Educator the Hon. Errol V. Johnson was officially installed as Custos Rotulorum of St. Mary on August 20, 2015. Custos Johnson served as principal of St. Mary High School for 23 years. Since January 2014, Custos Johnson has been the acting principal at Islington High school.
Custos Johnson has also served as:
- Chairman of the St. Mary Group of Principals
- Lieutenant Colonel in the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force
He was the recipient of the 2011/2012 Lasco Principal of the Year Award. Mr. Johnson was also awarded the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service and the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education.
Office of the Custos
The Office of the Custos was created in 1391, when England’s Grand Commission appointed Custodes and Justices of the Peace (JP) to maintain law and order in British territories.
A Ministry Paper, approved by the Jamaican Parliament in 1959 and gazetted in 1963, declared that the Custos should be appointed by the Governor-General on the Prime Minister’s advice. The Custos is the Governor-General’s parochial representative; one is appointed to each parish. Custodes are able to hold office until age seventy-five or until relocating from his/her parish.
Duties
The Custos Rotulorum:
- Receives royal/prominent leaders at the parish level in the Governor-General’s absence
- Receives the Governor-General during official visits to the parish
- Is the Chief Magistrate of the parish and Keeper of the Rolls
- Recommends persons for appointment as Justices of the Peace
- Ensures that voluntary parochial activities get public recognition
- Meets the Circuit Court Judge in court at the opening session
For more information, contact:
Office of the Governor-General
King’s House
Hope Road, Kingston 6
Telephone: (876) 927-6424
Fax: (876) 927-4561
Email: kingshouse@kingshouse.gov.jm
Jamaica Information Service
Last edited March 12, 2021
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