Sir John de Shriggeley, whose family name is also spelt Shirggeley and Shryggeley (died after 1405) was an Irish statesman and judge who held several important judicial offices, including

Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, which was known in its early years as the Court of Common Bench, or simply as "the Bench", or "the Dublin bench". It was one of the ...

. Although he committed two

murders Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

, he was a valued servant of 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 ...

Family

He was born in

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

, son of John de Shriggeley senior. The de Shriggeley family are said to have been relatively recent arrivals in Ireland from

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, who took their family name from the village of

Pott Shrigley Pott Shrigley is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census, the civil parish and village has a population of 289.

in that county.Crooks, Peter ''Factionalism and Noble Power in English Ireland c.1361-1423'' PhD Thesis

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 ...

2007 pp.212-13

Marriage

In 1385, he married Nicola, daughter of Nicholas Bathe, and widow of Sir Simon Cusacke of Beaurepaire (died c.1384), who had been a substantial landowner 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 ...

, and had been summoned to the

English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised th ...

of 1376 (the so-called

Good Parliament The Good Parliament is the name traditionally given to the English Parliament of 1376. Sitting in London from April 28 to July 10, it was the longest Parliament up until that time. It took place during a time when the English court was perceiv ...

) as Baron Culmullen.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p.165 As the remarriage of a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

required the Crown's consent, their marriage without a royal

licence A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

was technically an offence, but the couple quickly received a

royal pardon In the English and British tradition, the royal prerogative of mercy is one of the historic royal prerogatives of the British monarch, by which they can grant pardons (informally known as a royal pardon) to convicted persons. The royal prerog ...

, in consideration of John's "good service" to the Crown.''Patent Roll 9 Richard II'' Simon Cusacke and Nicola had a son, John who was still a minor at the time of his father's death. Simon, probably by an earlier marriage had two daughters: Joanna, who married another leading Irish judge, John de Sotheron of

Great Mitton Great Mitton is a village and a civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is separated from the civil parish of Little Mitton by the River Ribble, both lie about three miles from the town of Clitheroe. The combined population ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and had issue, and Margaret''The Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist: a Quarterly Review'' Vol XV (1874-5)

Inheritance

Nicola brought John a substantial

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

, including lands at Culmullen in County Meath but they had great difficulty in establishing her right to possession of Culmullen, ownership of which was disputed by various relatives of Nicola's first husband. In 1393 John and Nicola complained to the Crown that they had been unlawfully dispossessed of their lands for more than seven years (i.e. since their marriage). The dispute turned violent over the following few years, as Shriggeley and one Geoffrey Cusacke (who was a nephew of Nicola's first husband Sir Simon Cusacke) were

bound over In the law of England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions, binding over is an exercise of certain powers by the criminal courts used to deal with low-level public order issues. Both magistrates' courts and the Crown Court may issue ...

in 1394–5 to be of good behaviour, to find men of good social standing to act as

sureties In finance, a surety , surety bond, or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a person or company (a ''sure ...

for their conduct, and to pledge to do no harm to each other. The Cusacke family continued their struggle to gain possession of Culmullen for at least another generation, long after Shriggeley's death.

Judge

Shriggeley was appointed second Baron of the

Court of Exchequer (Ireland) 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 jus ...

in 1382. In August 1384 he became

; John Brekdene, the Chief

Remembrancer The Remembrancer was originally a subordinate officer of the English Exchequer. The office is of great antiquity, the holder having been termed remembrancer, memorator, rememorator, registrar, keeper of the register, despatcher of business. The R ...

of the Exchequer, replaced him as Baron.Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London Butterworths 1839 pp.145-8 As was not uncommon at the time, Shriggeley was ordered not to intermeddle with his previous office (possibly he had hoped to continue drawing both

salaries A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. Sa ...

