Richard Golding or Goldynge (died 1520) 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. [1]
He was born in County Meath, son of Edward Golding (died after 1504), Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) and collector of revenues for the port of Drogheda. [2] Richard's cousin Walter Golding of Portmarnock (died 1547) was also Baron of Exchequer, and acted as legal adviser to the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane. [3]
Richard entered Lincoln's Inn in 1505 [4] and acted as Master of the Revels there in 1509. He was practising law in Dublin in 1511 when he was appointed Chief Baron; [3] he was superseded in 1514 but restored to office shortly afterwards, and apparently remained Chief Baron until his death. [3]
He married a daughter of Sir William Darcy of Platten and Margaret St Lawrence, daughter of Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth; they seem to have had no children. [3] His cousin Walter's descendants were still living at Portmarnock in the following century. [5]
David Richard Pigot, PC, KC was one of the leading Irish judges of his time. His children included John Edward Pigot, a noted music collector and one of the founders of the National Gallery of Ireland. His grandchildren included the Australian astronomer and Jesuit Edward Pigot.
John Bysse (c.1602–1680) was a member of the Parliament of Ireland during the 1630s and 1640s. He was excluded from office during the Interregnum, but became one of the most senior Irish judges after the Restoration of Charles II.
Robert St Lawrence, 3rd Baron Howth was a leading nobleman and statesman in 15th-century Ireland who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Through his second marriage, he was a close connection to the new Tudor dynasty, to which his son was staunchly loyal.
Henry Hene or Henn was an English-born judge who had a distinguished career in Ireland, and held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.
Sir Edward Bolton (1592–1659) was an English-born judge who served for many years as Solicitor General for Ireland before succeeding his father Sir Richard Bolton as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.
John Bathe was an Irish barrister and judge. He was a member of a famous legal dynasty, and had a distinguished career under the Tudors, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.
Nicholas Nugent was an Anglo-Irish judge, who was hanged for treason by the government that appointed him. He had, before his downfall, enjoyed a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer, and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, but he was ruined by the rebellion of his nephew William Nugent, which he was accused of supporting.
The Court of Exchequer (Ireland), or the Irish Exchequer of Pleas, was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was the mirror image of the equivalent court in England. The Court of Exchequer was one of the four royal courts of justice which gave their name to the building in Dublin in which they were located, which is still called the Four Courts, and is in use as a courthouse.
Richard Delahide was an Irish judge of the sixteenth century, who held the offices of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. His career was seriously damaged by the Rebellion of Silken Thomas, in which several members of his family played a leading part, and he was fortunate to escape permanent disgrace.
Sir John Povey (1621–1679) was an English-born judge who had a highly successful career in Ireland, holding office as Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) and subsequently as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland during the years 1673–9.
Sir Richard Kennedy, 2nd Baronet, of Newtownmountkennedy (c.1615–1685) was an Irish politician, landowner and judge who held the office of second Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). He was the second of the Kennedy Baronets of Newtownmountkennedy. His family gave their name to the village of Newtownmountkennedy in County Wicklow. He was notable though not unique among the Irish judges of his time for being of Gaelic descent.
Walter St. Lawrence (c.1445–1504) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman, lawyer and judge. He held the offices of Attorney General for Ireland and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.
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.
Robert de Holywood was an Irish judge and landowner who held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was the ancestor of the Holywood family of Artane Castle, and of the St. Lawrence family, Earls of Howth. He was a substantial landowner with property in Dublin, Meath and Louth. He became extremely unpopular, and was removed from office after numerous complaints of "oppression and extortion" were made against him. These were apparently inspired ĺargely by his close association in the mid-1370s with Sir William de Windsor, the embattled Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Richard Segrave (c.1540–1598) was an Irish judge, remembered chiefly for sitting in judgement on his colleague Nicholas Nugent, who was the only Irish judge ever to be hanged for treason by the Government which appointed him.
Richard Talbot (c.1520–1577) was a sixteenth-century Irish judge and landowner. He is notable as the ancestor of the prominent Talbot family of Mount Talbot, Dublin, and for his lawsuit against Nicholas Nugent, the future Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.
Sir John Blennerhassett was an English-born judge and politician who became Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and sat in the Irish House of Commons as MP for Belfast. He was a member of a prominent Norfolk family which acquired large estates in Ireland, mainly in County Fermanagh. The Blennerhassett family have an enduring connection with County Kerry.
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 Patrick White 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). 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. His younger son Rowland was a writer on political issues who had considerable influence in his own time.
Sir John St Leger (1674–1743) was an Irish barrister, politician and judge. He belonged to a prominent aristocratic family from County Cork. He was not highly regarded for his legal ability, and it was believed by his contemporaries that he owed his professional success to his influential family connections. As a judge, he is mainly remembered for hearing, with two of his colleagues, the celebrated case of Sherlock v. Annesley, which caused a major Constitutional crisis, and led to the three judges being briefly imprisoned for contempt of Parliament.