Sheriffs of Surrey were appointed annually by the monarch, usually on 12 November, through a ‘pricking’ ceremony.
Nominees were presented each year on 3 November.
Leading officials and justices met in the Exchequer Chamber to reduce the number of nominees to three (the ‘sheriff roll’),
with the monarch finalizing the selection by pricking the name with a needle or bodkin.
The appointment was usually announced in mid-to-late November to take office the following year.
Sheriffs had to be landed gentry within the county.
They could not be members of Parliament or clergymen.
It was a compulsory, often expensive, one-year role, which made it a feared obligation rather than a voluntary honor.
Beneath the official ceremony, heavy lobbying occurred, with potential candidates maneuvering either to be selected or to
avoid the high cost of the position.
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