Straight from our manifesto launch in North Wales to the Shrievalty Service and Declaration Ceremony of my good friend, James Turner as The High Sheriff of Powys. James looked extremely pretty in his tights and finery. I resisted making any facetious comments about the new outfit at St. Mary's Church - probably because I was still feeling a bit chastened after my embarrassing mobile call to Brynle earlier in the day. (See previous post).
Actually, I felt rather privileged to be a guest. I'm a full blooded royalist and the post of High Sheriff is the oldest royal appointment of all. James had invited the children of my old school, Castle Caereinion Primary to attend the service. His Honour Judge Ian Trigger gave them a history lesson about the sort of things previous High Sheriffs had done to raise money for the monarch. It seems that it used to be common practice for High Sheriffs to kidnap the wives and mistresses of the clergy and demand a ransom for their return. Be interesting to know what performance measures were used as the basis for calculating the size of the ransom. Clearly, the clergy had things organised rather differently from today.
His Honour also told us about one High Sheriff who used to demand cockerels from all the farmers in his Bailiwick, supposedly as a gift for the monarch. No information on what happened to them. In those days one just handed over the ransom because the High Sheriff had full control over the important levers of power - or at least those that activated the gallows. But James Turner is an honourable and respectable man and there is no threat to the wives, mistresses and cockerels of the parish.
5 comments:
I once saw the High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan. He looked like an Admiral in the navy of Lilliput in his uniform. You really need an analyst to explain why any sensible human being would expend the amount of dosh required to be High Sheriff. Now Sheriff of Welsh pool -now thats a real job which would tax even Wyatt Earp
Another friend of mine invented a family crest and put a flag depicting it on the bonnet of his car. Trouble was it upstaged the Lord Lieutenant - and that would never do.
I would never fancy the job of High Sheriff but to be Sheriff of Welshpool - that is something else. But only if I am allowed to carry sixguns. I did learn to draw and twistle such a gun when I was a kid. Used to imagine myself as Jeff Arnold - which I think was a Daily Express character. I could arrest Lembit Opik for crimes committed against weathergirls.
I could arrest Lembit Opik for crimes committed against weathergirls.
Don't you mean cheeky girls? (hehe)
lembit dumped the weathergirl but we dont know what he might have done to the cheeky girl yet but i give it six months
Don't like the way this is going. It was only a joke. Wish I'd never started it!
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