Gerald Aylmer, Irish Judge
Encyclopedia
Sir Gerald Aylmer was a judge in Ireland in the time of Henry VIII and played a key part in enforcing the Dissolution of the Monasteries
.
, Ardclough
, County Kildare
, and Margaret Cheevers. He married Alison, daughter of Gerald Fitzgerald of Athlone, and his sister married Sir Thomas Luttrell, chief justice of common pleas. In early life he was loyal to Garret Mor Fitzgerald the Earl of Kildare, when he served as sheriff
of Limerick in the earlier 1520s. As a partisan of Kildare, he was made second justice of the court of common pleas on 19 December 1528. He was confirmed in that role on 23 August 1532, then presented a critique of the Geraldine administration at the English court in 1533, along with John Alen
. Just before the rebellion of Silken Thomas, Aylmer was appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer on 25 June 1534. When Sir Bartholomew Dillon
died unexpectedly after only one year on the bench, Aylmer was named chief justice of king's bench on 12 August 1535.
, Co Kildare, and assured Aylmer and his fellow chief justice and brother-in-law Thomas Luttrell an annual rent of £4 during the life of Sir Richard Weston, the last prior: in 1538 St. Wolstan's itself was granted to Alen and his heirs.
Aylmer joined with Alen and others in the comprehensive commission to dissolve other Irish monastic houses, gaining profitable estates in County Meath
. He conducted an inquisition at Limerick of ecclesiastical shrines in 1541, and he obtained the Franciscan friary at Drogheda
by patent of 16 February 1543 for the price of £54 17s. 3d. Despite his loyalty to Henry it is not clear whether he was committed to the Protestant faith.
In 1541 he was among Irish lawyers who petitioned for a lease of Blackfriars monastery in Dublin to establish the predecessor of the King’s Inns there.
, Ardclough
Co Kildare until 1796 when the property passed to the Lord Cloncurry, father of Valentine Lawless (1773–1853). It later became the homestead of aviation pioneer Tony Ryan
(1936–2007).
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
Early life
He was the younger son of Bartholomew Aylmer of LyonsLyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
, Ardclough
Ardclough
Ardclough, officially Ardclogh , is a village and community in the parish of Kill County Kildare, Ireland, two miles off the N7 national primary road. Amongst its buildings today are a national school, a church, Ardclough GAA Club, and one shop "Buggys". Ardclough also contains the historic round...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and Margaret Cheevers. He married Alison, daughter of Gerald Fitzgerald of Athlone, and his sister married Sir Thomas Luttrell, chief justice of common pleas. In early life he was loyal to Garret Mor Fitzgerald the Earl of Kildare, when he served as sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Limerick in the earlier 1520s. As a partisan of Kildare, he was made second justice of the court of common pleas on 19 December 1528. He was confirmed in that role on 23 August 1532, then presented a critique of the Geraldine administration at the English court in 1533, along with John Alen
John Alen
John Alen was an English canon lawyer, Archbishop of Dublin, and Chancellor of Ireland.-Life:He was born in Cotteshall, Norfolk.The Alans were a numerous clan and six of his cousins settled in Ireland including his namesake John, who was Lord Chancellor in his turn...
. Just before the rebellion of Silken Thomas, Aylmer was appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer on 25 June 1534. When Sir Bartholomew Dillon
Bartholomew Dillon
Sir Bartholomew Dillon was a leading Irish judge of the sixteenth century who held the offices of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland....
died unexpectedly after only one year on the bench, Aylmer was named chief justice of king's bench on 12 August 1535.
Military career
Aylmer became a principal agent of Thomas Cromwell in Ireland and worked closely with John Alen, master of the rolls, in the defeat of Silken Thomas. He assisted various English lord deputies in Ireland in expeditions against the O'Connors (1537) and the Kavanaghs (1538) and was employed in military campaigns against the Geraldines and the O'Neills. He was knighted in the field after the battle of Bellahoe in 1539, and given a grant of Dollardstown, Meath.Suppression of the Monasteries
Aylmer and John Alen travelled to England in 1536 to receive the bill for suppression of the Irish monasteries, bringing the legislation to the Reformation Parliament of 1536–7. The resulting Act involved in the first instance the suppression of the monastery of St Wolstan’s, near CelbridgeCelbridge
Celbridge is a town and townland on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. It is west of Dublin. As a town within the Dublin Metropolitan Area and the Greater Dublin Area, it is located at the intersection of the R403 and R405 regional roads....
, Co Kildare, and assured Aylmer and his fellow chief justice and brother-in-law Thomas Luttrell an annual rent of £4 during the life of Sir Richard Weston, the last prior: in 1538 St. Wolstan's itself was granted to Alen and his heirs.
Aylmer joined with Alen and others in the comprehensive commission to dissolve other Irish monastic houses, gaining profitable estates in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
. He conducted an inquisition at Limerick of ecclesiastical shrines in 1541, and he obtained the Franciscan friary at Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
by patent of 16 February 1543 for the price of £54 17s. 3d. Despite his loyalty to Henry it is not clear whether he was committed to the Protestant faith.
Opposition to Lord Grey
Aylmer opposed the policy of the new lord deputy, Leonard Grey, policy after Silken Thomas's rebellion was quashed in 1536, and, campaigned with John Alen, to undermine Grey's administration. Aylmer attended Sir Anthony St Leger to London in 1538, joining the commission of inquiry to bring charges against Grey.Three Monarchs
After Aylmer was knighted in 1539 and survived the downfall of both Grey and Cromwell in 1540 to serve under Henry’s successors as King and Queen of England, Edward VI and Elizabeth 1, being reappointed chief justice on 24 March 1547 and on 16 November 1553.In 1541 he was among Irish lawyers who petitioned for a lease of Blackfriars monastery in Dublin to establish the predecessor of the King’s Inns there.
Later life
Aylmer was named lord justice along with Thomas Cusake on 6 December 1552 and eventually dropped from the council in 1556 when the new viceroy, Lord Fitzwalter, replaced the appointees of his predecessor St Leger. Aylmer now came infrequently to the Irish council and Elizabeth wrote in 1559 that she wished to promote another Old English lawyer, John Plunkett, to the office of chief justice in his place.Aylmer Family
His kinsman and namesake Sir Gerald Aylmer of county Kildare, perhaps a son, was a leader of opposition to the cess among the pale grandees of the 1580s. Aylmer’s resided at LyonsLyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
, Ardclough
Ardclough
Ardclough, officially Ardclogh , is a village and community in the parish of Kill County Kildare, Ireland, two miles off the N7 national primary road. Amongst its buildings today are a national school, a church, Ardclough GAA Club, and one shop "Buggys". Ardclough also contains the historic round...
Co Kildare until 1796 when the property passed to the Lord Cloncurry, father of Valentine Lawless (1773–1853). It later became the homestead of aviation pioneer Tony Ryan
Tony Ryan
Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Irish multi-millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation as well as co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan...
(1936–2007).