# High Sheriff of Londonderry City

The High Sheriff of Londonderry City, or High Sheriff of Derry, is the sovereign's judicial representative in the city of Derry. High Sheriff of Londonderry is a title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with Sir John Barre Johnson the first holder. Like other high sheriff positions, it is largely a ceremonial post today. The appointment is officially made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on behalf of the King. The outgoing high sheriff nominates his or her successor, except in Belfast where councillors nominate a serving member of the city council. Prior to 1900 sheriffs, initially two per year, but later only one, were elected by the city council.

## History

Initially an office for life, 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.
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 this the office retains the responsibility for the preservation of law and order in a county.
While the office of high sheriff ceased to exist in those Irish counties which formed the Irish Free State in 1922, it is still present in the six counties and two county boroughs (Belfast and Derry) of Northern Ireland.

## Sheriffs of the City of Londonderry

* 1613: William Glynne and Robert Griffith (first Sheriffs of Londonderry)
* 1613: Edward Doddington
* 1623: Thomas Keyes and Hugh Thompson
* 1624: Tobias Smyth and George Handcock
* 1642–1647: Robert Lawson
* 1662: Gervais Squire and Richard Graham
* 1670: William Noble and William Kyle
* 1671: Edward Edwards and William Miller
* 1672: William Rogers and Francis Newton
* 1673: Samuel Hobson and Andrew Coningham
* 1674: Henry Thompson and John Buchanan
* 1675: Robert Houston and Henry Long
* 1676: James Coningham and John Ash
* 1677: William Squire and Alexander Lecky
* 1678: Charles Newton and James Morrison
* 1679: Andrew Coningham and Matthew Bridges
* 1680: Robert Shannon and John Ewing
* 1681: Henry Farbasco and James Gordon
* 1682: James Strong and Henry Cochran
* 1683: William Hemsworth and James Sympson
* 1684–1685: Andrew Coningham and Matthew Cocken
* 1686: John Campsie and William Newton
* 1687: William Newton and Henry Ash
* 1688–1689: Edward Brookes and Horace Kennedy
* 1690: Thomas Moncrieff and Henry Ash
* 1691: Henry Ash and Samuel Leeson
* 1692–1693: William Crookshank (died May 1693, replaced by John Crookshank) and John Harvey
* 1694: William Mackie and Thomas Ash
* 1695: John Cowan and Hugh Davey
* 1696: John Harvey and Alexander Coningham
* 1697: Joseph Morrison and John Dixon
* 1698: Albert Hall and Robert Gamble
* 1699–1700: John Denning and Samuel Harvey

