High steward (civic)
High Steward Holder Date Held
Abingdon-on-Thames Richard Bertie 14th Earl of Lindsey and 9th Earl of Abingdon Hereditary Held
Bury St. Edmunds Frederick Hervey , 8th Marquess of Bristol Hereditary Held
Colchester Sir Bob Russell 30 June 2015
King 's Lynn and West Norfolk Prince Edward , Duke of Kent 12 March 1983
Plymouth ( Lord High Steward ) Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh 18 March 1960
Stratford-upon-Avon Henry Seymour , 9th Marquess of Hertford 17 March 2016
Winchester Dame Mary Fagan 16 May 2012
Windsor and Maidenhead Charles , Prince of Wales 8 February 1975
List of high stewards since 1974
The following is a list of those persons who have held office as high stewards of towns or cities since the local government reforms of 1965 and 1974 : Banbury : Office in abeyance since death of the 20th Baron Saye and Sele in 1968 . [ 10 ] Created by charter of 1608 . [ 11 ] Revived in 2015 with appointment of former MP , Tony Baldry . [ 12 ] Bristol ( Lord High Steward ) : In abeyance since death of 10th Duke of Beaufort in 1984 . [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Chichester : vacant Congleton : Office in abeyance since death of Sir Randle John Baker Wilbraham Bt in 1980 . [ 15 ] East Retford : Eric Coupland Spencer to 1981 . [ 16 ] Office revived in 2007 with appointment of Derek Turner by charter trustees . [ 9 ] Gloucester : In abeyance since death of 10th Duke of Beaufort in 1984 . [ 14 ] Great Yarmouth : Michael Falcon CBE ( since 1984 ) [ 17 ] Grimsby : Office in abeyance with death of Carl Ross in 1986 . [ 18 ] Revived in 2007 as High Steward of North East Lincolnshire . [ 18 ] Guildford : Earl of Onslow [ 19 ] Harwich : Bill Bleakley 1979– 2007 . Chris Strachan appointed 2007 . [ 2 ] Hereford : Thomas Reginald Stephens 1974–1975 ; F C Morgan 1975–1978 ; The Honourable Sir Gordon Slynn ( from 1992 Gordon Slynn , Baron Slynn of Hadley ) 1978–2009 ; Peter Temple-Morris , Baron Temple-Morris since 2009 . [ 8 ] Hertford : Office traditionally held by the Marquess of Salisbury since 1605 . [ 20 ] The 6th Marquess died in 2003 . [ 21 ] Ipswich : Vice Admiral Sir Frank Mason KCB to 1988 , Stuart Whiteley , CBE , QPM since 1990 [ 22 ] Kingston upon Hull : Peter Mandelson appointed 2013 after post fell into abeyance 1974 [ 23 ] Kingston upon Thames : Lord Boyd-Carpenter to 1998 ; David Jacobs CBE [ 7 ] North East Lincolnshire : 2015 Austin Mitchell former MP for Great Grimsby awarded the post . Office was in abeyance with death of John M T Ross MBE in 2011 . ( Revival of former office of High Steward of Great Grimsby ) [ 18 ] [ 24 ] Southwold : Graham R Denny JP appointed 2012 Tewkesbury : In abeyance since death of 10th Duke of Beaufort in 1984 . [ 14 ] Tamworth : vacant Wallingford : Ken Lester appointed 2015 Wokingham : Lady Elizabeth Godsall [ 25 ] Romsey : Louis Mountbatten , 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma 1940–1979 ; Norton Knatchbull 1979–2010 ; [ 26 ] Penelope , Countess Mountbatten of Burma since 2010 .
High steward is an honorary title bestowed by the councils or charter trustees of certain towns and cities in England. Originally a judicial office with considerable local powers, by the 17th century it had declined to a largely ceremonial role. The title is usually awarded for life, and in some cases has become associated with a particular peerage title. As of 2007 twenty-four communities have the right to confer the status of high steward, although the office is in abeyance in a number of these.