Election of Sheriffs and other Officers
24th June 2022Common Hall, Guildhall
Following a rolling breakfast hosted by The Cook & The Butler in The Members Dining Room at The Guildhall I made my way to the Crypts to meet the Beadle and be gowned along with a hundred or so other Masters. We were led in procession into the Great Hall to our seats below the stage reserved for the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Sheriff Elects, Aldermen and many more.
The formalities of this ancient process commenced and the two sheriffs to be elected were introduced, voted on and appointed! Alastair King was elected as the Aldermanic Sheriff and Andrew Marsden was elected as the non-Aldermanic Sheriff.
They take over from Alderman Nicholas Lyons and Alderman Alison Gowman and will take office on 28 September at the Admission of Sheriffs, holding the position for one year.
The office of Sheriff, a pre-requisite to becoming Lord Mayor of the City of London, is one of the oldest in existence and dates back to the Middle Ages.
The Sheriffs’ modern-day duties include supporting the Lord Mayor in his or her civic duties and serving, both, at home and abroad, as ambassadors for the UK-based financial and professional services industry by promoting the UK as a place in which to do business.
They also support Her Majesty’s Judges at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) in promoting the importance of the English rule of law to businesses, schools, diplomats, charities, the City Livery, and leading arts figures.
The Lord Mayor led the procession out the Great Hall and we were soon in the bright sunshine in Guildhall Yard where I met up with the Senior Warden and 3’rd Warden and along with the Mistress we made our way to Butchers’ Hall for a most delicious lunch…before returning to Guildhall Yard for the annual Armed Forces Flag Raising Ceremony introduced by The Lord Mayor and with a short speech from Air Vice Marshall Simon Edwards (RAF) and supported by the RAF Music Band.
The end of a busy week – yet thoroughly satisfying!