68:'s appointment as chief justice in 1606 was generally seen as a demotion on the grounds of his professional incompetence, suggesting that the office was not then considered to be one of great importance. However, a chief justice who performed his duties well could expect to be promoted to a place on the High Court Bench in due course, and Donnellan, Cusack and Jones were rewarded in this way, as was one Attorney General, William Hilton. While it was generally understood that the chief justice of Munster should not hold any other office, the same rule apparently did not apply in Connacht:
55:
and to pursue the King's enemies with "fire and sword" (Ralph Rokeby from the beginning had urged the granting of such powers, arguing that it was the only way to bring order and good government to the province). The extent of these powers gave rise to clashes with the long-established courts and in
221:
Burke gives the name of the last Chief
Justice as William Spring, but Ball, the most reliable source for the pre-independence Irish judiciary, gives it as Adam Cusack, who had been the second justice since 1661, and would have been the obvious choice to succeed Oliver Jones as Chief Justice. This
87:, served as second justice (the first holder of the office), and Adam Cusack was second justice in 1662. James Donnellan was third justice in 1627-34. The last second justice seems to have been Justice Johnson (1670-72).
59:
On the face of it, the office of chief justice was an onerous one, as shown by the fact that (for at least part of the Court's history) he had two or even three associate justices to assist him, whereas the
296:
56:
1622 official instructions were issued to the Chief
Justices of Connacht and Munster not to "intermeddle" with cases which were properly within the jurisdiction of another court.
24:
in judicial matters. Despite the chief justice's title, full judicial powers were vested in the Lord
President, whose office was established in 1569.
291:
84:
301:
184:
95:
73:
21:
115:
61:
25:
90:
The chief justice was advised by the attorney general for
Connacht: the best-known holder of the office was
121:
80:
69:
29:
105:
The office of chief justice ceased to exist with the abolition of the provincial presidencies in 1672.
193:
142:
130:
65:
48:
32:
as his second justice. Rokeby found his principal duty as chief justice, the introduction of the
171:
91:
44:
98:, Attorney General for Connacht 1626-37, is remembered as the brother-in-law of Archbishop
265:
136:
285:
261:
51:
in 1604 vested in the lord president very wide powers to hear civil cases, to impose
226:, which seems to have been written in 1672, around the time the Court was abolished.
102:. John Shadwell, appointed in 1662, appears to have been the last Attorney-General.
79:
We have less information about the men who served as second and third justices. Sir
99:
148:
52:
269:
Collection of Tracts and
Treatises on the Political and Social State of Ireland
224:
Collection of Tracts and
Treatises on the Political and Social State of Ireland
33:
36:
into
Connacht, to be a thankless task, writing gloomily to the Government in
255:
A Star
Chamber Court in Ireland - the Court of Castle Chamber 1571-1641
40:
that the people of the province "are not willing to embrace justice".
37:
28:
was appointed the first chief justice of
Connacht, with
297:Political office-holders in pre-partition Ireland
20:was the senior of the judges who assisted the
8:
109:List of chief justices of Connacht 1569-1672
222:appears to be borne out by the list in the
94:(1591-1604), who held the office for life.
64:as a rule had only one. On the other hand,
276:Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland
214:
85:Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
72:combined the office with a seat on the
160:List of attorneys general for Connacht
7:
248:Anecdotes of the Connaught Circuit
14:
292:Early modern history of Ireland
241:The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921
74:Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
1:
257:Four Courts Press Dublin 2005
22:Lord President of Connaught
318:
302:Chief justices of Connacht
274:Smyth, Constantine Joseph
250:Hodges Figgis Dublin 1885
18:chief justice of Connacht
278:Butterworths London 1839
62:chief justice of Munster
243:John Murray London 1926
174:(appointment for life)
271:Reprinted Dublin 1861
204:Office abolished 1672
155:Office abolished 1672
189:1637 Edward Ayscough
131:Geoffrey Osbaldeston
66:Geoffrey Osbaldeston
239:Ball, F. Elrington
177:c.1620 Damien Pecke
199:1662 John Shadwell
196:(reappointed 1660)
180:1625 Walter Archer
253:Crawford, Jon G.
126:1606 Henry Dillon
309:
227:
219:
172:Gerald Comerford
92:Gerald Comerford
45:royal commission
317:
316:
312:
311:
310:
308:
307:
306:
282:
281:
266:George Berkeley
236:
231:
230:
220:
216:
211:
165:Incomplete list
162:
137:James Donnellan
111:
12:
11:
5:
315:
313:
305:
304:
299:
294:
284:
283:
280:
279:
272:
258:
251:
246:Burke, Oliver
244:
235:
232:
229:
228:
213:
212:
210:
207:
201:
200:
197:
190:
187:
185:William Hilton
181:
178:
175:
161:
158:
152:
151:
145:
139:
133:
127:
124:
118:
110:
107:
96:William Hilton
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
314:
303:
300:
298:
295:
293:
290:
289:
287:
277:
273:
270:
267:
263:
262:William Petty
259:
256:
252:
249:
245:
242:
238:
237:
233:
225:
218:
215:
208:
206:
205:
198:
195:
191:
188:
186:
182:
179:
176:
173:
169:
168:
167:
166:
159:
157:
156:
150:
146:
144:
140:
138:
134:
132:
128:
125:
123:
122:Thomas Dillon
119:
117:
113:
112:
108:
106:
103:
101:
97:
93:
88:
86:
82:
81:Robert Dillon
77:
75:
71:
70:Thomas Dillon
67:
63:
57:
54:
50:
46:
41:
39:
35:
31:
30:Robert Dillon
27:
23:
19:
275:
268:
254:
247:
240:
223:
217:
203:
202:
194:Oliver Jones
164:
163:
154:
153:
143:Oliver Jones
116:Ralph Rokeby
104:
100:James Ussher
89:
78:
58:
42:
26:Ralph Rokeby
17:
15:
149:Adam Cusack
53:martial law
286:Categories
209:References
47:from King
34:common law
83:, later
234:Sources
49:James I
38:London
192:1649
183:1626
170:1591
147:1670
141:1662
135:1634
129:1607
120:1577
114:1569
264:and
260:Sir
16:The
288::
76:.
43:A
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.