High Steward of Colchester
Encyclopedia
The High Steward of Colchester is a ceremonial office awarded by Colchester Borough Council, Essex
, England
.
The stewardship
was established by royal charter
of Charles I
dated 9 July 1635. The charter, naming all the officials and councillors of the Council, stipulated that:
The 1835 Municipal Corporation Act
abolished most High Stewards and only allowed Colchester’s petition to retain a High Steward on condition that the wording of the Charter "...advise and direct..." be reduced to merely "...advise...".
The office has been vacant since the resignation of Ivor Crewe in July 2009.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The stewardship
High steward (civic)
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...
was established by royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
dated 9 July 1635. The charter, naming all the officials and councillors of the Council, stipulated that:
- "henceforth for ever there may be and shall be in the borough a High Steward to advise and direct the Mayor and Commonality in the chief business touching that borough which High Steward shall continue in the office of High Steward during his natural life".
The 1835 Municipal Corporation Act
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
abolished most High Stewards and only allowed Colchester’s petition to retain a High Steward on condition that the wording of the Charter "...advise and direct..." be reduced to merely "...advise...".
The office has been vacant since the resignation of Ivor Crewe in July 2009.
Office holders
- The Earl of HollandEarl of HollandEarl of Holland was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1624 for Henry Rich, 1st Baron Kensington. He was the younger son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick. and had already been created Baron Kensington in 1623, also in the Peerage of England. His eldest son, the second Earl,...
, who was beheaded. - The Duke of AlbemarleDuke of AlbemarleThe Dukedom of Albemarle has been created twice in the Peerage of England, each time ending in extinction. Additionally, the title was created a third time by James II in exile and a fourth time by his son the Old Pretender, in the Jacobite Peerage. The name is the Latinised form of the ancient...
, who lived in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and never even visited the town. - Charles Crickitt, who duelled with a local member of the clergy.
- John Pitt, 2nd Earl of ChathamJohn Pitt, 2nd Earl of ChathamGeneral John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, KG, PC was a British peer and soldier.-Career:He was the eldest son of William Pitt the Elder and an elder brother of William Pitt the Younger...
1807 - 1818 - John Round 1818 - 1860, former ToryToryToryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
MP for IpswichIpswich (UK Parliament constituency)Ipswich is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
and MaldonMaldon (UK Parliament constituency)Maldon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. - John Gurdon RebowJohn Gurdon RebowJohn Gurdon Rebow was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1857 and 1870....
, of Wivenhoe House, MP for Colchester from 1865. 1861 - 1870 - George Henry Errington, banker and former High Sheriff of EssexHigh Sheriff of EssexThe High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient High Sheriff 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...
1870 - 1883 - Francis Cowper, 7th Earl CowperFrancis Cowper, 7th Earl CowperFrancis Thomas de Grey Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper KG, PC, DL , known as Viscount Fordwich from 1837 to 1856, was a British Liberal politician...
- Viscount CowdrayWeetman Pearson, 1st Viscount CowdrayWeetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray GCVO, PC , known as Sir Weetman Pearson, Bt, between 1894 and 1910 and as The Lord Cowdray between 1910 and 1917, was a British engineer, oil industrialist, benefactor and Liberal politician...
1910 - 1927, industrialist and former MP for Colchester - Annie Lady Cowdray 1927 - 1932 in succession to her husband.
- Sir William Gurney BenhamWilliam Gurney BenhamSir William Gurney Benham Kt, JP, FSA, FRHistS, was a newspaper editor, published author and three times Mayor of Colchester.Gurney Benham was born on 16 February 1859 and educated at the Merchant Taylors' School until 1873, and thereafter at Colchester Royal Grammar School, a school about which he...
, three times mayor and local notable 1933 - 1944 - Field Marshal WavellArchibald Wavell, 1st Earl WavellField Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during the Second World War. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army...
, ViceroyViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of India 1947 - 1950. - Sir Percy Saunders CBE, businessman, fomer mayor and member of Colchester council for 30 years. 1950 - 1962.
- Cuthbert Alport, Baron AlportCuthbert Alport, Baron AlportCuthbert James McCall Alport, Baron Alport was a Conservative Party politician, Cabinet Minister, and life peer.- Early life :...
, former MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for ColchesterColchester (UK Parliament constituency)Colchester is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
. October 1967 - 1988. 21st High Steward - Professor Ivor CreweIvor CreweSir Ivor Martin Crewe is the Master of University College, Oxford. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex and Professor in the Department of Government....
, 2003 - 2009. 22nd High Steward