Lucas's mother was a younger daughter of Edward Barnewall of Crickstown.[7] Her family also was Old English and descended from Michael de Berneval who had come to Ireland in the time of Henry II of England (12th century).
He entered the Middle Temple,London,in 1561,was called to the Bar,and then returned to Ireland to practice law.[9] His rise in the legal profession was rapid:he became Principal Solicitor for Ireland in 1565. He bought an estate at Moymet,near Trim,County Meath,on which he built Moymet House,where he lived in 1565,[10] now a ruin. Moymet is near the older family estate of Newtown Abbey that had been given to his father. Dillon later also acquired lands in County Cavan. He also owned a townhouse on Nicholas Street in Dublin.
In 1570 he succeeded his father-in-law James Bathe as chief baron of the Irish exchequer,[21][23] rather against the wishes of the Irish legal profession,most of whom would have preferred the second Baron of the Exchequer,Robert Cusack. The final decision rested with Queen Elizabeth,who wrote that while she heard very good reports of Cusack,Dillon had the stronger claim (the precise reason for the Queen's preference remains obscure,but her judgment in such matters was usually sound). Cusack's supporters praised him as "a true Protestant",whereas Dillon was known to incline privately to the Roman Catholic faith,and in his last years made little effort to conceal the fact. However,the English Crown,while it made intermittent efforts to appoint judges with strongly Protestant views,would as a rule accept outward adherence to the Church of Ireland as sufficient evidence of loyalty,and Dillon's private religious opinions,which were shared by several of his colleagues,were thus not a bar to advancement. In any event,Cusack died later the same year.
Judge
Until his last years,Dillon was held in high regard by the English Crown. Sir William Gerard,the Lord Chancellor of Ireland,described him as an energetic reformer,who was diligent in attending the Privy Council and the Court of Castle Chamber (the Irish equivalent of the English Star Chamber). He was seen as one of the few Irish judges of real eminence,at a time when the Crown authorities ranked the competences of most of his colleagues below that of an inexperienced junior member of the English Bar.[24]
Sidney
Dillon was particularly close to Sir Henry Sidney,the Lord Deputy of Ireland,who called him "my faithful Dillon".[25] Sidney knighted him in 1575.[26]
He was one of Sidney's few influential supporters during the so-called "cess controversy",the much-resented attempt to impose a tax for the upkeep of military garrisons on the gentry of the Pale,and became rather unpopular as a result.[27] His membership of a five-man commission empowered to fine those landowners who refused to pay the cess was a particular source of irritation,especially as he was its only Irish member.
Like Gerard,Dillon was a firm believer in the benefits of extending the common law to all parts of Ireland,and of encouraging the settlement of all grievances by resort to law. In general,he favoured moderation rather than coercion,although he would where required by the Crown carry out repressive measures. He played a considerable part in putting down the Desmond Rebellions and the rebellion of William Nugent.[28] Sidney did,however,express concerns about Dillon's increasing ill-health,which he feared might make him incapable of performing his duties as a judge.[29] In September 1578 the Queen recalled Sidney and he was replaced by William Drury,as only Lord Justice of Ireland.[30]
Second marriage
Dillon married secondly in 1575 Marion Sherle (or Shurle),daughter of Patrick Sherle of Shallon,County Meath,and widow of Sir Christopher Barnewall of Turvey House.[31][32] The marriage stayed childless,[33] but Marion had many daughters from her first marriage;one of them,Eleanor (or Helen),married her stepfather's eldest son,James Dillon.[34] Marion would die as his widow in 1607 but be buried beside her first husband in Lusk church.[35]
Later years
Dillon inherited the family's lands at Newtown on his father's death in 1579.[36] Older sources give his father's year of death as 1580.[37][38]
Execution of Nicholas Nugent
Lucas's reputation suffered greatly through his sitting,together with his cousin Robert Dillon,as a judge in the trial of Nicholas Nugent for treason in 1582. Nicholas was accused of treason in the context of the rebellion of his nephew William Nugent. There had been a long and bitter feud between the Nugent and Dillon families. Nicholas had recently been appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Lucas's cousin Robert Dillon reportedly hoped to take Nugent's place. The trial of a senior judge on a treason charge was without precedent in England or Ireland. Both Dillons should have been disqualified from sitting as judges at his trial as one of the charges was that Nugent had plotted to kill them.[39] The trial ended with Nugent's conviction and execution (on 6April 1582),which caused grave public disquiet,(although he did at least have the benefit of trial by jury),and led to a claim that Irish-born judges were incapable of administering impartial justice. The Queen for a time altered her favourable opinion of Lucas,but after obtaining a series of private audiences with her during a lengthy visit to London in 1582 and 1583 he was restored to favour. He was apparently offered the vacant position of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland,but declined it.
