The Office of High Sheriff

The current High Sheriff of Merseyside is Dr Ruth Hussey CB OBE DL, whose period of office began in April 2023 and lasts for one year.  Dr Hussey became a Deputy Lieutenant in 2020. 

The Office of High Sheriff is an independent, non-political Royal appointment for a single year.  The origins of the Office date back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the King for the maintenance of law and order within the Shire, or County and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown.  Today, there are 55 High Sheriffs serving the Counties of England and Wales each year. (see High Sheriff’s Association web pages for further information).
 
Since 1399, when The Duchy of Lancaster became associated with the Crown, reigning monarchs have appointed the High Sheriff of Lancashire.  As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the Duchy now appoints High Sheriffs in Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.  Today, The King ‘pricks’ the names of the three High Sheriffs ‘on the Lites’ (on the list) with a bodkin, in the presence of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

In terms of protocol, the High Sheriff comes next in precedence after the Lord-Lieutenant.

High Sheriffs receive no remuneration and no part of the expense of a High Sheriff’s year falls on the public purse.