Patrick White (judge)

Last updated

Sir Patrick White (c. 1480-1561) was an Irish politician, landowner and judge, who was notable for his forty-year tenure on the Irish Bench, much of which was spent as second Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). [1] He founded a dynasty who were Lords of the Manor of Dufferin, County Down, for several generations, although they were forced to abandon Dufferin for some years due to local disturbances. [2] His younger son Rowland was a writer on political issues who had considerable influence in his own time. [3]

Contents

Career

He was born in Flemington, near Navan in County Meath. He is said to have come from a long-established landowning family, with connections to Dufferin in County Down, though little is known of his parents or his early life. He was appointed a Baron of the Exchequer in 1521, and apart from a short period on the Court of King's Bench (Ireland), he served on the Court of Exchequer until his death. [1] He held office at the pleasure of the monarch, and his patent was renewed at regular intervals. [4] He was one of the original lessees of the King's Inns in 1541. [5]

He became a member of the Privy Council of Ireland in 1533, and was knighted. John Rawson, the last Prior of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem at Kilmainham, and later Viscount Clontarf, was one of the handful of men who dominated the Privy Council: White is known to have been close to him, and married his younger son Rowland to Rawson's natural daughter Catherine, [6] a marriage which is said to have greatly increased the White family fortunes. [7] Like most of his fellow judges he was enriched by the Dissolution of the Monasteries; he obtained lands at Clontarf which had belonged to the Order of St John (which was dissolved in 1541), possibly at Lord Clontarf's suggestion. [1] He also held lands at Rathsallagh in County Wicklow, had extensive landholdings in Meath, and became lord of the manor of Dufferin in County Down. [2] He died in 1561, while still serving on the Court of Exchequer. [1] His son Rowland was a Protestant convert, and a sincere if unorthodox religious reformer, who was regarded with suspicion by the Catholic Queen Mary I. Patrick on the other hand seems to have adhered to the Roman Catholic faith, even in his last years when the Protestant Elizabeth I was on the throne.

Family

He married twice: little is known of his first wife. His second wife was Alison St Lawrence, daughter of Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth by his third wife Alison Fitzsimon, and widow of John Netterville. He had at least three children:

Related Research Articles

The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland, and chief financial officer of the Kingdom of Ireland. The designation High was added in 1695.

Thomas Eustace, 1st Viscount Baltinglass was an Anglo-Irish noble who achieved wealth and influence by prudently remaining loyal to the English Crown. He was born circa 1480 at Caslemartin, County Kildare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dufferin (barony)</span> Place in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Dufferin is a historic barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the southern half of the west shore of Strangford Lough, and is bordered by three other baronies: Castlereagh Lower to the north; Castlereagh Upper to the west; and Lecale Lower to the south.

George Smyth was an Irish lawyer and judge.

Sir Robert Dillon of Riverston was an Irish lawyer, judge, and politician. He came from a family with a distinguished record of judicial service. He pursued a successful career as a judge, which was, however, dogged by accusations of corruption and other serious wrongdoing, of which the worst was that he had falsely condemned Nicholas Nugent, another judge and rival, to death. Sir Robert Dillon, the subject of this article, must not be confused with an earlier Sir Robert Dillon of Newtown, his grand-uncle, who was also Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.

Sir Bartholomew Dillon was a leading Irish judge of the sixteenth century who held the offices of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and Lord Justice of Ireland.

Sir John Alan was a leading English-born statesman in sixteenth century Ireland. He was a member of the Irish House of Commons, and held the offices of Master of the Rolls in Ireland, Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Though he was childless himself, one of his brothers, William, founded a prominent landowning dynasty in County Kildare. The family's holdings included lands at Celbridge, St. Wolstan's and Kilteel, County Kildare, as well as substantial lands in County Dublin. They also acquired a baronetcy.

