►
|
Home (main)
Somerset
Home
County News
Voluntary
Sector Support
High Sheriffs Awards
County History
Links
|
Somerset
County News
 2009/2010
Being a farmer I spend my life dealing with issues to prevent them from becoming problems so my theme for the year was always going to be youth and the avoidance of a life in crime. Whilst we enjoy a very successful Crimebeat programme in Somerset, courtesy of our amazing co-ordinator PC Simon Selby, it is quite apparent that so many seeds of crime are sown at a very young age. Some children, born into grossly dysfunctional circumstances, stand little chance of generating the will and self-esteem to shun the temptation of criminal behaviour.
With this problem in mind I have been proud to be a joint Patron of the Children’s University in Somerset. An organisation sponsored by Somerset County Council under the guidance of Mike King, another gifted and selfless public servant, which recognises the achievements of children in non-curricular activity such as sport, music and hobbies of all types. The lift in self-esteem and performance in all aspects of the child’s life that can be achieved with this kind of encouragement is a joy to behold. It reminds me of the true saying regarding standards in schools – “we are encouraged to value the things that are measured, unfortunately we do not always measure the things we value”.
My predecessor, Annie Maw, recognised the value of the outstanding service offered by so many people in Somerset who operate in their jobs or as volunteers at a level above and beyond the call of duty. It was a pleasure to present High Sheriff Awards to these wonderful people who Annie had identified at the Royal Bath & West of England Show in June.
 The Shrieval year in Somerset draws to a close at the Legal Service in Wells Cathedral during which the new High Sheriff is sworn in. With three High Court Judges, six visiting High Sheriffs and numerous legal and civic dignitaries, in a congregation of more than 500 it was a memorable welcome to the High Sheriff for 2010/2011 Mrs Patricia Hunt JP
It has been a huge privilege to serve as High Sheriff in this delightful County. I have been truly humbled by the warmth of so many welcomes and the generosity of hospitality.
John Alvis
High Sheriff of Somerset 2009/2010
2008/2009
 Wells and its Cathedral – the epicentre of Somerset.
During my recent Year as High Sheriff of Somerset, Wells and the Cathedral have punctuated my activities very regularly. Wells has been prominent in the life of Somerset for many centuries, but the tradition of using the annual Legal Service in the Cathedral as the venue for the Declaration of the High Sheriff is very recent. The Legal Service lapsed after the demise of the Assizes in Wells and meant that the city ceased to be regularly visited by High Court Judges. In the early 1990s the Legal Service was resumed, by popular demand. The Declaration of the High Sheriff, which hitherto had taken place at a formal dinner given by the outgoing High Sheriff, was incorporated into the service a decade ago.
Since then, each High Sheriff begins their term of Office at this most memorable service of Morning Prayer. With true English pomp and ceremony, the civic dignitaries, followed by the Judiciary, process from the Town Hall to the Cathedral. Bringing up the rear of the procession is the outgoing High Sheriff, accompanied by the incoming High Sheriff and their respective chaplains. They are followed by the two Presiding Judges with their clerks, and the Lord Lieutenant. As this last group of people pass through the Great West Door, a fanfare of trumpets greets them from the triforium within. As the procession advances up the nave, it is joined by the Dean of Wells and also, this year, by the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The declaration is read from the Sanctuary during the service and is thus witnessed by a panoply of fully robed and gowned figures representative of the church, of local government and of all areas of the maintenance of law and order and the passage of justice in the county. Local Members of Parliament represent central government and the Lord Lieutenant represents the Crown. A solemn occasion, and quite an ordeal with which to commence the Year in Office.
And after that the smallest city in England continues to attract much time and attention from the new High Sheriff. Almost weekly we were in Wells participating in many diverse events such as the the presentation of the Freedom of the City to Harry Patch, aged 110 and the last surviving 1st World War Tommy, and a visit from the commanding officers of HMS Somerset while she lay alongside in Plymouth. There was a pre-Lambeth Conference Garden Party hosted by the Bishop and the filming of the Antique Roadshow in the Bishop’s Palace Gardens. Then there was the Somerset Young Farmers Harvest Festival service and four carol services within six days in the Cathedral. All of these events provided encounters with interesting and influential people from different areas of the life of the county and the opportunity of creating helpful networking between them.
