clements Courtney and John Coleman 1736–1737 Nathaniel Byrt and John Coleman 1737–1738 Nathaniel Byrt and John Coleman 1738–1739 Nathaniel Byrt and Hercules Clements 1739–1740 Richard Chaplin and John Seeds 1740–1741 John Davys and John Seeds 1741–1742 Nathaniel Byrt and Richard Chaplin 1742–1743 Davys Wilson and Richard Chaplin 1743–1744 Edward Jones and Davys Wilson 1744–1745 Edward Jones and Davys Wilson 1745–1746 Richard Chaplin and Nathaniel Byrt 1746–1747 William Macartney and Nathaniel Byrt 1747–1748 Richard Chaplin and Davys Wilson 1748–1749 Edward Jones and William Macartney