Canterbury was granted a city charter in 1448 which gave it the right to have a mayor and a sheriff. The city's web site records that
King Henry VI decreed that the City should be "of one Mayor and one commonalty, wholly corporate for ever". The first mayor elected under royal charter was John Lynde.
The responsibilities of mayors have diminished over the years. They were once in charge of keeping the peace, serving as chief magistrate and presiding over the local lawcourt. This caused problems as the mayor could be asked to chair sessions without experience or knowledge of law. The Justices of the Peace Act of 1968 decreed that mayors were no longer entitled to sit as magistrates by virtue of their office alone. [1]
The dignity and title of lord mayor was granted on 13 July 1988 whilst the 12th Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Church was being held in the city.
A complete chronological list of bailiffs (1380–1447) and mayors (1448–1800) is given in Edward Hasted, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, vol. 12 (1801) pp. 603–611, available online from British History Online, page 63714.
Names not otherwise referenced in the list below are taken from this source.
The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is entirely ceremonial and sustained to boost tourism due to the legendary connection with the fictional Sheriff of Nottingham in the tales of Robin Hood. However, the historical position goes back to Anglo-Saxon times. The office is sometimes confused with that of the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Carrickfergus Borough Council was a district council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
This is a list of civic sheriffs and high sheriffs of the County of the City of Bristol, England.
Events from the 1520s in England.
Events from the 1580s in England.
The Sheriff of Canterbury is a shrievalty in the city of Canterbury, England. The office was first held in 1461 by Richard Carpenter, when a charter of king Edward IV granted the city the perpetual status of a county independent of Kent itself. The role was at that time involved in police and legal functions, but is now honorific. The role survived the local government reorganisation of 1974, when a large number of other areas lost County Borough status and thus had their Sheriffs' posts abolished, and the Sheriff is still elected at the Annual Council Meeting in May. Canterbury City Council in 2002 merged the role of deputy Chairman of the Council into that of Sheriff, to create a Civic Team of only the Sheriff and the Lord Mayor.
The office of Lord Mayor of Liverpool has existed in one form or another since the foundation of Liverpool as a borough by the Royal Charter of King John in 1207, simply being referred to as the Mayor of Liverpool. The position is now a mostly ceremonial role. The current Lord Mayor of Liverpool is Richard Kemp, who has held the post since May 2024.
Sheriff of Dublin City was a judicial and administrative role in Ireland. Initially, the Sovereign's judicial representative in Dublin, the role was later held by two individuals and concerned with a mix of judicial, political and administrative functions. In origins, an office for a lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the Sheriff became an annual appointment following the Provisions of Oxford in 1258.
The Mayor of Gloucester is the first citizen of the City of Gloucester, England, and acts as chair of the council. The Mayor represents the Council and the City at civic, ceremonial and community events both inside the City boundaries and elsewhere.