JUDITH Buckland rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the cinema during her career in the British film industry.

But now she has landed a truly historic starring role.

She has just been appointed the first-ever female High Sheriff of West Sussex since the office came into being a thousand years ago.

Mrs Buckland's nomination will be confirmed this month at a Privy Council meeting when The Queen will follow a centuries-old tradition and use a silver bodkin to prick her name on a list as successor to Brian Trafford.

Mrs Buckland, wife of a retired army general, moved to Arundel 25 years ago and is founder chairman of the town's arts festival.

Before her marriage she worked at the famous Boreham Wood studios of MGM.

She said: "I was a studio representative making sure that we supplied everything the film makers needed."

She worked on some classic movies, such as Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. Stars she became friendly with included Sophia Loren, Peter Ustinov and Alec Guinness.

Then she became a soldier's wife and after her husband Ronald retired from the army the couple moved to Lyminster, near Arundel.

Mrs Buckland says she does not see her appointment as High Sheriff as striking a blow for women's lib.

She said: "I think it can be a bit boring describing it as that and I am not one for making a feminist splash, although I want women to have all the jobs they can.

"But I was thrilled, honoured and delighted to be nominated and that it was felt I could do the job."

The post of High Sheriff is mainly acting as the ceremonial head of the law and order service in West Sussex and duties include handing out rewards ordered by crown court judges.

But centuries ago Mrs Buckland would have raised armies for the monarch and collected taxes in the same sort of way as the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham of Robin Hood fame.

One duty she is glad she will not have to face is attending hangings, which was a function of the High Sheriff until capital punishment was abolished in 1965.

She said: "I am deeply relieved because I am terribly anti-hanging."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.