Robert Booth (judge)
Encyclopedia
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.
, ancestor of the politician Sir Oswald Moseley. His father died young and his mother remarried the noted Presbyterian preacher Thomas Case
. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School
and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he matriculated in 1644. He entered Gray's Inn
in 1642 and was called to the bar in 1650; he became an ancient of Gray's Inn in 1662.
, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland
around 1657 and entered the King's Inns
. After the Restoration
he had the good fortune to attract the favour of Steele's successor ,Sir Maurice Eustace
. Eustace was normally hostile to anyone associated with Cromwell, but he admired Booth's abilities and believed his wealth would preserve him from corruption. Booth was appointed an ordinary justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
in 1660 and its Chief in 1670. He had already begun to suffer from the ill-health which plagued his later years.
In 1679 the Chief Justiceship of King's Bench became vacant. This was the height of the Popish Plot
, and at a time when many Irish judges were suspected of Catholic sympathies, Booth had a reputation as a staunch Protestant. Charles II
therefore appointed Booth despite objection from the Duke of Ormond, who thought him too extreme and rightly pointed out that he was almost incapacitated by illness. Ormond's objections were justified: Booth died in little over a year. He was buried at Salford.
,who died in 1660 as did their infant son. He remarried Susanna Oxenden of Deane in Kent, who died in 1669; they had four daughters. In Ireland he had a house at Oxmantown
; his house at Drumcondra, Belvedere, is now St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra. The Gore-Booth Baronets of Lissadell are relatives but not direct descendants.
Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the senior judge of the Court of Common Pleas ,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...
and Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland.
Early life
He belonged to the wealthy Booth family of Salford; he was the son of Robert Booth and Anne Mosley, daughter of Oswald Moseley of AncoatsAncoats
Ancoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre....
, ancestor of the politician Sir Oswald Moseley. His father died young and his mother remarried the noted Presbyterian preacher Thomas Case
Thomas Case
Thomas Case was an English clergyman of Presbyterian beliefs, member of the Westminster Assembly where he was one of the strongest advocates of theocracy, and sympathizer with the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy.-Life:...
. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he matriculated in 1644. He entered Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1642 and was called to the bar in 1650; he became an ancient of Gray's Inn in 1662.
Career
He is heard of in Ireland in the entourage of William SteeleWilliam Steele
William Steele was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654. He was Lord Chancellor of Ireland....
, 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:...
around 1657 and entered the King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
. After the Restoration
Restoration
Restoration may refer to:-Historical examples :* Kemmu Restoration * Restoration * Portuguese Restoration War...
he had the good fortune to attract the favour of Steele's successor ,Sir Maurice Eustace
Maurice Eustace
Maurice Eustace was an Irish soldier, secretly ordained a Roman Catholic priest, and hanged as a traitor.-Life:He was the eldest son of Sir John Eustace, Castlemartin, County Kildare. He was sent to be educated at the Jesuit college at Bruges in Flanders. There, after the completion of his secular...
. Eustace was normally hostile to anyone associated with Cromwell, but he admired Booth's abilities and believed his wealth would preserve him from corruption. Booth was appointed an ordinary justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
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...
in 1660 and its Chief in 1670. He had already begun to suffer from the ill-health which plagued his later years.
In 1679 the Chief Justiceship of King's Bench became vacant. This was the height of the Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
, and at a time when many Irish judges were suspected of Catholic sympathies, Booth had a reputation as a staunch Protestant. Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
therefore appointed Booth despite objection from the Duke of Ormond, who thought him too extreme and rightly pointed out that he was almost incapacitated by illness. Ormond's objections were justified: Booth died in little over a year. He was buried at Salford.
Personal life
About 1659 he married Mary Potts of ChalgroveChalgrove
Chalgrove is a village and civil parish of some . It is in South Oxfordshire about southeast of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Rofford and the former parish of Warpsgrove with which it merged in 1932....
,who died in 1660 as did their infant son. He remarried Susanna Oxenden of Deane in Kent, who died in 1669; they had four daughters. In Ireland he had a house at Oxmantown
Oxmantown
Oxmantown or Oxmanstown is an area of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Northside of the city between the River Liffey, the North Circular Road, and Smithfield Market...
; his house at Drumcondra, Belvedere, is now St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra. The Gore-Booth Baronets of Lissadell are relatives but not direct descendants.