High steward is an honorary title bestowed by the councils or charter trustees of certain towns and cities in England. Originally a judicial office with considerable local powers, by the 17th century it had declined to a largely ceremonial role. The title is usually awarded for life, and in some cases has become associated with a particular peerage title. As of 2007 twenty-four communities have the right to confer the status of high steward, although the office is in abeyance in a number of these.
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Origins
Originating in the Middle Ages, the office holder originally oversaw the administration of borough courts on behalf of the lord of the manor. As towns emerged from manorial control to become chartered boroughs governed by corporations, the new governing bodies were given the right to appoint the steward in lieu of the lord. These stewardships were often instruments of patronage, with prominent courtiers obtaining charters for boroughs which in turn named them as steward. Boroughs also returned members to the House of Commons, and in many the steward was able to use his influence to effectively obtain the election of his own nominee.
Over time the legal aspects of the office passed to a deputy: a qualified lawyer eventually given the distinct title of recorder. By 1689, the High Steward (in some boroughs known as Chief Steward, Capital Seneschal or Lord High Steward) had a purely honorary role. Sidney and Beatrice Webb summarised this as follows:
His appointment might rest with the Crown, or with the Governing Council or Close Body of the Corporation, sometimes subject to the approval of the Crown. ...an officer of great dignity and some influence, but with practically no duties or emoluments; usually a gentleman of high position, perhaps the owner or the patron of the Borough
Municipal and local government reform
In January 1836 the close corporations of boroughs were replaced by elected town councils under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The act provided that the provisions of existing charters, where they were not inconsistent with the legislation, were to remain in force. Many of the new councils had Whig and Radical majorities in place of the former Tory corporations. The appointments of stewards by the close corporations had sometimes proved controversial. For example, in 1833, the corporation of Kingston upon Hull nominated the Duke of Wellington, former Tory prime minister, to the office of High Steward. Following uproar among the townspeople, the Duke declined the office, which remained vacant. In 1836 the reformed town council instead appointed the Earl of Durham, a prominent Whig politician to the post.
With the reform of local government in the second half of the twentieth century, municipal boroughs and their councils were abolished. This has meant that high stewards are now appointed by various successor bodies: London Boroughs, district councils, town councils or charter trustees.
List of high stewards since 1974
The following is a list of those persons who have held office as high stewards of towns or cities since the local government reforms of 1965 and 1974:
High Steward of Abingdon: since 1963, the 9th Earl of Abingdon.
Former stewardships
In addition a number of boroughs formerly appointed stewards. The following stewardships which are no longer filled, were listed in directories of the late 19th and early 20th centuries:Abingdon (held by the Earls of Abingdon), Barnstaple, Bewdley, Buckingham, Cambridge, Derby (held by the Dukes of Devonshire), Gravesend (hereditary office held by the Earls of Darnley), Huntingdon, Kidderminster, Leominster, Louth, Newbury, Oxford, Reading, South Molton and Stafford.