Election of Aldermanic and non-Aldermanic Sheriff in the City of London

History of English Sheriffs and the City of London

The office of Sheriff is one of the oldest on-going offices in England and the world. The "shire reeve" can be tracked back to at least the 7th century, and was the King's representative for justice and a tax collector. Some English county Sheriffs are called High Sheriff, but the City of London prefers just Sheriff.

Each year, the Liverymen of the City of London elect two Sheriffs to serve for one year. Lars has been involved in this process with a number of Sheriffs, and this page will lay out some of the elements of the election process as well as the year as Sheriff.

The Sheriff's role

The Sheriff is linked to the Old Bailey and will support the judges there by hosting weekly lunches. He/She will also support the Lord Mayor or stand in for the Lord Mayor at functions and events.

Election

Every Midsummer's Day (24 June) at noon there will an election for two Sheriffs in the City of London. They are elected by all Liverymen of the City of London, who turn up at Guildhall for the election. At recent elections, 1,000 - 1,500 Liverymen turned up to vote, out of around 27,000 elligible to vote.

Aldermanic Sheriff

The Court of Aldermen of the City of London traditionally recommends one Shrieval candidate each year. This Aldermanic Shrieval candidate is an Alderman and it is expected that the Liverymen will all vote for this Aldermanic Sheriff. Most of the time, this Aldermanic Sheriff will be elected Lord Mayor a few years after serving as a Sheriff.
Some years, the Court of Aldermen will insist on two Aldermanic shrieval candidates, a so-called double aldermanic shrieval election. These years, there are no non-aldermanic shrieval candidates. This was the case in 2023, when Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley DBE and Alderman Bronek Masojada were both elected as Sheriffs.

Non-Aldermanic Sheriff

Most years, one of the two Sheriffs will a non-Aldermanic Sheriff, Livery Sheriff or even Lay Sheriff. They are not an Alderman, and will serve for one year without any expectation of further office. Most years, there are multiple candidates competing for the non-Aldermanic Sheriff slot.

Shrieval election campaign

A shrieval campaign traditionally starts after the installation of new sheriffs in September. Initially, each shrieval candidate tries to gather as much support as possible amongst the Livery. This step is not necessarily done by Aldermanic Shrieval Candidates.
The next step is to be formally nominated as a candidate. The nomination form can be picked up from the City of London Election Office, and requires 15 Liverymen to sign to support the candidate. This form should be handed in around mid-February until late April (please check with the Election Office). Once the form has been accepted, the person is formally a Candidate for the Shrieval Election.
It is expected that each Shrieval Candidate creates an Election Address, typically a one page PDF to explain what they have done and why they would be a good person for the office of Sheriff.

Election Agent

Each candidate needs to have an Election Agent. This Shrieval Election Agent has two main duties, they review formal communications and election spending. They have to put in an election expense form shortly after the election.

Other election support

A non-aldermanic shrieval candidate will often have an election committee, with a Chair, Election Agent and other people who can help with the election campaign.

Election expenses

Each candidate has a maxium fixed amount of money to spend on the election. They can fund this personally, or get companies or individuals to fund them in parts or whole, but regardless of the number of funders they can not exceed the maximum spend. The spending limit varies per year, but is around £7,000.

Chain Appeal

Once elected, it is expected that a winning shrieval candidate appoints a Chair, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer for a Chain Appeal. This team recruits a wider Chain Committee with the purpose of subscribing money to the purchase of a chain of office for the incoming Sheriff.

Non-aldermanic Sheriff Job Description

You can read the 2021 Job description for non-aldermanic sheriffs.