The office of High sheriff, as the monarch's representative in a county, is over 1000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The Office of High Sheriff remained first in precedence in each county until the reign of Edward VII when an Order in Council in 1908 gave the Lord-Lieutenant the prime office under the Crown as the Sovereign's personal representative. The High Sheriff remains the Sovereign's representative in the County for all matters relating to the Judiciary and the maintenance of law and order.
The office of High Sheriff of Greater London was created in 1965 and covers the ceremonial county of Greater London. It does not cover the City of London, which has its own two Sheriffs. It replaced the offices of High Sheriff of the County of London and High Sheriff of Middlesex which were abolished in 1965.
The Office of Sheriff of Greater London was granted armorial bearings by letters patent issued by the College of Arms dated 5 December 1966. The blazon of the arms is:
Gules, two seaxes in saltire argent, pommels and hilts or, between in chief a Saxon Crown or and in base a horse courant argent.
The seaxes or short notched swords came from the arms of Essex and Middlesex, the Saxon crown from those of Middlesex and the white horse from those of Kent.
1965: Major Charles Howard Kerridge Fisher, M.C., of Acton, London W.3 First High Sheriff of Greater London
1966: Sir Geoffrey Cecil Ryves Eley, Kt, C.B.E., of Holland Villas Road, London
1967: Sir Theodore Constantine, Kt, C.B.E., of Hunters Beck, Uxbridge Road, Stanmore.
1968: Seymour John Louis Egerton, of Eaton Square, London S.W.1.
1969: Leonard John Sparke, of Bury Street, Ruislip
1970: Sir John Blumenfeld Elliot, Kt. of London, W.1
1971: William Woolf Harris, O.B.E., of Bickenhall Mansions, Gloucester Place, W.1.
1972: Derrick Allix Pease, of Britten Street, S.W.3.
1973: Arthur Henry Edmond, of Northwood, Middlesex
1974: Kenneth Herbert Chapman, of Wentworth, Surrey
1975: Mark Baring, Esq., C.V.O., of Thurloe Square, London S.W.7.
1976: Alexander William Ramsay, of Caroline Place, London W.2.
1977: Lieut-Colonel Dennis Charles Titchener-Barrett, T.D., of Kingfisher House, Lord Napier House, Upper Mall, London W.6
1978: Commodore Charles Patrick Cay Noble, C.B.E., D.S.C., V.R.D., R.N.R., of Gerald Road, London S.W.1
1979: Peter Wyatt Kininmonth, of Ashley Court, Morpeth Terrace, London S.W.1
1980: Christopher Anthony Prendergast
1981: Roy Constantine, of Grove Park Terrace, London W.4.
1982: Simon Birch, of Regents Park
1983: Ronald Thomas Stewart Macpherson CBE MC TD DL
1984: Sir Arthur Godfrey Taylor, of Hove, East Sussex
1985: Patrick Carroll Macnamara of Richmond, Surrey
1986: Giles Richard Carless Shepard of Savoy Hill, London
1987: Derek George Steel of Wimbledon
1988: Richard Maddock Brew CBE of Cranley Mews, South Kensington, London SW7
1989: Mrs. Joan Ellen Wheeler-Bennett, of London, SW6, first woman high sheriff
1990: Mrs. Christabel Rosamund Scott of London SW7
1991: William Samuel Clive Richards of London SW1
1992: James Anthony Lemkin, C.B.E. of Frognal Close, London NW3
1993: Anthony Charles Everett, O.B.E.
1994: Antony James Butterwick of Earls Court Square, London SW5
1995: Graham James Hearne, C.B.E., of London NW3
1996: Sir Cyril Julian Hebden Taylor of Lexham Walk, London W8
1997: William Robert Harrison of Carlyle Square, London SW3
1998: John Patrick Gough, Cadogan Mansions, Sloane Square, London SW1
1999: Roger John Lawrence Bramble of London, SW1
2000: Malcolm Peter Speight Barton of London, W8
2001: Andrew Henry Scott of London, SW7
2002: Bina Shivdasani, Countess Sella Di Monteluce of London, W1
2003: Michael Lenox Ingall of London
2004: Frances Anne Cairncross CBE
2005: Andrew Everard Martin Smith
2006: Dr. Khalid Hameed CBE
2007: Jan Stephen Pethick
2008: Elizabeth, The Lady Vallance ofTummel
2009: Andrew Vladimir Rhydwen Morgan
2010: Ranjit Mathrani
2011: Lady Elizabeth Arnold
2012: Millie Banerjee CBE
2013: David Fraser Christopher Jones
2014: Kevin David McGrath
2015: Lady Ghazala Hameed
2016: Sir Nigel Knowles