Perrot
Dillon was by now acquiring powerful enemies,notably Thomas Butler,10th Earl of Ormond,but he also had friends,including the new Lord Deputy,Sir John Perrot,appointed 1584. He was spoken of as a likely Lord Chancellor of Ireland,although his critics said that he was too corrupt for the post.[40] Queen Elizabeth thought highly of him,apart from a period of coolness in their relationship after the death of Nicholas Nugent,and at one point was said to have offered him the office of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (i.e. Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench).[41] If the offer was made,it seems that his enemies had enough influence to block it. As some consolation for his failure to attain higher office,he was in 1583 made Seneschal of the barony of Kilkenny West.[42]
As Perrot's Deputyship became increasingly embattled,Dillon,his ally,was also attacked:Adam Loftus,Archbishop of Dublin accused him of recusancy,a very serious charge to make against a servant of the Crown,and informed the London government that he was "very corrupt". The charge of recusancy at least had a grain of truth,since Lucas was widely known to favour the old religion.[43] William Nugent,who had received a royal pardon for his rebellion against the Crown,made a concerted attack on Sir Robert Dillon,who was by now Lord Chief Justice,and for a time had him suspended from office. Lucas was also attacked by Nugent,although he was not charged with any crime,even after Perrot's final downfall in 1593,not long before his own death. The stress of defending himself against charges of corruption is said to have hastened his end,although he was,in any case,an old man by the standards of the time,and had been in ill health for some years.[29]
Effigies of Sir Lucas Dillon and his 1st wife,Jane Bathe,Newtown Abbey
He was buried beside his first wife,Jane Bathe,in the Clonburn parish church,the ruin of which still stands next to Newtown Abbey,near Trim,County Meath.[47] Their monument is an altar tomb. Its chest is crowned by the couple's recumbent effigies in high relief.[48][49] The tomb is nicknamed "the tomb of the jealous man and woman",perhaps because the effigies are separated by a sword of state.[50]
A Latin inscription,not visible any more on the tomb,gave the 17 February as the date of death and his age as 64.[51]
Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain,so are all his ages.
Lucas Dillon's record as a judge and as a statesman has received a somewhat mixed verdict from historians. F. Elrington Ball points to the charges of corruption made against him and his improper conduct of the Nugent trial.[60] Crawford,on the other hand,praises his talent and energy,points to the high regard most Crown officials had for him,and argues that the charges of corruption made against him were partisan in nature.[61] It is significant that Queen Elizabeth,who was noted for her skill in choosing good public servants,thought highly of him.[62]
Notes and references
Notes
↑ This family tree is based on the genealogies of the earls of Roscommon.[1] Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.
1 2 He died on 17 February 1593 at the age of 64.[2][3]
↑ Some authors give 1592, probably because they did not know the month of the unadjusted OS format.[44]
↑ Clavin 2009, 2nd paragraph. "...was appointed solicitor general for Ireland and was resident at Moymet, Co. Meath, later that year."
1 2 3 Clavin 2009, 2nd paragraph, 4th sentence. "About this time, he married Jane, daughter of Sir James Bathe (qv), chief baron of the court of exchequer; they had seven sons and five daughters."
↑ Cokayne 1895, p.410, line 15. "1. James Dillon s. [son] and h. [heir] of Sir Lucas Dillon of Newtown and Moymet co. Meath, Chief Baron of the Exchequer [I.[Ireland]] and Senechal of the Barony of Kilkenny West, by Jane da. [daughter] of James Bathe, also Chief Baron of the Exchequer [I.]..."
