Juliet Smith will make history as first Brighton-born High Sheriff of East Sussex

Juliet Smith will assume the role alongside Denise Patterson, her counterpart for West Sussex, in a ceremony in Lewes tomorrow.

Supported by the Lord Lieutenant and flanked by trumpeters, the pair will make their declaration of office in a ceremony before Baroness Hale, deputy president of the Supreme Court.

Once sworn in, they will relieve dentist Chris Gebbie, of Ringmer, and chartered surveyor Jonathan Lucas, of Horsham, of their duties.

The year-long Royal appointment dates back to Saxon times when the sheriff – known as a Shire Reeve – was responsible on behalf of the king for law and order in the county and tax collecting.

While duties of the role have evolved over time, they must now ensure they support the crown, the judiciary, the police, and voluntary organisations.

It is one of few roles to remain independent, apolitical and self-funded with no cost to the public purse.

Mrs Smith, 65, is the daughter of Miles Byrne, well-known for running cinemas and theatres in Brighton – so much so that he has a bus named after him.

Born in Brighton General Hospital, she trained as an English teacher in the 1970s before becoming a magistrate in 1990 and being appointed chairman of the bench.

Mrs Smith has also held a number of other educational posts. She is currently chairman of governors at Brighton High School and used to be an education consultant for Brighton College.

She said: “I am excited and privileged. The role has a combination of duty and also being able to use our own initiative and shape our year and still has a place in modern society by representing the Queen.

“I’m looking forward to meeting so many wonderful people we don’t hear about and recognising the hard work of the voluntary sector.”

She said she was proud to be the first Brighton-born High Sheriff for East Sussex – celebrating the city’s highlights, adding: “I love the coast, The Lanes, the North Laine, and the Pavilion – these are all things that make Brighton stand out.”

Her role will involve officiating during the general election and working closely with the police.

She agreed there was a struggle for secondary school places in the city, saying: “The worst problem facing teachers is large class sizes – it makes it difficult for them to nurture and encourage children.”

She has already planned a number of engagements – including a stalking awareness meeting, working with the East Sussex Association for the Blind and supporting causes such as children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House.

Mrs Patterson, 60, a former literary agent who represented the late Brighton-based novelist Keith Waterhouse, has also worked as a television news presenter.

She returned to West Sussex 20 years ago and lives with her husband Harry, the thriller writer known as Jack Higgins, in Aldwick Bay, near Bognor.

The private pilot who has a plane at Goodwood is also a patron of St Wilfrid’s Hospice and the Bognor Community Action Network.

She said: “I’m really looking forward to the role. It’s important to keep an historical tradition alive – particularly a position which is non-political and independent.

“We are there to recognise the worthwhile causes in the community. It will be great to share the county with another woman in this role – I think I will be the third in West Sussex.”

The High Sheriffs are required to organise a judicial ceremony in each district which are due to take place in June and July.

One of Britain's oldest offices

IT is the oldest secular office in the UK after the crown.

Although the exact date of its creation is unknown, the Office of the High Sheriff, which represents royalty in each region and district, has existed for more than a 1,000 years.

By the 11th and 12th centuries sheriffs were law enforcers and tax collectors on behalf of the crown, in charge of the monarch’s local property, and would raise the hue and cry – an appeal for help – in pursuit of felons in their shire.

The powers steadily eroded over the centuries as the exchequer and the treasury took control of taxation.

By the 1800s responsibility for the police, prisons, and crown property were passed onto other authorities.

Those who take on the role are still selected by the monarch and it is still their duty to represent and entertain royal guests in the district.

The Queen pricks the names listed on the sheriffs’ role with a bodkin.

Traditionally the list was written on vellum – parchment made of calf skin – and the hole made sure names were not secretly removed from the list.

On formal occasions High Sheriffs wear a court dress, a suit of black silk velvet trimmed with cut steel buttons based on the style of the mid-eighteenth century.

Women in the role have adapted their dress and often wear a hat adorned with feathers.

Mrs Smith’s will have a red trim to represent the colour of East Sussex.