 2009 marks the 1,100th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese of Bath and Wells as the enormous diocese of Sherborne, spreading westwards, was subdivided. 1,100 years ago the minster church in Wells became a Cathedral, although the building of the present Cathedral did not begin until 1180, the earliest major Gothic building in the country. The first mention of ‘Somersaete’ appears in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle in 845, and the first Bishop was consecrated in 909. The first named Sheriff was Godwine, a Saxon who was appointed in 1061. The next recorded name is another Saxon, called Tofig, who remained in power for several years after the Norman Conquest. Later, the Normans appointed one of their own, William de Mohun of Dunster, a ‘companion-in-arms’ of William the Conqueror, who came to Dunster as part of a Norman presence on the vulnerable north coast of Somerset. His family continued to be prominent in Somerset for several centuries. Until 1567 in the reign of Elizabeth I, Somerset shared a Sheriff with Dorset. This was not unusual, as at different times Oxfordshire has shared with Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire with Hants and Warwickshire with Leicestershire. Although the appointment has always been annual, over the centuries many people have served for several years so that it seems that in Somerset 754 different individuals are recorded as having undertaken the role for differing periods of time. However, I have also been told that I was the 898th named High Sheriff of Somerset. I was certainly the 5th woman in modern times, and the first wheelchair occupant to undertake the role.
This year the annual High Sheriff’s Gala Concert was held in the Cathedral in September. Aware of the weight of history behind me, I decided that it should take the form of a ‘Son et Lumiere’ historical account of the history of the diocese and of the Cathedral. This was narrated by Jonathan Dimbleby and accompanied by the Cathedral Choir, the Brass and Big Band of the Cathedral School and a Baroque Quartet from Millfield School. These three prodigiously talented groups of young musicians illustrated the passage of time with music from succeeding centuries through the 800 years since the present Cathedral was built. The proceeds were donated to the Cathedral Development Project and to the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, thus contributing to two foundations which have provided me with spiritual and physical care in the last few years.
In October we had the most sublime Cathedral experience of all. Our daughter, Georgie, and son-in-law, Tom, were married by the Cathedral Precentor, Rev Patrick Woodhouse, in the Quire. There are few words to adequately describe this, the most perfect wedding ceremony and the happiest of days. I will never again hear Parry’s ‘I was glad’ without extreme emotion and a reminder of the arrival of my husband through the Pulpitum archway in the heart of the Cathedral, with our youngest child, looking so beautiful, on his arm.
Christmas was welcomed by several Cathedral carol services and Christmas concerts for local organisations and trusts and I was delighted to read several lessons and Christmas poems in my favourite place.
On the penultimate Sunday of my Year, I held a lunch in Wells Town Hall which was entitled ‘The Judge and the General’. Major General Barry Lane and His Honour Judge Stephen O’Malley told the story of the Monmouth Rebellion, the Battle of Sedgemoor and the Bloody Assizes conducted by the notorious Judge Jeffreys. This took place within sight and sound of the very place where Judge Jeffreys tried over 500 prisoners, who had been confined to the Cathedral Cloisters for several months, in just one day. The unfortunate Sheriff of the day, Mr Edward Hobbes, was left to mete out the sentences which had been imposed by Judge Jeffreys all over the County. Poor man, thank goodness the death sentence was abolished 50 years ago in Great Britain. When the talk was over we shared a sumptuous banquet of Somerset fare at its very best. The proceeds of this event were donated to the Somerset Crimebeat Trust and the Somerset Army Cadet Force Trust. 300 years ago Somerset was reluctantly in the limelight for some uneasy and violent months. This, my swansong, allowed me to support current examples of a more enlightened military and civilian approach to the provision of care and opportunities for young people. In 1685, perhaps, these were the same young people who were led astray by a charismatic General and punished by a less than sympathetic Judge.
My Year was completed on the Ides of March, 15th March 2009. The weather was perfect and thankfully, Caesar’s soothsayer’s prediction did not come to pass. The service fulfilled all expectations. The choir sang Parry again. John Alvis began his term of office with a memorable flourish and my Year came to an end.
So history progresses relentlessly onwards. We are but part of a continuing cycle. In order to maximise the opportunities that a year as High Sheriff offers, it is essential to take note of the past. Over the centuries so much has been achieved. If we move forward with vision, mindful of the contribution our forbears have made, the role of the High Sheriff will continue. I am confident that, proud of its heritage but constantly aware of changing times, the High Sheriff will always contribute effectively, impartially and with compassion, to the universal enrichment of many needy aspects of life for the citizens of this country.
Annie Maw
High Sheriff of Somerset 2008/2009
|
