High Sheriff of Carlow

The High Sheriff of Carlow was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Carlow, Ireland from the 14th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Carlow County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs. In 1908, an Order in Council made the Lord-Lieutenant the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the High Sheriff's precedence. However, the sheriff retained his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in the county. The usual procedure for appointing the sheriff from 1660 onwards was that three persons were nominated at the beginning of each year from the county and the Lord Lieutenant then appointed his choice as High Sheriff for the remainder of the year. Often the other nominees were appointed as under-sheriffs. Sometimes a sheriff did not fulfil his entire term through death or other event and another sheriff was then appointed for the remainder of the year. The dates given hereunder are the dates of appointment. All addresses are in County Carlow unless stated otherwise. High Sheriffs of County Carlow 1355: Henry Traharne (also Escheator of County Carlow) 1356: William Vale 1358: William Valle, again 1374: Geoffrey Vale 1405: Richard fitz Esmond Butler 1414: Thomas Vale 1583: George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes 1612: Sir Thomas Butler, 1st Baronet of Cloughgrenan 1619: Nicholas Harman of Carlow 1622: Sir Thomas Butler, 1st Baronet of Cloughgrenan 1641: Edward Butler 1650: Henry Prittie 1662: Thomas Burdett of Dunmore 1670: Sir Thomas Butler, 3rd Baronet 1686: William Brereton 1689: Mark Baggot (Jacobite) 1691: Sir Thomas Butler, 3rd Baronet 1694: Edmond Jones 1695: Benjamin Bunbury of Killerig 1700: Urban Vigors 1701: Sir Thomas Burdett, 1st Baronet of Garryhill 1706: George Brereton 1707: Digby Berkeley 1708: Thomas Bernard of Oldtown and Clonmulsh 1712: Michael Warren 1713: Benjamin Bunbury 1714: Richard Vigors 1715: Henry Percy 1716: Charles Nuttall 1717: Wentworth Harman 1718: Charles Bernard of Bernard's Grove 1719: Jeffrey Paul 1721: Richard Wolseley 1722: William Pendred 1724: Samuel Burton of Burton Hall, Carlow 1725: Richard Wolseley 1730: Joseph Bernard of Straw Hill 1730: Robert Burton 1733: Denny Cuffe 1736: Benjamin Burton of Burton Hall, Carlow 1737: William Brereton 1743: I.