Patrick Farnsworth describes himself as “just an ordinary lad from an ordinary family”, yet that did not stop him rising to become a captain of industry as a managing director of Hull-based William Jackson. Now retired, he has now assumed another high office, as the Queen’s official representative in East Yorkshire. Ian Midgely went to meet him . . .When Patrick Farnsworth ascended to the position of High Sheriff of East Yorkshire he joined a historic and venerable list that stretches back more than a thousand years . . .

Patrick in “civvies” relaxing in his garden. “My wife is now affectionately known by our friends as Maid Marion,” he said

As Her Majesty The Queen’s representative in the East Riding, the Driffield-born businessman follows a distinguished line of archbishops, knights, noblemen, land owners and aristocracy who have sworn an oath of allegiance to uphold law and order across the county.

The first recorded High Sheriff of East Yorkshire was Gamel, Son Of Osbern, who presided over the region in 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest, although the office is believed to stretch even further back into the mists of time.

“It’s the oldest secular position, except for the monarchy, in the land,” smiles 61-year-old Patrick. “It goes all the way back to Alfred The Great in the ninth century. He originally created what they called the shrieves to collect the Danegeld. It worked quite well and slowly the Sheriff took over the role of tax collecting and the maintenance of law and order.

“They were quite powerful people in the early days.

“I’d never read the Magna Carta before I got this job, but apparently there are 63 clauses in it, and 27 of them relate to the role of Sheriff.”

Joining the select band of men who have presided over English history for more than a millennium is quite a hard thing to “get your head around,” admits Patrick. Throughout his long and distinguished business career, culminating as joint managing director of Hull’s William Jackson And Son Group, he has been more used to creating brands such as Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire Puddings than dishing out law and order.

“It is quite humbling,” says the softly-spoken Sheriff. “To be part of an institution as historic as this is quite daunting. When I was asked if I would be interested in letting my name go forward, I had to think long and hard about it and about what I could bring to the role. But it is a massive honour and I couldn’t say no.

“It’s only when you look back and see there have been Sheriffs of Yorkshire going back hundreds of years that the magnitude of history really hits you. I never imagined that someone like me, a humble baker from Jacksons, would be asked to fill the role.”

The challenges facing Gamel, Son of Osbern’s 21st Century counterpart, are perhaps not quite as pressing. Thankfully, Danegeld has long since fallen by the wayside – but the High Sheriff still has an important role to play in modern Yorkshire.

Many of the Sheriff’s responsibilities for keeping the populace in order have, in reality, been assumed by the police and the courts – but Patrick is still heavily involved in promoting voluntary organisations, such as Victim Support, which works in and around the criminal justice system to make the world a better, safer place.

Part of his role involves welcoming High Court judges to the region and making sure they feel at home here during major trials. This, as the down-to-earth Sheriff points out, may sound quite an official and daunting task, but probably just means inviting visiting judges to his family home in Foston-on-the-Wolds for dinner – or even taking them “out for a pint”.

The Sheriff also bears the responsibility for the proclamation of the accession of a new Sovereign – when that time inevitably comes.

It’s a position that comes with no lavish expense accounts or support office, so it is only those who have displayed success, drive and results in their chosen fields – be it big business or community work – who are invited by the Queen to take on its responsibilities.

As a businessman who has lived in East Yorkshire for nearly all of his life, Patrick certainly fits the bill. Although he retired from William Jackson three years ago in his 40th year with the business, he is still highly active in a wide range of organisations.

Patrick Farnsworth, High Sheriff of the East Riding, at his home in Foston-on-the-Wolds

He is chairman of regional food group Deliciouslyorkshire, a non-executive director of Cranswick plc and the Beef Improvement Company and a governor of Bishop Burton College. All of which gives him unique access to people and areas that can help promote and uphold the ideals of the office of Sheriff.

“It is a purely honorary position, but it does give you the opportunity to get involved in communities that previously you knew nothing about,” says father-of-three Patrick.

“I’ve learned an awful lot already about different areas of the community that I would never have come across in my working life, and I’m only a few months into my year of office.

“The modern Sheriffs support and encourage the voluntary sector. There are a lot of voluntary organisations which do a superb job of helping people in East Yorkshire – whether they be victims of crime, young people trying to steer away from a life of crime, or even ex-offenders who are trying to build a new life. I see my job – and I hate the phrase – as taking ‘a helicopter view’ to help co-ordinate what these organisations do.

“You’d be surprised, but when you ring up and introduce yourself as the High Sheriff, it opens a lot of doors.”

Patrick admits that many people’s preconceptions of a Sheriff have been coloured by one of English folklore’s greatest romantic heroes – and some people almost expect him to enter a room twirling a villainous moustache and ordering searches of Sherwood Forest.

“Ah, Robin Hood,” he grins. “He’s got a lot to answer for. Most people’s ideas about what a Sheriff does come from TV programmes or films about Robin Hood. My wife, Anne, is now affectionately known by our friends as Maid Marion. But it’s nothing like that really. You certainly don’t have the power that the Sheriff of Nottingham of legend had.

“Now it’s more about bringing people together, not taxing the poor to feed the rich.”

As tradition dictates, the ceremony surrounding the appointment of a new Sheriff is a highly ceremonial affair. In February or March each year, a parchment of nominees is presented to the Queen at a meeting of her Privy Council. Three people are nominated for each county and one is chosen by the Queen to be Sheriff.

The monarch then signifies her assent by pricking the document with a silver bodkin – or needle – next to the successful candidate’s name before signing the parchment. The “pricking of the parchment” is believed to date back to the reign of Elizabeth I who, when finding no quill to hand, decided to use her bodkin to mark the paper instead.

Another tradition that accompanies the job is the ceremonial “Little Lord Fauntleroy” velvet suit which comes complete with lace cuffs, knee-high britches and an extravagant lace cravat.

Patrick soon discovered it is an outfit not ideally suited to the rigours of modern

life . . . while taking part in one of his first official duties, cooking alongside a man called Mick The Miner during a Jamie Oliver cookery road show in Bridlington.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the suit,” laughs Patrick. “I remember the first time I tried it on, I thought someone was playing a joke on me.

“I had to go to an event at Beverley Minster in the full official regalia and I couldn’t find anywhere to park my car. I ended up having to walk halfway across Beverley in the suit and, to be honest, I got some funny looks.

“I don’t know who was more embarrassed – them or me. Most people just have a quick glance and then either look up at the sky or down at their shoes. They definitely try to avoid eye contact!

“It’s all good fun though. I think if the events like the one in Bridlington help to show a human side to the office of Sheriff, then it can only be a good thing. If they see someone like me dressed up in the outfit, cooking a dish with Mick The Miner, then maybe it will encourage them to have a go too.”

Despite the minor indignity of having to dress like The Beano’s Lord Snooty on rare occasions, Patrick is undeniably proud of being East Riding’s High Sheriff – and hopes to continue making an impact on the region during the rest of his year of office.