Role of Under Sheriff
Under the Sheriffs Act 1887, the High Sheriff has a legal duty to appoint an Under Sheriff. This is an annual appointment and the High Sheriff must by law, within one month of taking office, give to the Queen’s Remembrancer details of the person they have appointed as their Under Sheriff. This is usually done at the time that the new High Sheriff makes the Declaration of Office. Duchy Counties have a different system of appointment of an Under Sheriff and the incumbent will advise.
Mrs Serene Taylor
Serene, a second-generation Singaporean, followed a different path than her parents’ generation, who prioritized marriage over career for women. While working as a personal secretary, she completed her A Levels and pursued a University of London External Law Degree, relocating to London to finish her studies and become a Barrister of the Inner Temple.
Her career spanned over 30 years in the Magistrates’ Courts Service, later HMCTS, retiring in 2021. A Master’s degree in Criminology in 1996 instilled in her the belief in offender rehabilitation. As Legal Team Manager for Buckinghamshire Crime, she later became Under Sheriff, leveraging her judicial and agency relationships to support new High Sheriffs. Actively involved in inter-agency projects addressing knife crime and domestic violence, she also demonstrated her empathy through years of fundraising for causes like The Food Bank and Macmillan.