### 18th century

* 1701: John Denning and George Tomkins
* 1702: Archibald Coningham and Joseph Ewing
* 1703: Thomas Lecky and James Anderson
* 1704: Alexander Skipton and Joseph Davey
* 1705: William Edgar and John Ridell
* 1706: George Ash and John Moore
* 1707–1708: Robert Norman and Frederick Coningham
* 1709: Henry McManus and John Duckett (died 1705 and replaced by Matthew Squire)
* 1710: Robert Houston and Peter Stanley
* 1711–1712: Giles Gifford and Francis Jennings
* 1713: Frederick Coningham and Edward Skipton
* 1714: Alexander Squire and Thomas Moncrieff
* 1715: Robert Taylor and Frederick Gordon
* 1716: George Gonne and Robert Graham
* 1717: John Darcus and Francis Jennings
* 1718: Phillip Sullivan and Henry Hart
* 1719: Henry McManus and Edward Carter
* 1720: Frederick Coningham and Henry White
* 1721: John Darcus and Andrew McIlwaine
* 1722: George Ash and Frederick Gordon
* 1723: William Stewart and William Ash
* 1724: Richard Coningham and Matthew Leeson
* 1725: Edward Skipton and George Crookshank
* 1726: Henry Dixon and William Montgomery
* 1727: Andrew McIlwaine and William Ash
* 1728: George Hart and John Davis
* 1729: Robert Houston (died July 1729 and replaced by James Every) and Ullysses Burgh
* 1730: Edward Houston and Ezekiel Coningham
* 1731: Charles McManus and Jeremiah Gardner
* 1732: Richard Coningham and George Ewart
* 1733: John Darcus and Joseph Hill
* 1734: Andrew McIlwaine and William Foliott
* 1735: William Gamble and George Ash
* 1736: Francis Knox and Alexander Lecky
* 1737–1739: Francis Knox and Henry Darcus
* 1740: Andrew McIlwaine and Mossom Gamble
* 1741: Charles Richardson and William Foliott
* 1742: Charles Richardson and John Hamilton
* 1743: John Hamilton and George Gordon
* 1744: George Gordon and William Boyd
* 1745–1746: William Hamilton and John Fairly
* 1747: John Fairly and Thomas Lecky
* 1748–1749: Thomas Lecky and William Kennedy
* 1750: William Hamilton and Robert Fairly
* 1751–1753: William Hamilton and Hugh Hill
* 1754–1755: Samuel Montgomery and J. Mauleverer
* 1756: William Hamilton and Robert Houston
* 1757–1758: Frederick Hamilton and James Ramage
* 1759–1761: James Ramage and Thomas James
* 1762: Thomas James and William Reynolds
* 1763: William Reynolds and Adam Schoales
* 1764–1772: Stephen Bennett and John Nicolls
* 1773–1774: John Nicolls and James Ramage
* 1775: John Darcus and Matthew Rutherford
* 1776: John Coningham and Hol. Lecky
* 1777: Squire Lecky and James Patterson
* 1778: Daniel Patterson and Samuel Curry
* 1779: David Ross and William Swettenham
* 1780: Eneas Murray and Mossom Boyd
* 1781: George Lenox and William McLintock
* 1782: Michael Ross and William Lenox
* 1783: John Hart and Joseph Curry
* 1784: Dick Coningham and George C Kennedy
* 1785: William Walker and Roger Murray
* 1786: Andrew Ferguson, jnr and R. Harrison
* 1787: Alexander Lecky and Alexander Fletcher
* 1788: David Ross and H. Mitchell
* 1789: Adam Schoales, jnr and George Hart
* 1790: George Schoales and James Galbraith
* 1791: William Alexander and George Curry
* 1792: William Lenox and George Hart
* 1793: Marcus Hill and Alexander Young
* 1794: R. Murray and James Murray
* 1795: R. G. Hill and William Law
* 1796: J. Murray and William Patterson
* 1797: J. Murray and John Bond
* 1798: Thomas Lecky and William H. Ash
* 1799: Thomas Patterson and John Ferguson

### 19th century

* 1800: Maurice Knox and A. Major
* 1801: Thomas P. Kennedy and T. Moffett
* 1802: David Ross and Thomas Murray
* 1803: Thomas Patterson and William D. Lecky
* 1804: David Ross and James Gregg
* 1805: James Moody and J. Moffett
* 1806: Thomas Young and P. McDonagh
* 1807: J. Chambers and William Marshall
* 1808: Henry Barré Beresford and Thomas Woore
* 1809: Thomas Shepherd and C. Rea
* 1810: J. Dysart and William Ball
* 1811: J. Coningham and D. Ross
* 1812: Thomas Kennedy and James Gregg
* 1813: James Gregg and John Rea
* 1814: Conolly Skipton and M. M'Causland
* 1815: Samuel Curry and Tristram Carcy
* 1816: J.Murray and Thomas P. Kennedy
* 1817: James Major and Richard Harvey (also Sheriffs of County Londonderry)
* 1818: John Thompson and Richard Babington (also Sheriffs of County Londonderry)
* 1819: Thomas Kennedy and E. Leslie (also Sheriffs of County Londonderry)
* 1820: D. Knox and W. M'Clintock
* 1821: Joshua Gillespie and Marcus Gage (also Sheriffs of County Londonderry)
* 1822: Thomas P. Kennedy and James S. Gage
* 1823: Dominick Knox and Andrew Bond
* 1824: Thomas P. Kennedy and Sir William Williams
* 1825: Marcus M'Causland and Thomas D. Bateson
* 1826: Adam Schoales and George Hill
* 1827: Sir James Robertson Bruce, 2nd Baronet and Pitt Skipton
* 1828: William L. Conyngham and Tristram kennedy
* 1829: John Hart and George H. Boggs
* 1830: Conolly Gage and William Gregg
* 1831: John Murray and Joshua Gillespie
* 1832: Adam Schoales and Samuel J. Crookshank
* 1833: Henry Darcus and Anthony Babington
* 1834: John Murray and Frederick Hamilton
* 1835: Stewart Crawford Bruce and Anthony Babington
* 1836: Henry Darcus and Archibald McCorkell
* 1848: John Stephenson(also High Sheriff of County Londonderry)
* 1849: James Johnson Clark, of Lugantogher Maghera (also High Sheriff of County Londonderry)
* 1856: Robert Houston
* 1858: Samuel Maxwell Alexander (also High Sheriff of County Londonderry)
* 1870: Robert Jackson Alexander of Portglenone (also High Sheriff of County Londonderry)
* 1888: Conolly William Lecky Browne-Lecky of Derry(also High Sheriff of County Londonderry)

