Sheriff of Yorkshire

Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now largely ceremonial.

Sheriff is a title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years.

[1][2] The Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown in England and Wales, their purpose being to represent the monarch at a local level, historically in the shires.

Since then the position of Sheriff has become more ceremonial, with many of its previous responsibilities transferred to High Court judges, magistrates, coroners, local authorities and the police.

In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the single Yorkshire shrievalty was abolished, with high sheriffs appointed to each of the new metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.