Sir Christopher Barnewall (1522–1575) was a leading Anglo-Irish statesman of the Pale in the 1560s and 1570s. He was the effective Leader of the Opposition in the Irish House of Commons in the Parliament of 1568–71. He is remembered for building Turvey House, where he sheltered the future Catholic martyr Edmund Campion, for his impressive tomb in Lusk Church, and for the eulogy to him in Holinshed's Chronicles, which was written by his son-in-law Richard Stanyhurst.

The Rochfort family came to Ireland in the thirteenth century and acquired substantial lands in counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. Several members of the family were prominent lawyers and politicians. They gained the title Earl of Belvedere, and gave their name to the village of Rochfortbridge. The main Rochfort line ended with the death of the 2nd Earl of Belvedere in 1814.

Sir Thomas Cusack (also spelt Cusacke or Cusake) (1490–1571) 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, and sat in the Irish House of Commons. He was one of the most trusted and dependable Crown servants of his time, although he led a somewhat turbulent private life.

Sir Lucas Dillon, also called Luke, was a leading Irish barrister and judge of the Elizabethan era who held the offices of Attorney General for Ireland and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He supported the Lord Deputy Henry Sidney in the cess controversy and the Lord Deputy John Perrot in the Desmond Rebellions. He was held in high regard by Queen Elizabeth, but was accused by his enemies of corruption and maladministration.

Patrick Bermingham (c.1460–1532) was an Irish judge and statesman of the Tudor period who held the offices of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland and Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. He was a firm supporter of English rule in Ireland and enjoyed the confidence of Henry VIII, who regarded him as a mainstay of the Irish administration.

John Rawson, 1st and only Viscount Clontarf was an English-born statesman in sixteenth-century Ireland, and was regarded as one of the mainstays of English rule in the Kingdom of Ireland. He was the last Prior of the Kilmainham house of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. The Knights Hospitaller, as they were usually known, were a fighting order of monks, and Rawson himself was an experienced soldier who took part in the Siege of Rhodes (1522).

Luke (Lucas) Netterville was a sixteenth-century Irish judge. He was father of the statesman Richard Netterville and grandfather of the 1st Viscount Netterville.

Richard Golding or Goldynge was an Irish judge who was twice Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. The Golding family were notable for producing three judges of the same Court in two generations.

Robert Cusack (c.1516–1570) was an Irish judge of the sixteenth century, who held office as a Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). He was strongly recommended for the position of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, but was passed over for the office, though with a promise of future preferment. His career was cut short by his premature death.

Sir John Barnewall (c.1635-c.1705) was an Irish landowner, barrister and judge, who held several judicial offices, including that of Recorder of Dublin 1687-9.

Sir Richard Cooke, was an English-born politician who spent most of his career in Ireland. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland, Secretary of State for Ireland, a Privy Councillor and a Member of Parliament.

Rowland White was a sixteenth-century Irish writer and political and religious reformer, whose writings had considerable influence in his own lifetime.

Nicholas de Netterville was a Crown official and judge in Ireland in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. He was the first notable member of a prominent landowning family in County Meath, who were based mainly at Dowth. His descendants in the seventeenth century acquired the title Viscount Netterville. The family also produced at least two more senior judges in the sixteenth century, Thomas Netterville and Luke Netterville.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 London John Murray 1926 Vol. 1 p.194
  2. 1 2 3 Ulster Journal of Archaeology Vol. 13 p. 126
  3. 1 2 3 Barry, Judy "White, Rowland" Cambridge Dictionary of Irish Biography 2009
  4. Smyth, Constantine Joseph Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland London Butterworths 1839
  5. Kenny, Colum The King's Inns and the Kingdom of Ireland Irish Academic Press Dublin 1992 p.32
  6. Rawson, though he must have taken a vow of celibacy when he joined the Hospitallers, clearly did not observe it: Catherine was one of several children
  7. Pollard, A.F. "John Rawson" Dictionary of National Biography 1885-1900 Vol.47 p.337
  8. Pollard p.337