High Sheriff of Lancashire


The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient office, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lancashire is the representative of the monarch in the county, and is the "Keeper of The King's Peace" in the county, executing judgements of the High Court through an Under Sheriff.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the High Sheriff was a powerful political position; the sheriffs were responsible for the maintenance of law and order and various other roles. Some of its powers were relinquished in 1547 as the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire was instated to deal with military duties. It was in 1908 under King Edward VII of the United Kingdom that the Lord Lieutenant position became more senior than the High Sheriff. Since that time the High Sheriff has broadly become an honorific title, with many of its previous roles having been taken up by High Court judges, magistrates, coroners, local authorities, and the police.
The sheriff conventionally serves for a term of a year, with the term of office starting in March. Unlike other counties, apart from Merseyside and Greater Manchester, the honour in Lancashire is bestowed by the monarch in their role as Duke of Lancaster, by pricking the Lites. This page lists persons to have held the position, and is divided by sovereign state and Royal house. Another list of sheriffs of Lancashire from 1087 to 1886 is compiled in Edward Baines's "History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster". This names many other individuals for the earliest years of the office.
In April 2015 Amanda Parker of Browsholme Hall, Clitheroe, became High Sheriff and launched a website to promote the office:.

Part of the Kingdom of England

House of Plantagenet

House of Stuart, restoration

  • 1707 Edmund Cole of Beaumont Cote, Lancaster
  • 1708 Myles Sandys of Graythwaite Hall, Furness
  • 1709 Roger Kirkby of Kirby-Ireleth, Furness then Alexander Hesketh
  • 1710 Robert Parker of Cuerden Hall
  • 1711 Sir Thomas Standish of Duxbury Hall
  • 1712 William Rawstorne of Edenfield and Penwortham
  • 1713 Richard Valentine of Eccles
  • 1714 William Farington of Leyland

    House of Hanover

  • 1715 Jonathan Blackburne of Orford Hall, Warrington
  • 1716 Thomas Crisp of Parbold, nr. Wigan
  • 1717 Samuel Crooke of the Old Crook, Leyland
  • 1718 Richard Norris of Speke Hall
  • 1719 Thomas Stanley of Clitheroe
  • 1720 Robert Mawdesley of Mawdesley, Near Ormskirk
  • 1721 Benjamin Hoghton of Hoghton Tower
  • 1722 Benjamin Gregge of Chamber Hall, near Oldham
  • 1723 Sir Edward Stanley of Bickerstaffe, near Ormskirk
  • 1724 William Tatham of Ireby, near Kirkby Lonsdale
  • 1725 Miles Sandy of Graythwaite Hall, Hawkeshead
  • 1726 Edmund Hopwood of Hopwood Hall, Middleton
  • 1727 Daniel Wilson of Dalham Tower, near Milnthorpe
  • 1728 Joseph Yates of Stanley House, Manchester
  • 1729 William Greenhaigh of Myerscough, near Preston
  • 1730 James Chetham of Smedley
  • 1731 William Leigh of Westhoughton
  • 1732 John Parker of Breightmet, near Bolton
  • 1733 John Greaves of Culcheth, near Leigh
  • 1734 William Bushell of Preston
  • 1735 Arthur Hamilton of Liverpool
  • 1736 Sir James Darcy Lever of Alkrington Hall, Manchester
  • 1737 Thomas Horton of Chadderton Hall
  • 1738 Samuel Chetham of Turton Tower and Castleton
  • 1739 Sir Ralph Assheton of Middleton
  • 1740 Roger Hesketh of North Meols, Southport
  • 1741 Robert Dukinfield of Manchester
  • 1742 Robert Bankes of Winstanley Hall, near Wigan
  • 1743 John Blackburne of Orford Hall, Warrington
  • 1744 Robert Radclyffe of Foxdenton Hall, Chadderton
  • 1745 Daniel Willis of Prescot
  • 1746 William Shawe of Preston
  • 1747 Samuel Birch of Ardwick
  • 1748 George Clarke of Hyde Hall, Manchester
  • 1749 Rigby Molyneux of Preston
  • 1750 Charles Stanley of Ormskirk
  • 1751 James Fenton of Lancaster
  • 1752 Richard Townley of Belfield Hall, Butterworth, Rochdale
  • 1753 John Bradshaw of Manchester
  • 1754 Thomas Hesketh of Rufford Old Hall
  • 1755 Thomas Johnson of Manchester
  • 1756 James Barton of Penwortham, Preston
  • 1757 James Bayley of Withington, Manchester
  • 1758 Robert Gibson of Myerscough
  • 1759 Richard Whitehead of Claughton, near Preston
  • 1760 Samuel Hilton of Pennington, Leigh
  • 1761 Sir William Farington of Shaw Hall, Leyland
  • 1762 Thomas Braddyll of Conishead, Ulverston
  • 1763 Thomas Blackburne of Hale and Orford Hall, Warrington
  • 1764 Sir William Horton, 1st Baronet of Chadderton
  • 1765 John Walmesley of Wigan
  • 1766 Edward Gregge of Oldham
  • 1767 Alexander Butler of Kirkland Hall
  • 1768 Thomas Butterworth Bayley of Pendleton
  • 1769 Dorning Rasbotham of Farnworth
  • 1770 Nicholas Ashton of Liverpool
  • 1771 Sir Ashton Lever of Alkrington Hall Middleton
  • 1772 William Cunliffe Shawe of Singleton Lodge, Preston
  • 1773 Thomas Patten of Bank Hall, Warrington
  • 1774 Geoffrey Hornby of Preston
  • 1775 Sir Watts Horton, 2nd Baronet of Chadderton Hall
  • 1776 Lawrence Rawsthorne of Edenfield
  • 1777 Samuel Clowes of Chorlton
  • 1778 Wilson Gale-Braddyll of Conishead
  • 1779 John Clayton of Carr Hall, Little Harwood
  • 1780 John Atherton of Walton Hall, Liverpool
  • 1781 John Blackburne of Orford Hall, Warrington
  • 1782 Sir Frank Standish of Duxbury Hall
  • 1783 James Whalley, later Sir James Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner, 2nd Baronet of Whalley
  • 1784 William Bankes of Wigan
  • 1785 John Sparling of Liverpool
  • 1786 Sir John Parker Mosley, 1st Baronet of Ancoats
  • 1787 William Bamford of Bury
  • 1788 Edward Falkner of Liverpool
  • 1789 William Hulton of Hulton Park, near Bolton
  • 1790 Charles Gibson of Lancaster
  • 1791 James Starky of Heywood, Lancashire
  • 1792 William Assheton of Preston and Clitheroe
  • 1793 Thomas Townley Parker of Preston
  • 1794 Henry Philip Hoghton of Hoghton Tower and Walton
  • 1795 Robinson Shuttleworth of Preston
  • 1796 Richard Gwillym of Warrington
  • 1797 Bold Fleetwood Hesketh of Southport
  • 1798 John Entwistle of Rochdale
  • 1799 Joseph Starkie of Oldham
  • 1800 James Ackers of Liverpool

    Part of the United Kingdom

House of Hanover