Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
Encyclopedia
The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the senior judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
,known in its early stage as the Common Bench or simply Bench, one of the senior courts of common law
in Ireland
. It was a mirror of the Court of Common Pleas
in England. Common Pleas comprised one of the "four courts" which sat in the building in Dublin still known as the Four Courts
.
According to Elrington Ball the court was fully functional in Ireland by 1276, with a Chief Justice and three (more usually two) justices. The Court functioned until the passing of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877
, when it was merged into the new High Court of Justice. The last Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, Lord Killanin
, continued to hold the title until 1887, when he was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
, at which point the earlier title became obsolete.
Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
The Court of Common Pleas was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England...
,known in its early stage as the Common Bench or simply Bench, one of the senior courts of common law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It was a mirror of the Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas (England)
The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century after splitting from the Exchequer of Pleas, the Common...
in England. Common Pleas comprised one of the "four courts" which sat in the building in Dublin still known as the Four Courts
Four Courts
The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. The building until 2010 also formerly was the location for the Central Criminal Court.-Gandon's Building:Work based on...
.
According to Elrington Ball the court was fully functional in Ireland by 1276, with a Chief Justice and three (more usually two) justices. The Court functioned until the passing of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877
Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877
The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1877 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that brought about a major reorganisation of the senior courts in Ireland.-Provisions:...
, when it was merged into the new High Court of Justice. The last Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, Lord Killanin
Michael Morris, 1st Baron Killanin
Michael Morris, 1st Baron Killanin PC, QC , known as Sir Michael Morris, Bt, from 1885 to 1889 and as The Lord Morris between 1889 and 1900, was an Irish lawyer and judge...
, continued to hold the title until 1887, when he was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
thumb|200px|The Four CourtsThe headquarters of the Irish judicial system since 1804. The Court of King's Bench was one of the original four courts that sat there....
, at which point the earlier title became obsolete.
Chief Justices of the Irish Common Pleas
- 1274 Robert Bagot
- 1298 Simon de Ludgate
- 1302 Richard de Exeter
- 1308 William de Devenys
- 1308 Richard de Exeter
- 1323 Richard de Willoughby
- 1325 Henry de Hambury
- 1327 Nicholas Fastolf
- 1329 William de Rodyard
- 1331 Robert de Scardeburgh
- 1335 Simon Fitzrichard
- 1338 John de Rees
- 1338 Simon Fitzrichard
- 1341 John Gernoun
- 1344 Thomas de Dent
- 1358 Robert de Preston
- 1378 Henry Michel
- 1380 Henry Bray
- 1383 William de Langham
- 1385 John de Shriggeley
- 1385 Edmund de Clay
- 1386 John Tirel
- 1396 John Giffard
- 1396 John Fitzadam
- 1419 William Tynbegh
- 1420 John Blakeney
- 1424 William Tynebegh, second term
- 1424 John Blakeney, second term
- 1428 John Alleyn
- 1430 John Blakeney, third term
- 1438 Robert Dowdall
- 1482 Thomas Plunkett
- 1494 John Topcliffe
- 1496 Thomas Bowring
- 1498 Thomas Plunkett
- 1514 Richard Delahide
- 1534 Thomas LuttrellThomas LuttrellSir Thomas Luttrell was a leading Anglo-Irish nobleman of the sixteenth-century Irish Pale, and was also a distinguished lawyer and judge who held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas....
- 1554 John Bathe (politician)John Bathe (politician)John Bathe was a member of a famous legal dynasty and himself had a distinguished career under the Tudors, being Solicitor General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas....
- 1559 Robert DillonRobert Dillon (judge)Sir Robert Dillon was a lawyer, judge and politician in the 16th century Kingdom of Ireland, a Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.Dillon was of Newtown, County Meath...
- 1580 Nicholas NugentNicholas NugentNicholas Nugent was an Irish judge, unique among the Irish judiciary in being hanged for treason. He had had a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer, and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, but was destroyed by the...
- 1581 Robert Dillon (judge)Robert Dillon (judge)Sir Robert Dillon was a lawyer, judge and politician in the 16th century Kingdom of Ireland, a Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.Dillon was of Newtown, County Meath...
- 1593 William Weston
- 1594 Robert Dillon (judge)Robert Dillon (judge)Sir Robert Dillon was a lawyer, judge and politician in the 16th century Kingdom of Ireland, a Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.Dillon was of Newtown, County Meath...
- 1597 Nicholas Walsh
- 1612 Dominick Sarsfield, 1st Viscount SarsfieldDominick Sarsfield, 1st Viscount SarsfieldDominick Sarsfield, 1st Viscount Sarsfield of Kilmallock was an Irish peer and judge who became Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, but was removed from office for corruption and died in disgrace.-Early history:...
- 1634 Gerard Lowther (1589-1680)
- 1660 James Donnellan
- 1665 Sir Edward SmithEdward Smith (judge)Sir Edward Smith or Smythe was an English-born politician and judge who held the office of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.He was the second son of Edward Smythe, barrister of Middle Temple...
or Smythe
- 1670 Robert BoothRobert Booth (judge)Sir Robert Booth was an English born judge who had a successful career as a judge in Ireland, holding the offices of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland.- Early life :...
