200 years of the NSW Sheriff’s Office

Our history

2024 marks 200 years of the NSW Sheriff’s Office, Australia’s oldest law enforcement agency.

Watch ‘Road to the Future: A NSW Sheriff’s Office documentary’ to learn more about our rich history and diverse people. The documentary includes exclusive historical footage and reflections from retired NSW Sheriff’s as well as current and former staff.

Road to the Future: A NSW Sheriff’s Office documentary

The birth of the justice system

The NSW Sheriff’s Office was established in Australia by the Third Charter of Justice (New South Wales Act), which came into effect in 1824.

Prior to 1824, the duties of the Sheriff were performed by the Provost Marshal of the colony of New South Wales.

In 1824, the colony of New South Wales included the whole of eastern Australia, as well as Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania).

Sheriffs were appointed in the colonies of Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania after their separation from New South Wales, and also in the colonies of South Australia and Western Australia. These colonies later became states, each of which still has a Sheriff.

To celebrate 200 years of the NSW Sheriff’s Office, DCJ Secretary Michael Tidball and Sheriff of NSW Tracey Hall PSM viewed the original ‘Third Charter of Justice’ – the 1824 rulebook for law and order in NSW - at the NSW State Archives (April, 2024).

Former role of the New South Wales Sheriff

The colonial records of New South Wales state that in 1824 the duties of the Sheriff were to:

execute all the judgments, decrees and orders of the Supreme Court
carry out the death sentence in criminal cases
carry out minor sentences passed by the court in criminal cases
discharge the duties of the Coroner
act as the Marshal of the Admiralty
arrange for the transfer of prisoners under sentence to 'iron gangs' in the interior, Goat Island and the streets of Sydney
run the gaols
arrange the reception and disposal of prisoners returned from penal settlements.

Many of these duties have disappeared over the years, in particular responsibility for carrying out death sentences as the death penalty was abolished in Australia.

The NSW Sheriff’s Office no longer runs gaols, which are now controlled by Corrective Services NSW, nor do they act as coroners, as this is the special responsibility of the Coroner's Court.

Today, the NSW Sheriff’s Office has broad responsibility for enforcing the civil law of New South Wales, as well as providing court security and running the jury system.

Sheriffs of New South Wales: colonial to current day

There have been 24 Sheriffs, including the current Sheriff and three acting Sheriffs in New South Wales since 1842.

Date	Sheriff
1824–1827	John Mackanass
1828	William Carter
1829–1841	Thomas Macquoid
1842	William Hustler
1843–1849	Adolphus William Young
1849–1854	Gilbert Eliot
1855–1860	John O'Neill Brenan
1861–1864	George Richard Uhr
1864–1874	Harold Maclean
1874–1896	Charles Cowper
1896–1917	Cecil Edmunds Bridgewater Maybury
1917–1920	Charles Richard Walsh
1920–1925	Walter William Crockford
1925–1939	George Francis Murphy
1939–1945	Harry Charles Lester
1945–1960	Roland Oliver Elliot
1960–1968	Donald Mercer Richardson
1968–1974	Thomas Alexander Woodward
1974–1985	George Francis Hanson
1985–1997	David Michael Lennon
1997–1998	Nerida Johnston (Acting)
1998–2002	Bruce Kelly
2002–2003	Kenneth Holdgate (Acting)
2003–2007	Gary Byles
2007–2008	Reg Kruit (Acting)
2008–2011	Christopher Benjamin Allen
2012–	Tracey Hall