IT'S a remarkable photograph, enjoying pride of place in John Cottrell's dining room. The small, framed monochrome snap captures a historic moment – VE Day, when John's grandfather, William Cottrell, stood at the top of Corn Street in his full regalia as Lord Mayor of Bristol and announced the end of the war.

For the war-weary Bristolians, who had witnessed great swathes of their city destroyed during the years of conflict, and had seen thousands of their brightest young men replaced by black-rimmed telegraphs of condolence, this was a moment of which they had long dreamed.

For six-year-old John, it was the culmination of a year of great family pride, as his grandfather wore the rich mayoral robes of the city.

Fast-forward almost seven decades, and John lifts an ornate sword from the wall of his Redland home, and holds it tenderly.

"This was my grandfather's ceremonial sword," he explains. "I was given it when he died. But I never imagined I would be able to wear it myself."

However for the past 12 months, as the current High Sheriff of Bristol, John has worn the family sword with great pride.

In fact, even when his grandfather wore the sword as Lord Mayor in the 1940s, the rapier already had plenty of stories of civic pomp and ceremony that it could have told.

"It had previously been owned by my grandfather's second cousin, Francis Cowlin, who had also been High Sheriff of Bristol in 1921," he explains.

For John, holding civic office in the city is very much a family affair.

"We're a Bristolian family through and through," he says, "and it's been a great honour for me to be High Sheriff. It's allowed me to see new aspects of the city I know so well.

"For example, I set myself the challenge of visiting every police department at work in the city over the year – people don't realise just how varied their work is.

"They give a tremendous amount of excellent service in the cause of social cohesion and crime prevention – it's not all about crime detection."

The office of High Sheriff of Bristol – the oldest secular office in the country – dates back almost 1,000 years, when the High Sheriff was charged with enforcing the law on the king's behalf in the county of Bristol.

"It came into existence around the time of the Norman conquest," John says. "It is a position that has always related to the county of Bristol – coming from the old English scirgerefa – or Shire Reeve.

"The High Sheriff once had a range of powers, including collecting taxes on behalf of the Crown," he says. "The one everyone knows of course was the Sheriff of Nottingham.

"But then in the 16th century the Crown introduced the appointment of a Lord Lieutenant for each county, as a representative of the monarch, and with the introduction of police forces in the 19th century, the sheriff's powers gradually became redundant.

"These days we have no powers – it is very much a ceremonial role – but we do have functions." Among the practical functions the role assumes includes looking after High Court judges when they visit Bristol.

"There was a time when the High Sheriff would be there with his men to protect the judges when they arrived in the county ahead of sitting at the assizes," he says.

"These days the judges can find their way to the judges' lodging house in Clifton perfectly well in their saloon cars, without any help from me," he laughs.

"But my wife Sue and I do invite the visiting judges for dinner while they're staying in the city.

"They're always fascinating company, and it's nice to welcome them back to the city and arrange for them to meet other interesting dinner party guests – people like the Dean of the cathedral, the Bishop of Bristol or the Lord Lieutenant – people who can offer the judges a broad insight into the workings of the city."

The ancient office of High Sheriff also comes complete with an archaic uniform – with a distinctive 17th century style black velvet frock coat, a lace ruff and ornate cut steel buttons.

"The uniform dates back to the death of Queen Anne in 1714, when all officers of the Crown were ordered to wear black frock coats as a sign of mourning," John explains. "High Sheriffs have simply never changed their attire since."

The High Sheriff's most clearly defined role these days, is as a charity fundraiser.

Each year the incumbent sends out an "appeal" – some 1,300 letters to notable Bristolians, inviting them to donate money to the High Sheriff's Fund.

The High Sheriff also organises a charity concert at Bristol Cathedral each summer, with the proceeds being split between the High Sheriff's fund and the Fitzhardinge Society (the organisation concerned with the upkeep of the fabric of the cathedral).

The result at the end of each High Sheriff's year is a pot of cash generally hovering around the £50,000 mark, to be distributed among good causes by the High Sheriff's successor in the subsequent year.

"We always focus on helping projects that are aimed at young people," says John, a retired chartered accountant and former city councillor.

"We channel our money through the Bristol Youth and Community Action group, a steering group that ensures the money goes to organisations helping Bristol youngsters from the city's most deprived areas.

"It's largely about providing a focus for the youngsters, especially during periods of school holidays, in order to deter them from getting involved with anti-social behaviour and petty crime that all too often comes about as a result of boredom.

"In that sense, I suppose you could say that the post of High Sheriff – the precursor of the police force, if you like – is continuing to help the constabulary in its crime prevention work."

● To make a donation to the High Sheriff's Appeal, log on to www.quartetcf.org.uk.