Master of the Rolls in Ireland
Encyclopedia
The office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland originated in the office of the keeper of the Rolls in the Irish Chancery
and became an office granted by letters patent
in 1333. It was abolished in 1924.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was notoriously a sinecure for politicians and some of the appointments have been described as "farcical". Richard Rigby
is said never to have set foot in Ireland during the 30 years he held the office, and the 2nd Duke of Leinster
, who succeeded him, had no qualifications whatever. In the nineteenth century however the office became a full-time judicial position of importance, and a series of gifted judges like Edward Sullivan
and Andrew Marshall Porter enhanced its reputation. Michael O'Loghlen was notable not only as a fine judge but as the first Roman Catholic appointed to the Bench since 1688. Charles Andrew O'Connor
, the last holder of the office, was sufficiently highly regarded to be appointed a judge of the new Supreme Court of the Irish Free State
. The office was the equivalent of the President of the High Court.
Irish Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court which exercised equitable jurisdiction in Ireland until its abolition as part of the reform of the court system in 1877. It was the court in which the Lord Chancellor of Ireland presided. Its final sitting place was at the Four Courts in Dublin.-History:The...
and became an office granted by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
in 1333. It was abolished in 1924.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was notoriously a sinecure for politicians and some of the appointments have been described as "farcical". Richard Rigby
Richard Rigby
Richard Rigby , was an English civil servant and politician. He served as Secretary of Ireland and Paymaster of the Forces...
is said never to have set foot in Ireland during the 30 years he held the office, and the 2nd Duke of Leinster
William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster
William Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, etc. KP, PC was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London.-Career:...
, who succeeded him, had no qualifications whatever. In the nineteenth century however the office became a full-time judicial position of importance, and a series of gifted judges like Edward Sullivan
Sir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet PC , was an Irish lawyer, and a Liberal Member of Parliament for Mallow, 1865-1870 in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. He was also Solicitor General for Ireland, 1865-1866, Attorney General for Ireland, 1868, Master of the...
and Andrew Marshall Porter enhanced its reputation. Michael O'Loghlen was notable not only as a fine judge but as the first Roman Catholic appointed to the Bench since 1688. Charles Andrew O'Connor
Charles Andrew O'Connor
Charles Andrew O'Connor PC was an Irish judge, who served as the last Master of the Rolls in Ireland.-Background and education:...
, the last holder of the office, was sufficiently highly regarded to be appointed a judge of the new Supreme Court of the Irish Free State
Supreme Court of the Irish Free State
The Supreme Court of the Irish Free State was the state's Court of Final Appeal. It was created in Article 64 of the Irish Free State Constitution. It was presided over by a Chief Justice...
. The office was the equivalent of the President of the High Court.
List of Masters of the Rolls in Ireland
- 1333 Edmund de Grimsby
- 1334 William de Bardelby
- 1337 Robert de Hemmingburgh
- 1346 William de Whithurst
- 1350 Robert de Leicester
- 1356 Thomas de Cottingham
- 1372 Thomas de Thelwall
- 1377 Robert Sutton
- 1386 Thomas de Everdon
- 1395 Robert de Faryngdon
- 1395 Robert Sutton
- 1398 John de Kirkeby
- 1404 Robert Sutton
- 1430 William Sutton
- 1437 Robert Dyke
- 1450 John Chevir
- 1461 Patrick Cogley
- 1461 Peter Trevers
- 1471 Thomas Dowdall
- 1492 Thomas Butler
- 1496 John Payne, Bishop of MeathBishop of MeathThe Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
- 1513 Thomas RochfortThomas RochfortThomas Rochfort was a distinguished Irish judge and cleric who held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland, Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin....
- 1521 Walter WellesleyWalter WellesleyWalter Wellesley was a sixteenth-century Irish cleric and judge. He was Prior of Great Connell Priory, Bishop of Kildare 1529-39, and Master of the Rolls in Ireland.- Background and early career :...
, Bishop of KildareBishop of KildareThe Bishop of Kildare was an episcopal title which took its name after the town of Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. The title is no longer in use by any of the main Christian churches having been united with other bishoprics. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title has been merged with that of... - 1522 Thomas Darcy, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral
- 1523 John Ricard, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral
- 1528 Thomas Darcy again
- 1530 Anthony Skeffington
- 1533 John AlanJohn AlanSir John Alan, or Alen was a leading statesman in Ireland in the mid -sixteenth century. he held the offices of Master of the Rolls in Ireland , Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.- Family :...
- 1539 Robert Cowley (Irish judge)Robert Cowley (Irish judge)Robert Cowley, or Colley was an English born judge in sixteenth-century Ireland who held the office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland. He is chiefly remembered as the ancestor of the Duke of Wellington.- Early life :...
- 1542 Thomas Cusack (Irish judge)Thomas Cusack (Irish judge)Sir Thomas Cusack was an Anglo-Irish judge and statesman of the sixteenth century, who held the offices of Master of the Rolls in Ireland, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. He was one of the most trusted and reliable Crown servants of his time, but had a...
- 1550 Patrick Barnewall (Solicitor General)Patrick Barnewall (Solicitor General)Patrick Barnewall was a leading figure in the Irish Government in the 1530s and 1540s, due largely to his close links with Thomas Cromwell. He held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland and Master of the Rolls in Ireland. Today he is remembered mainly for his role in founding the King's Inns...
