| Description | According to the historian, James Tait, 'Chester was the first of English towns to have a sheriff', a sheriff of the city is mentioned in a charter granted to St Werburgh's Abbey by Ranulph I, Earl of Chester, c.1121-29. By 1244 and until the Municipal Corporations Act, 1835, two sheriffs were chosen every year. The procedure for electing them was laid down in the 'Great Charter' of 1506 (CH/32): one was to be chosen by the mayor and aldermen, the other by the citizens. In the fifteenth century, former sheriffs and mayors formed the majority of the aldermen, but after 1506, former sheriffs formed a separate group in the Assembly; they were known as sheriff peers. Up to 1835, the sheriffs were responsible for many aspects of the government of the city. In addition to the usual legal duties performed by county sheriffs, such as the execution of writs, they presided over the pentice and passage courts; they were responsible for the city gaol and its prisoners; the collection of fines imposed by the courts; and until 1867, for arranging the execution of criminals condemned by the city courts, also by the assizes held at Chester Castle. Administrative duties included the collection of customs dues payable on goods entering the port of Chester and from the mid sixteenth century, the sheriffs were responsible for the administration of parliamentary elections in the city. After 1835, Chester was only permitted to have one sheriff. The office could have disappeared in 1974. However, the charter granted to Chester on 15 May 1974 (CH/44) allowed the Council to make appointments to 'offices of dignity'. On 16 June 1974, the City Council therefore resolved that a new sheriff should be elected. Although sheriffs' records have been divided into two groups under administration and courts, in many cases a series of records will contain material relating to both categories. |