Sir Edward Bolton (1592–1659) was an English-born judge who served for many years as

Solicitor General for Ireland The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. On r ...

before succeeding his father Sir Richard Bolton as

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Irish Court of Exchequer. This was a mirror of the equivalent court in England, and was one of the four courts which sat in the building in Dublin which is still ...

. He was the only surviving son of Richard Bolton and his first wife Frances Walter, daughter of Richard Walter. He was born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, probably at the family home at

Fenton, Staffordshire Fenton is one of the six towns that amalgamated with Hanley, Tunstall, Burslem, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910, later raised to city status in 1925. Fenton is often referred to as "the Forgot ...

. He was baptised on 5 October 1592 in

St Mary's Church, Stafford St Mary's Church, Stafford is a Grade I listed parish church in Stafford, Staffordshire, England. History The church dates from the early 13th century, with 14th century transepts and 15th century clerestories and crossing tower. Excavatio ...

. His father moved to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

when Edward was twelve. He graduated from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, then attended Clement's Inn and

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, and was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1616. When still only thirty, on 5 December 1623 he was made

and held that office for seventeen years. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in Dublin in 1636 by

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (13 April 1593 (New Style, N.S.)12 May 1641), was an English people, English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament of England, Parliament ...

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

. Strafford was for several years almost all-powerful in Ireland, and Edward's father was one of his strongest supporters. When his father became

Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, commonly known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was the highest ranking judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 until the end of 1800, it was also the hi ...

in 1639, Edward was appointed Chief Baron in his place, and frequently went as a judge on the Northwestern Circuit. The troubles of the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

led to the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

and execution of their patron Strafford, his father's

impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...

and his own removal from office. He spent the years 1642–44 in England. However, in time he made his peace with

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

, and acted as a judge of the High Court of Justice in 1652–3. He died in 1659 and was buried in St. Bride's Church, Dublin. In 1637 he was granted the estate of Lissenhall near

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

; he also acquired the manor of Bective, County Meath. His principal residence was Brazil (or Brazeel) House, near

Swords, County Dublin Swords ( or ) in County Dublin, the county town of the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government area of Fingal, is a large suburban town on the east coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, situated ten kilometres north of D ...

, which was largely destroyed by fire in 1810, although some ruins survived until 1978. He married Isabella Ayloffe, daughter of William Ayloffe, serjeant-at-law, of

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. They had four children, Nicholas, Edward, Anne, and Mary.Bolton ''Bolton Families of Ireland'' Nicholas's descendants remained at Brazil until 1810. Anne, through her second husband Alexander Pigott, was an ancestor of the Pigott Baronets.

Dudley Loftus Dr Dudley Loftus (1619 – June 1695) was an Anglo-Irish jurist and noted orientalist. Loftus was born the second son of Sir Adam Loftus and his wife Jane Vaughan, daughter of Walter Vaughan, into a family of 17 siblings on his great-grandfathe ...

, the noted Orientalist, married one of Edward's granddaughters, Frances Nagle, daughter of Mary Bolton. Isabella died in 1674.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolton, Edward 1592 births 1659 deaths Members of Lincoln's Inn People from Fenton, Staffordshire Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer Expatriates from the Kingdom of England in Ireland