- 1552 John Parker ( Irish judge)
- 1566 Henry DraycottHenry DraycottHenry Draycott was an English born official in Ireland who held a number of senior positions including Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. Despite an apparent lack of legal training he went on to have a successful career as a judge, becoming Baron of the Court of Exchequer and Master of the...
- 1572 Nicholas WhiteNicholas WhiteSir Nicholas White was an Irish lawyer and government official during the reign of Elizabeth I.-Background and early career:...
- 1578 Edward Fitzsimons
- 1578 Nicholas WhiteNicholas WhiteSir Nicholas White was an Irish lawyer and government official during the reign of Elizabeth I.-Background and early career:...
again - 1593 Anthony St LegerAnthony St LegerAnthony St Leger may refer to:*Anthony St Leger *Anthony St Leger , also Member of Parliament for Grimsby and Governor of St Lucia...
- 1609 Francis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of LongfordFrancis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of LongfordSir Francis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of Longford , also known as Lord Aungier, was the progenitor of the Earldom of Longford, member of the House of Lords, Privy Councillor for Ireland, and Master of the Rolls in Ireland under James I and Charles I.-Early life:Francis was born in 1558 in...
- 1633 Christopher WandesfordChristopher WandesfordChristopher Wandesford , was an English politician administrator, Lord Deputy of Ireland at the end of his life.-Life:He was the son of Sir George Wandesford of Kirklington, Yorkshire, and was born on 24 September 1592....
- 1641 Sir John TempleJohn Temple (judge)Sir John Temple was an Irish lawyer, courtier and politician who sat in the Irish House of Commons at various times between 1641 and 1677 and in the House of Commons of England from 1646 to 1648...
- 1677 Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet
- 1689 Sir William Talbot
- 1690 Sir William Temple (2nd time)
- 1696 William Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of StrattonWilliam Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of StrattonWilliam Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton PC, PC , was a British politician and judge. He was Master of the Rolls in Ireland between 16896 and 1731 and also held political office as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1710 to 1714 and as First Lord of Trade from 1714 to...
- 1731 Thomas CarterThomas Carter (1690–1763)Thomas Carter was a politician, a Member of Parliament, Master of the Rolls, Privy Councillor and Secretary of State for Ireland. He was "an able and intriguing man" - Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford.-Political career:...
- 1754 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...
- 1759 Richard RigbyRichard RigbyRichard Rigby , was an English civil servant and politician. He served as Secretary of Ireland and Paymaster of the Forces...
- 1788 William Robert Fitzgerald, Duke of LeinsterWilliam FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of LeinsterWilliam Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, etc. KP, PC was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London.-Career:...
- 1789 John Crosbie, 2nd Earl of GlandoreJohn Crosbie, 2nd Earl of GlandoreJohn Crosbie, 2nd Earl of Glandore PC, FRS , styled Viscount Crosbie between 1777 and 1781, was an Irish politician and judge....
and John Proby, 1st Earl of CarysfortJohn Proby, 1st Earl of CarysfortJohn Joshua Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort, KP, PC, PC , FRS was a British judge, diplomat Whig politician and poet.-Background and education:...
jointly - 1801 Michael SmithMichael Smith (judge)Michael Smith was an Irish judge and founder of a judicial dynasty whose members were noted for eccentricity.He was born at Newtown, County Offaly, son of William Smith and his wife Hester Lynch. He graduated from the University of Dublin,and was called to the Bar in 1769...
- 1806 John Philpot CurranJohn Philpot CurranJohn Philpot Curran was an Irish orator, politician and wit, born in Newmarket, County Cork. He was the son of James and Sarah Curran.-Career:...
- 1814 William MacMahonWilliam MacMahonWilliam MacMahon was an Irish judge and member of a Limerick family which became prominent largely through personal influence over the Prince Regent.- Background :...
- 1837 Michael O'Loghlen
- 1842 Francis BlackburneFrancis BlackburneFrancis Blackburne PC KS was an Irish judge and eventually became Lord Chancellor of Ireland.-Background:...
- 1846 Thomas Berry Cusack SmithThomas Berry Cusack SmithSir Thomas Berry Cusack-Smith PC was an Irish politician and judge.The younger son of Sir William Cusack-Smith, 2nd Baronet, Baron of the Exchequer and his wife Hester Berry, and grandson of Sir Michael Smith, 1st Baronet, Master of the Rolls in Ireland from 1801 to 1806, he was educated at...
- 1866 John Edward WalshJohn Edward WalshJohn Edward Walsh PC, QC was an Irish lawyer and Conservative politician. He served as Attorney-General for Ireland in 1865 and as Master of the Rolls in Ireland from 1866 to 1870.-Background and education:...
- 1870 Edward SullivanSir Edward Sullivan, 1st BaronetSir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet PC , was an Irish lawyer, and a Liberal Member of Parliament for Mallow, 1865-1870 in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. He was also Solicitor General for Ireland, 1865-1866, Attorney General for Ireland, 1868, Master of the...
- 1883 Andrew Marshall Porter
- 1906 Richard Edmund MeredithRichard Edmund MeredithThe Rt. Hon. Richard Edmund Meredith PC, QC , was the Master of the Rolls in Ireland, a Privy Councillor, Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland and Judicial Commissioner of the Irish Land Commission.-Career:...
- 1912 Charles Andrew O'ConnorCharles Andrew O'ConnorCharles Andrew O'Connor PC was an Irish judge, who served as the last Master of the Rolls in Ireland.-Background and education:...