John Keppock (died 1404) was an Irish

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the late fourteenth century, who held the offices of

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 ...

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 ...

, and Deputy Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He became a politician of some importance and earned recognition for his loyalty 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 ...

Early life and family

Keppock was the son of Simon Keppock of Drumcashel,

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

. The Keppock (or Cappock) family settled in Louth shortly after the

Norman Conquest of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land in Ireland over which the monarchs of England then claimed sovereignty. The Anglo-Normans ...

and were closely associated with the town of

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued develo ...

. The

high sheriff of Louth The High Sheriff of Louth was the Crown's representative for County Louth, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he held his office for the duration of a year. He had judicial, ceremonial and administrative func ...

, John Keppock of Ardee, who died in 1412 and was a leading figure in that town's government, as well as Roger Keppock, a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

in Ardee in 1414, were likely cousins of the judge.

Legal career

Keppock was living in England in 1352 and acted as

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

for the powerful

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

Cusack family.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921'' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p. 84 He returned to Ireland a few years later, and in 1356 he was appointed King's Serjeant in Ireland.

Chief judicial positions

In 1364, he became Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and in 1367 he was appointed lord chief justice "ad placitum" (at the pleasure of the king). In 1370, he stepped down as lord chief justice in favour of

William de Skipwith William de Skipwith (died after 1392) was a fourteenth-century English judge, who also served as a judge in Ireland. He held the office of Chief Baron of the Exchequer 1362-5. He suffered temporary disgrace when he was removed from office for cor ...

, but remained a judge of the Bench. In 1372, he was reappointed lord chief justice and acted as deputy to

William Tany William Tany or Tani (died c.1384) was Prior of the Order of Hospitallers in Ireland; he also served as Justiciar of Ireland 1373-1374, and as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1374 to 1377, and again from 1382 to 1384.Archdall, Mervyn ''Monasticon ...

, the

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 ...

, for assizes in

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

in 1375. He witnessed the letters patent appointing a new lord lieutenant in 1377.''The National Archives'' MS 608 f.13 His term as deputy was continued when Tany went to England to report on the state of Irish affairs. In 1382 he stood down again as chief justice to become an ordinary judge of the Bench.

Specific cases

From 1373–4, Keppock and two colleagues conducted an inquiry into the English Crown's right to

treasure trove A treasure trove is an amount of money or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics, where the treasure seems old enough for it to be presumed that the true owner is dead and the he ...

, which expanded to cover prerogative rights in general, in

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

and

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

. The judges were also granted the power to arrest

ships A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

.Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London 1839 p.183 In 1375, he was tasked with addressing complaints from the citizens of

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 ...

concerning an attempt to block the import of corn.D'Alton, John ''History of Drogheda: with its Environs'' Dublin University Press 1844 Vol 2 p.96 In 1377, he began regular summons to 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 ...

, a testament to his growing political standing. Following the death of 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 ...

Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and Earl of Ulster (1 February 135227 December 1381) was an English magnate who was appointed Lieutenant of Ireland, but died after only two years in the post. Early life He was the son of Roger Mortimer, 2n ...

in 1381, Keppock was among the senior judges summoning the temporal and spiritual

peers Peers may refer to: People * Donald Peers * Edgar Allison Peers, English academician * Gavin Peers * John Peers, Australian tennis player * Kerry Peers * Mark Peers * Michael Peers * Steve Peers * Teddy Peers (1886–1935), Welsh internationa ...

to inform them of the Earl's death and appoint a lord deputy to replace him. He was presumably the "John Keppagh" who was one of two judges appointed to try a case of

novel disseisin In English law, the assize of novel disseisin ("recent dispossession"; ) was an action to recover lands of which the plaintiff had been disseised, or dispossessed. It was one of the so-called "petty (possessory) assizes" established by Henry II of ...

in 1401.''Patent Roll 1 Henry IV ''

Salary and payments

In 1378, Keppock petitioned for a review of his salary, which had been in arrears. This inquiry confirmed that he had not received full payment in four years, leading to an order for his complete remuneration. In 1381 it was agreed that, due to his extra cares and expenses, he should be paid £30 a year above his normal

salary 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. ...

. After he stepped down as chief justice in 1382, he received an extra payment for his expenses while on assizes.

Personal life

At some time after 1358, Keppock married Matilda Gernoun, the twice-widowed wife of William de Nottingham and John Gernoun,

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 ...

. They had no known children, though Matilda had a son, John, by her previous marriage with John Gernoun, who likely came of age by 1350. Keppock died in 1404.

Legacy

Keppock was praised by the Crown for his "circumspection and loyalty." His legal and political roles established him as a notable figure in late fourteenth-century Ireland.''Patent Roll 48 Edward III''

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keppock, John People from Ardee 1404 deaths Year of birth unknown Lords chief justice of Ireland Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer Serjeants-at-law (Ireland)