). In 1385 he and Roger Bekefotd,

Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

, were appointed to a Commission of

Gaol Delivery The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

to clear Dublin gaol. He became Chief

Escheator Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to ...

of Ireland in 1386, and at the same time, he was made Chief Clerk of the Markets, and Keeper of the

Weights and Measures A unit of measurement, or unit of measure, is a definite magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other qua ...

for Ireland. He stepped down as Chief Justice in 1388, although he sat as a High Court judge on at least one further occasion. His ability to perform his judicial functions must have been greatly hindered by the fact that both the Common Pleas and the Exchequer for some decades sat in

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

, which was closer to the heart of Anglo-Norman Ireland than Dublin, but was regularly raided and burnt by hostile Irish clans. His colleague John Brettan wrote in a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

to the Crown in 1376 that most of the judges dared not travel to Carlow. Some of them, like

Robert de Holywood Robert de Holywood (died 1384) 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 subst ...

and

John Tirel John Tirel, or Tyrell (died 1395) was a prominent judge and statesman in fourteenth-century Ireland who held office as Serjeant-at-law and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John M ...

, refused to leave Dublin at all "on account of the dangers". Shriggeley himself did manage to hold the

assizes The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

in Carlow for several terms in 1382–5, and was awarded two extra payments of 10 marks as a result. He was a trusted servant of the Crown (an order from 1386 survives for the payment of his arrears of salary as Chief Justice), and in particular, he enjoyed the confidence of

Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, KG (16 January 1362 – 22 November 1392) was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England. He was the ninth Earl of Oxford and the first Duke of Ireland and the only Marquess of Dublin. ...

, the prime

royal favourite Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roy ...

of King

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

through much of the 1380s. However, the Duke's downfall in 1388 does not seem to have harmed Shriggeley's career. In 1389 in consideration of his seven years of good service in the "Irish wars" and in "diverse offices", he was given a

knighthood 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 ...

and granted lands at

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

Murderer

It was no doubt his good services to the Crown which led to his being

pardoned A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

in December 1389 for killing Nicholas Cusacke and Richard Cormygan: he was pardoned after a plea for mercy from Geoffrey Vale (this was probably the Geoffrey Vale who was

High Sheriff of Carlow The High Sheriff of Carlow was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Carlow, Ireland from the 14th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Carlow County Sheriff. The sh ...

in 1374). Little is known of the details of the murders, although Nicholas's surname suggests that the crime was connected with the long-running dispute over possession of the former Cusacke lands in County Meath, which were held by Shriggeley in right of his wife Nicola. This violent dispute, which continued for many years after Shriggeley's death, was a cause of great concern to the Crown in the 1390s.

Last years

In 1390 he was granted the lease of "the

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

below

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

". In 1395 on the King's instructions he conveyed to Robert Fitzleones lands in County Meath which had been the subject of a

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

Chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

. In 1400 he is listed in the Chancery rolls in connection with a writ of

mainprise Mainprise is a concept in English law English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch ha ...

, i.e. an order to the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

to discharge a prisoner who had produced a person to act as

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond, or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a person or company (a ''sure ...

for their further appearance in Court. In 1403 he was described as living at

Skryne Skryne or Skreen ( , or originally called The Hill of Acaill) is a village in County Meath, Ireland. On and around a hill between the N2 and N3 roads, it is 10 km south-east of the centre of Navan and 35 km north-west of the centre ...

. In the same year, he was appointed Captain of the

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, Keeper of the Peace and a member of the

Commission of Array A commission of array was a commission given by English sovereigns to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military ...

for Skryne and Dees (possibly Decies?). In 1404 he was appointed an acting justice, one of four senior judges who tried an action for novel disseisin between Nicholas Crystor and the Stokes family concerning lands at Siddan, near Strokestown in Meath.''Patent Roll 5 Henry IV'' He was still living in the following year, when the Crown granted him letters of protection (these were usually granted for a journey abroad).''Patent Rolls 6 Henry IV''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shriggeley, John de Lawyers from County Dublin People from Cheshire 14th-century Irish judges 15th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Irish people of English descent Chief justices of the Irish Common Pleas