Crowds lined the streets of York to watch as the might of the law paraded through the city.
Barristers, judges and senior solicitors from all over the North East attended the North Eastern Circuit Annual Legal Service at York Minster yesterday (Sunday) at 11am.
Before the service, they walked in a parade from the Assembly Rooms on Blake Street to the Minster.
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The Lord Mayor of York Martin Rowley along with the Sheriff of York, Paul Doughty and the Sheriff’s Consort, David Smith, represented York’s Civic Party and joined the members of the judiciary in their procession.
The Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner was also in attendance as were the High Sheriffs of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, the East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire with their Chaplains and Under Sheriffs.
Crowds lined the procession route to see the senior justice system in an array of uniforms parade towards their Minster service.
The procession was accompanied by the York Honour Guard who were dressed like medieval soldiers, wearing red coats and quartered caps and wielding halberds. A mounted branch of police officers from West Yorkshire also escorted the procession.
A member of the York Guard bore the flag of the City of York near the head of the parade, leading the procession on foot.
The annual event is organised by the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire and it marks the official beginning of the legal year for judges and lawyers of the North Eastern Circuit.
The High Sheriff takes up the appointment for one year upon making a sworn declaration, usually before a Judge of His Makesty’s High Court of Justice.
The service followed the order of Matins, the traditional morning service in the Church of England.
A police officer patrolling the area outside the Minster during the service said he “enjoyed seeing the procession” and he was “interested to see what the new legal year for the North Eastern Circuit will bring.”
