List of sheriffs of London


This is a list of sheriffs of the City of London.
Pursuant to a royal charter of Henry I circa 1131, the liverymen of the City elected two sheriffs of "London and Middlesex" upon payment of £300 per annum to the Crown. This practice continued until 1889, when the Local Government Act 1888 came into force. Thereafter a High Sheriff of Middlesex and a High Sheriff of the County of London were separately appointed in the same manner as other English and Welsh counties.
Since 1385 when the Court of Common Council stipulated that every future Lord Mayor should "have previously been Sheriff so that he may be tried as to his governance and bounty before he attains to the Estate of Mayor", the shrieval year of an Aldermanic Sheriff is an obligatory trial-run for would-be Lord Mayors of London.
In modern times the two Sheriffs are elected on Midsummer's Day every year at the Guildhall by the City livery companies. Their duties include attending the Lord Mayor in carrying out his official duties, attending the sessions at the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey and presenting petitions from the City to Parliament at the Bar of the House of Commons.

Sheriffs of London

Sheriffs of London before the 12th century:
Sheriffs of London in the 12th century:

13th century

Sheriffs of London in the 13th century:

14th century

Sheriffs of London in the 14th century:

15th century

Sheriffs of London in the 15th century:

16th century

Sheriffs of London in the 16th century:

17th century

Sheriffs of London in the 17th century:

18th century

Sheriffs of London in the 18th century:

19th century

Sheriffs of the City of London

19th century

20th century

21st century