Sir James Alleyn (died c. 1457) was an Irish judge of the fifteenth century. He held the offices of Speaker of the Irish Privy Council,
[''Patent Roll 22 Henry VI'' ]
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland and
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...
.
[
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Background and early career
Alleyn was born in County Meath
County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
:[Ball p.176] he later owned lands in that county. He became a justice of the liberty of Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
in 1425,[''Patent Roll 3 Henry VI''] and 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 the same year.[
In 1427, he was sent to England by the ]Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...
together with the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Henry Fortescue, to complain to the English Crown
This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself king of the Anglo-Sax ...
of the numerous wrongs suffered by the people of Ireland.[ The Crown ordered that those responsible for the injuries to Fortescue and Alleyn should be punished.][ The mission is generally considered to have been a failure.][
]
Judicial and political career
Alleyn was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in 1428 but was superseded in 1430.[ We have a record of his attendance at a meeting of the ]Privy Council of Ireland
His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...
in December 1428, which debated the question of whether there was any precedent for the Lord Treasurer of Ireland
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.
After the Acts of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Brit ...
appointing a Deputy during his absence in England.[''Close Roll 7 Henry VI'' ]
In 1444, he was Speaker of the Great Council held at Drogheda, which was mainly concerned with ending the Butler-Talbot feud, which had bedevilled Irish public life for decades.[ James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde, the ]Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
, asked the Council to declare before Robert Manfield, a senior official of the Royal Household, who attended for that purpose, if it had any complaints about his government of the Realm. Alleyn speaking for the entire Council assured Ormond in Manfield's presence that there were no complaints, but that on the contrary, they were entirely grateful for his "good and gracious rule", and his laborious defence of the realm, and that his continued government was necessary for good order.[ Ormond then requested the Council that his answers be enrolled in the Chancery rolls, and this was done.][
In 1447, he became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland "in consideration of his good services to King ]Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
and the present King ( Henry VI)", at the usual fee.[ ''Patent Roll Henry VI Vol.5'' (1447)]
He died or retired in 1457.[
]
Sources
*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926
*Betham, William ''Dignities Feudal and Parliamentary and the Constitutional Legislature of the United Kingdom'' William and Thomas Boone London 1830
*''Close and Patent Rolls Henry VI ''
*
*Hawkins, Richard "Alleyn, Sir James" ''Cambridge Dictionary of National Biography''
References
Lawyers from County Meath
Lords chief justice of Ireland
Chief justices of the Irish Common Pleas
Knights Bachelor
15th-century Irish judges
{{Ireland-law-bio-stub