## High Sheriffs of the City of Londonderry

* 1900: Sir John Barre Johnston
* 1903: Matthew Anderson Ballantine
* 1904: Sir John McFarland, 1st Baronet
* 1914–1923: Horace Bayer of Southwood, Silverdale, London S.E.
* 1924: John Burns
* 1925: Robert Watson
* 1926: James Mark
* 1927: James Colhoun
* 1928: Joseph H. Welch
* 1929: Robert H. Smith
* 1930–1938: Colonel Sir Basil Alexander Talbot McFarland, 2nd Baronet
* 1939: Frederick Simmons
* 1940–1941: James Hamilton
* 1942–1945: John J. Buchanan
* 1946–1949: Arthur Harold Noble
* 1950–1952: Arthur William Richards
* 1952: Colonel Sir Basil Alexander Talbot McFarland, 2nd Baronet of Aberfoyle (also High Sheriff of County Londonderry)
* 1953–1954: John James Hill
* 1955–1956: Samuel Reginald Cochrane
* 1957–1958: James Curry Hamilton
* 1959–1960: James Anderson Piggot
* 1961: Daniel McLean McDonald
* 1962–1963: Joseph Alexander Love Johnston
* 1964:
* 1965–1966: John Talbot McFarland
* 1967–1968: John Alexander Canning
* 1969: Adam R. Laurie
* 1970: Liam McCormick
* 1971: Thomas Fitzpatrick Cooke
* 1972: Ronald Marsden Harvey
* 1973–1974: D. J. T. Gilliland
* 1975: Henry Frederick Dougan Stevenson
* 1976: Francis Gerard Guckian
* 1977: Desmond Gilbert Cromie Whyte
* 1978: Brian Glancy
* 1979: Samuel John Black
* 1980: John Vance Arthur
* 1981: James Edward O'Donnell
* 1982: P. I. O'Doherty
* 1984: J. Hart
* 1985: A. O. Kennedy
* 1986:
* 1991: E. P. Harvey of Drumahoe
* 1992: D. A. J. Keegan of Culmore
* 1993: T. E. W. Huey of Londonderry
* 1994: G. F. W. Price of Londonderry
* 1995: Michael G. A. Black of Caw
* 1996: Derek Curtis of Londonderry
* 1997: Stuart C. Keys of Molenan
* 1998: Alan David McClure of Londonderry
* 1999: Mar Hasson of Londonderry

### 21st century

* 2000: William Francis Graham Hunter
* 2001: Florence M. M. Sloan
* 2002: John Charles McGinnis of Eglinton
* 2003: John Carson Ian Warnock of Londonderry
* 2004: Margaret Claire Lee of Londonderry
* 2005: Ian Alexander Young of Londonderry
* 2006: Jack Andrew Clark McFarland of Claudy
* 2007: Richard John Sterling of Coleraine
* 2008: Eamon Gee
* 2009: Ian William Crowe
* 2010: Hugh Christopher Hegarty
* 2011: Steven Lindsay
* 2012: Ann Murray Cavanagh
* 2013: James Kerr
* 2014: Jonathan Snyder
* 2014: Robert Dunn of Caw Park
* 2015: Vindi Torney
* 2016: Patricia O'Kane of Londonderry
* 2017: Mary Bradley of Ballyshaskey
* 2018: Agnes Geraldine Gavin of Londonderry
* 2019: Julia Elizabeth Kee of Londonderry
* 2020: James Richard Doherty of Prehen
* 2021:Linda Heaney, Londonderry
* 2022:Paul Howie of Deanfield, Londonderry
* 2023: Angela Norma Mary Thompson of Londonderry