- 1679 John Keating (judge)John Keating (judge)John Keating was an Irish judge who became Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas; despite a reputation for integrity, impartiality and benevolence, he fell from power after the Revolution of 1688, and committed suicide....
- 1691 Richard PyneRichard Pyne- Background :He was born in County Cork, fourth son of Nicholas Pyne of Monageely. He matriculated from Queen's College, Oxford in 1662, was called to the English Bar in 1669 and the Irish Bar in 1674...
- 1695 John HelyJohn HelySir John Hely was an English-born Irish judge.He was born in London, eldest son of James Hely and was called to the Bar in 1679. He made an advantageous marriage to Meliora Gorges, daughter of the prominent merchant Ferdinando Gorges of Eye Manor...
- 1701 Richard CoxRichard CoxRichard Cox may refer to:*Dick Cox , American baseball player*Richard Cox , American actor*Richard Cox , English clergyman, Dean of Westminster and Bishop of Ely...
- 1703 Sir Robert DoyneSir Robert DoyneSir Robert Doyne was M.P. for New Ross and a distinguished judge who served as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer from 1695 to 1703 and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas from 1703 to 1714 when like all the senior judges in Ireland appointed under Queen Anne he was removed by the new...
- 1714 John ForsterJohn ForsterJohn Forster , was an English biographer and critic and a friend of author Charles Dickens.-Life:He was born at Newcastle upon Tyne. His father, a Unitarian who belonged to the junior branch of a Northumberland family, was a cattle-dealer...
- 1720 Sir Richard Levinge, 1st BaronetSir Richard Levinge, 1st BaronetSir Richard Levinge, 1st Baronet was an Irish politician and judge.Leving was a Member of Parliament of the English House of Commons for Chester from 1690 to 1695. In 1692 he also became a member of the Irish House of Commons for Blessington, a seat he held until 1695. During this time he served...
- 1724 Thomas Wyndham, 1st Baron WyndhamThomas Wyndham, 1st Baron WyndhamThomas Wyndham, 1st Baron Wyndham PC , was an Irish lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1726 to 1739.-Background:...
- 1727 James Reynolds (judge)James Reynolds (judge)Sir James Reynolds was an English judge who had a distinguished career in both Ireland and England, holding the office of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and later Baron of the Exchequer in England...
- 1740 Henry SingletonHenry Singleton (judge)Henry Singleton was an Irish judge, remembered now mainly for his friendship with Jonathan Swift.He was born in Drogheda, son of John Singleton, Member of Parliament for the town. He went to school in Drogheda, graduated from the University of Dublin and was called to the Bar in 1707...
- 1753 Sir William Yorke, 1st BaronetSir William Yorke, 1st BaronetSir William Yorke, 1st Baronet PC was an English-born politician and judge in Ireland.Yorke was born in Northampton, son of the Reverend John Yorke...
- 1761 Richard AstonRichard AstonSir Richard Aston was an English judge.Aston was a younger son of Richard Aston, Esq., of Wadley, Berkshire, grandson of Sir Willoughby Aston, Bart., and great-grandson of Sir Thomas Aston, the first of the Aston Baronets. The Astons derived their name from Aston in Cheshire, where the family had...
- 1765 Richard Clayton
- 1770 Marcus PatersonMarcus PatersonMarcus Paterson was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He became the Member of Parliament for Ballynakill in 1756 and Lisburn in 1768. He was appointed as Solicitor-General in 1764 and became Chief Justice of Common Pleas in 1770...
- 1787 Hugh Carleton, 1st Viscount Carleton
- 1800 John Toler, 1st Earl of NorburyJohn Toler, 1st Earl of NorburyJohn Toler, 1st Earl of Norbury PC, KC , known as The Lord Norbury between 1800 and 1827, was an Irish lawyer, politician and judge. A greatly controversial figure in his time, he was Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas between 1800 and 1827...
- 1827 William Plunket, 1st Baron PlunketWilliam Plunket, 1st Baron PlunketWilliam Conyngham Plunket, 1st Baron Plunket PC was an Irish politician and lawyer who eventually became Lord Chancellor of Ireland....
- 1830 John DohertyJohn Doherty (politician)John Doherty was a politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland and senior judge.-Background and education:Doherty was born in Dublin, the son of John Doherty and his wife Margaret Verney. He was educated at Chester School and the University of Dublin and was called to the Bar 1808.-Legal and...
- 1850 James Henry MonahanJames Henry MonahanJames Henry Monahan was one of the outstanding Irish judges of his time, and one of the first Roman Catholics to achieve judicial eminence.-Background and education:...
- 1876 Michael Morris, 1st Baron KillaninMichael Morris, 1st Baron KillaninMichael Morris, 1st Baron Killanin PC, QC , known as Sir Michael Morris, Bt, from 1885 to 1889 and as The Lord Morris between 1889 and 1900, was an Irish lawyer and judge...