Hedges Eyre Chatterton
Encyclopedia
Hedges Eyre Chatterton was an Irish Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) in the United Kingdom Parliament and subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Ireland.
.
He attended Trinity College, Dublin
, before being called to the Irish Bar in 1843. He became a Queen's Counsel
(QC) in 1858.
Chatterton was Solicitor General for Ireland 1866-1867 and Attorney General for Ireland in 1867. He was made a member of the Privy Council of Ireland
on 30 March 1867.
He was MP for Dublin University 1867.
Chatterton left the House of Commons
when he was appointed to the newly created judicial office of Vice-Chancellor of Ireland in 1867, an office which was abolished when he retired in 1904.
He married firstly Mary Halloran of Cloyne
in 1845; she died in 1901. In the year of his retirement he remarried Elizabeth Gore, widow of Edward Croker.
, the Lord Justice of Appeal in Chancery. Christian was notoriously bitter tongued and inclined to despise his colleagues, and seems to have had a particular dislike of Chatterton. He regularly voted on appeal to overturn his judgments, and frequently added unnecessary insults. Nor did he confine his attacks to the courtroom: there was controversy in 1870 when remarks of Christian that Chatterton was "lazy, stupid, conceited and so incompetent that he ought to be pensioned off " found their way into the Irish Times. The hint about pensioning Chatterton was not taken up, no doubt because he enjoyed the confidence of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland
, Baron O'Hagan
, who was also on bad terms with Christian. In an appeal from Chatterton iin 1873 the two clashed publicly, with O'Hagan reprimanding Christian for insulting a judge who was not there to defend himself.
as O'Connell Street
. Dublin Corporation
voted for the name change, but it aroused considerable objections from local residents, one of whom sought an injunction. Chatterton granted the injunction on the ground that the Corporation had exceeded its' statutory powers; rather unwisely, he also attacked the merits of the decision, accusing the Corporation of "sentimental notions". The Corporation were angered by both the decision and the criticisms: while it may have been a coincidence, the fact that Temple Street was briefly renamed Chatterton Street was interpreted by some as an insult to the judge, since the street was frequented by prostitutes.The controversy was short-lived: the Corporation was granted the necessary powers in 1890, and the new name became official in 1924, by which time it had gained popular acceptance.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) in the United Kingdom Parliament and subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Ireland.
Biography
He was born in Cork, eldest son of Abraham Chatterton, solicitor, and Jane Tisdall of KenmareKenmare
Kenmare is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of Ceann Mara meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay.-Location:...
.
He attended Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, before being called to the Irish Bar in 1843. He became a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(QC) in 1858.
Chatterton was Solicitor General for Ireland 1866-1867 and Attorney General for Ireland in 1867. He was made a member of the Privy Council of Ireland
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
on 30 March 1867.
He was MP for Dublin University 1867.
Chatterton left the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
when he was appointed to the newly created judicial office of Vice-Chancellor of Ireland in 1867, an office which was abolished when he retired in 1904.
He married firstly Mary Halloran of Cloyne
Cloyne
Cloyne is a small town to the south-east of the town of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese...
in 1845; she died in 1901. In the year of his retirement he remarried Elizabeth Gore, widow of Edward Croker.
Reputation
Despite his many years of service, Chatterton does not seem to have been highly regarded as a judge. On his retirement the Bar paid tribute to his good qualities but added several qualifications :" there might have been on the Bench lawyers more profound, reasoners more acute..." For his first decade on the Bench he had to endure the continual denigration of Jonathan ChristianJonathan Christian
Jonathan Christian QC, PC , was an Irish judge. He served as Solicitor-General for Ireland from 1856 to 1858.-References:...
, the Lord Justice of Appeal in Chancery. Christian was notoriously bitter tongued and inclined to despise his colleagues, and seems to have had a particular dislike of Chatterton. He regularly voted on appeal to overturn his judgments, and frequently added unnecessary insults. Nor did he confine his attacks to the courtroom: there was controversy in 1870 when remarks of Christian that Chatterton was "lazy, stupid, conceited and so incompetent that he ought to be pensioned off " found their way into the Irish Times. The hint about pensioning Chatterton was not taken up, no doubt because he enjoyed the confidence of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
, Baron O'Hagan
Baron O'Hagan
Baron O'Hagan, of Tullahogue in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 14 June 1870 for Sir Thomas O'Hagan, then Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His younger son, the third Baron, served as a Lord-in-Waiting from 1907 to 1910 in the Liberal...
, who was also on bad terms with Christian. In an appeal from Chatterton iin 1873 the two clashed publicly, with O'Hagan reprimanding Christian for insulting a judge who was not there to defend himself.
Renaming Sackville Street
Chatterton became involved in controversy in 1885, over the first attempt to rename Sackville StreetSackville Street
Sackville Street may refer to:*Sackville Street , a street in central Manchester, England and also the name of a large, historic building on that street...
as O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
. Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation , known by generations of Dubliners simply as The Corpo, is the former name given to the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin between 1661 and 1 January 2002...
voted for the name change, but it aroused considerable objections from local residents, one of whom sought an injunction. Chatterton granted the injunction on the ground that the Corporation had exceeded its' statutory powers; rather unwisely, he also attacked the merits of the decision, accusing the Corporation of "sentimental notions". The Corporation were angered by both the decision and the criticisms: while it may have been a coincidence, the fact that Temple Street was briefly renamed Chatterton Street was interpreted by some as an insult to the judge, since the street was frequented by prostitutes.The controversy was short-lived: the Corporation was granted the necessary powers in 1890, and the new name became official in 1924, by which time it had gained popular acceptance.