↑ Lodge 1789, p.157, line 8. "Henry Dillon, (the second son) of Kentstown, in Meath and of Strokestown and Ardnecrane in Dillon's Country, married Elizabeth, daughter to the Lord Culpepper and dying 18 April 1609 (or 20 April 1610) had four sons and three daughters..."
1 2 3 Clavin 2009, 2nd paragraph, 6th sentence. "...he was made attorney general on 8November 1566, sat in the Irish parliament of 1569–70, succeeded his late father-in-law as chief baron of the exchequer on 17May 1570,..."
1 2 Smyth 1839, p.163. "Sir Lucas Dillon ... Dillon made Chief Baron, -patent 4June 1570."
↑ Crawford 2005, p.98. "Junior officials in England vied for the high office ..."
↑ Ball 1926, p.212, line 13. "...became high in favour of Lord Deputy Sidney; was called by him 'meus fidelis Lucas'..."
↑ Shaw 1906, p.73. "1567, Dec., Robert Dillon (de Lion), of Newton, Co. Meath, lord chief justice of Common Pleas, (ibid. [in Ireland])"
↑ Pollard 1901, p.133, left column, line 46. "...an unpopularity which was increased by their [Robert and Lucas Dillon] being largely responsible for the exaction of the 'cess' from the gentlemen of the Pale."
↑ Pollard 1901, p.133, left column. "They [Lucas & Robert Dillon] were thanked by the government on 14Jan. 1581-2 for their diligence in discovering and examining into the Nugents conspiracy;"
1 2 Ball 1926, p.142, line 2. "The same master of the rolls being chancellor of your exchequer, and the chief baron thereof, being both sick and impotent, are forced to be absent..."
↑ Bagwell 1885, p.349. "...September 12 [1578], exactly three years after his arriveal, Sidney embarked at Woodquay..."
↑ Ball 1926, p.212, line 9. "...married as his second wife Marion Sharles, widow of Sir Christopher Barnewall of Turvey 1575."
1 2 Clavin 2009, last paragraph. "After the death of his first wife he married (1575) Marion Sherle, widow of Sir Christopher Barnewall; they had no children."
↑ Cokayne 1895, p.411, line 1. "He [James D. 1st Earl] m. Helen, 2d da. of Sir Christopher Barnewall of Turvey, co. Dublin, by Marion da. of Patrick Challis, otherwise Serle, of Shallon, co. Meath."
↑ Brewer 1829, p.254, line 23. "...the costly monument of Sir Christopher Barnewall, of Turvey, grandfather of Nicholas, first Viscount Kingsland; and his lady Marian..."
↑ Ball 1926, p.147, line 11. "On the one hand Nugent was accused of endeavouring to contrive the assassination of Sir Lucas Dillon and Sir Robert Dillon..."
↑ Ball 1926, p.212, line 26. "...was offered while there by Elizabeth, who considered him worthy of a better office, the chief justiceship of the Queen's bench 1583."
↑ Ball 1926, p.212, line 31. "...as some compensation Dillon was, on 5June 1583, made seneschal of Kilkenny West."
↑ Brewer 1826, p.174. "Among several monuments at this place is that of Sir Lucas Dillon, of Newtown and Moymet, in this county, and his lady. Sir Lucas was one of the ablest Irish lawyers of Elizabeth's reign..."
↑ Hoare 1807, p.269. "I observed another altar tomb exposed to the rude elements, on which there were the recumbent effigies of a male and female figure, habited in the costume of Queen Elizabeth. On its base is an inscription, which I did not have time to decipher, but I am told by a gentleman of the country that this monument was erected to the memory of two personages of the Roscommon family."
↑ Gerrard 2004, p.265. "...look out for the famous tomb of the jealous man & woman."
↑ Jocelyn 1973, p.160 ps=. "...having reached the age of sixty-four years ended his days on the seventeenth February...".
↑ Shaw 1906, p.77. "1575, Sep., Lucas Dillon (de Lion), lord chief baron of the Exchequer, (in the church at Drogheda by Sir Henry Sidney, lord deputy)"
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