500-year-old tradition upheld at Christ Church Cathedral

Dignitaries, including the High Sheriff, the Vice Lord Lieutenant, and senior judges from Oxford and beyond, gathered at the cathedral on Tuesday, October 15, to mark the start of the legal year.

A service of choral evensong saw a pair of white gloves ceremonially presented to Mr Justice Murray, the presiding judge of the High Court’s South Eastern Circuit, by the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Mike Rowley, to thank him and his fellow legal professionals for their work in the county.

The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, James Macnamara, reads from the bible during the service (Image: Nicholas Posner) Gloves were also presented to the Reverend Dr Robin Griffith-Jones, the Reverend and Valiant Master of the Temple, by one of Oxford University’s pro-vice-chancellors, the Very Reverend Professor Jane Shaw, to thank those who support the legal profession.

Reverend Dr Griffith-Jones then delivered the annual Court Sermon.

This address, part of the Assize service, has been given for centuries by a speaker nominated by the university’s Summoner of Preachers.

Lord Mayor Mike Rowley (right) and the Oxford city mace (Image: Nicholas Posner) As minister to two of the four Inns of Court to which all barristers in England and Wales belong, Reverend Dr Griffith-Jones was well-placed to share his insights into the role of Christian ethics at the heart of the law.

The Court Sermon and glove ceremony are open to the public and take place every year in the cathedral.