Cllr Susan Carey, Chairman of Shepway District Council and Tony Broadrick at All Saints Church, Maidstone
My second event on Sunday 5 October is the Justice Service for the County of Kent an annual event held by the High Sheriff. Justice Services were traditionally held on the first day of each assize (court hearings) to ask for God’s blessing and guidance for the work of the visiting High Court Judges. The assizes were abolished in 1971 and replaced by Crown Court but many counties including Kent still hold a Justice Service to pray for justice and those who serve in the justice system.
My escort is my friend Tony Broadrick who is a magistrate and who seems to know most of the police who are present. There’s also a real crowd of town mayors in their red gowns and one other District Council chairman, Cllr Margaret Sheldrick and the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Dr Harry Cragg. We, however, are not the main show. The main procession includes the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Kent, Lord De L’Isle, the High Sherriff, Jane Rogers, several district and circuit judges, recorders, a Lord Justice and the Right Honourable Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony one of the new supreme court judges.
Everyone looks quite splendid in their robes and wigs – short ones for the judges and full ones for the QCs, (Queen’s Counsel). Lord Clarke’s robe is particularly magnificent; it is full length in black with elaborate gold embroidery. After the service, someone tells me how much it is rumoured to have cost.
The present All Saints Church dates back to 1395 on the site of an earlier Saxon church. It is currently undergoing a major restoration but despite the tarpaulins it is still a beautiful and grand building. The Reverend Canon Christopher Morgan-Jones gives the address and tells us that Henry VIII appropriated most of the wealth of All Saints Church and the borough council also plundered the church’s coffers to set up the town’s grammar schools. Although these losses took place hundreds of years ago he still sounds indignant about them.
The service finishes with the national anthem and we process out and then we return for tea, cake and chat in the church.
Sadly, I’ve no photographs of the procession as we are asked not to use any cameras in the church.
“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love” (Psalm 33. 5)
