John Blakeney (died 1438) 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 fifteenth century, who served three times as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.Ball p.174 He was born in

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 ...

, to a long-established Dublin family. It is unclear if he was a relative of James Blakeney, another senior official of the same generation who held office as

Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland The Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland and a member of the Dublin Castle administration under the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Kingdom of Ireland. In early times the office was sometimes called ...

and as 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 ...

. He is first heard of as a Crown official in 1405, when he was ordered to convey lands at

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town and largest town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Leinster Blackwater, Blackwater, around 50 km northwest of Dublin. At the ...

to Sir

Jenico d'Artois Sir Jenico d'Artois, Dartas, Dartass or Dartasso (c.1350 – November 1426) was a Gascony-born soldier and statesman, much of whose career was spent in Ireland. He enjoyed the trust and confidence of three successive English monarchs, and became ...

.''Patent Roll 7 Henry IV'' In 1413 he was acting as judge of

assize 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 Dublin and the counties of

the Pale The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast s ...

. He was appointed

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 ...

in 1420 at Donore, the Crown authorities "trusting in his fealty and circumspection", stated that the appointment was "for his good services already done and to be done in the future".''Patent Rolls 8 Henry V'' According to the

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

appointing him, he was to hold office so long as he was of good behaviour. His salary was £28 per annum. He was removed from office in 1424 but reappointed in June 1425. He heard a complex 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 1425.''Patent Rolls 3 Henry VI'' He was superseded again in 1428 by

Sir James Alleyn 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. ...

, but finally confirmed in office in 1430, and remained in office until his death.Smyth p.114 He was summoned to

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

on unspecified business in 1429.''Patent Rolls 7 Henry VI'' He was ''ex officio'' a member 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 ...

, and there is a record of at least one Council meeting which he attended in 1436, concerning a proposed journey to England on official business by Lord Stanley, 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 ...

.''Close Rolls 15 Henry VI'' He died in 1438. He was one of a panel of senior judges who were regularly appointed to commissions of inquiry into allegations of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

, serious crime or civil disturbance. Other recurring members of the panel were

James Cornwalsh James Cornwalsh (died 1441) was an Irish judge who held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was a political figure of considerable importance in fifteenth-century Ireland, and a supporter of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, James Bu ...

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 Reginald de Snyterby, second Baron of the Court of Exchequer. In 1426 these three judges and

Christopher Bernevall Christopher Bernevall, or Barnewall (1370–1446) was an Irish politician and judge of the fifteenth century, who held the offices of Vice-Treasurer of Ireland and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was deeply involved in the political controvers ...

, the King's Serjeant, sat at

Trim, County Meath Trim () is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the River Boyne and, as of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, had a population of 9,563. The town is in a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name. The town ...

to hear a charge of

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...

against

Edward Dantsey Edward Dantsey or Dauntsey (c. 1370 - 1430) was a fifteenth-century Bishop of Meath, who also held high political office in Ireland, serving as Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and twice as Deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In a curious episo ...

Bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Until the ...

.''Close Rolls 5 Henry VI'' The alleged felony was the theft of a

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

from the

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of "Taveragh" (probably Tara) in County Meath. The Bishop vigorously maintained his innocence, and in fact, he was innocent: a man called Penthony later confessed to being the

thief Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...

. The case was removed to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, where Bishop Dantsey was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...

. Penthony later sought

absolution Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Priest#Christianity, Christian priests and experienced by Penance#Christianity, Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, alth ...

for his sins and received a

pardon 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 ...

for the crime. A judicial commission might deal with more mundane matters, as when Blakeney together with Sir

Laurence Merbury Sir Laurence Merbury (died after 1423) was an English-born statesman in Ireland who held the office of Treasurer of Ireland and was also Deputy to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Family He was born at Marbury, Cheshire, one of the three sons ...

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 ...

and

James Uriell James (or Jacob) Uriell (died c.1424) was an Irish landowner and judge who held office very briefly as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. Background He was born in County Dublin, the son of Thomas Uriell, a landowner.Ball, F. Elrington ''The J ...

, the former Chief Baron, inquired, in about 1421, into the proper line of

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

to the lands of the Bathe family at Rathfeigh, County Meath.''Close Rolls 2 Henry VI'' In 1432 he sat with his fellow Chief Justice Stephen de Bray and two other judges to hear a case of novel disseisin concerning lands in

The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Irish National Stud#The Japanese Gardens, Japane ...

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

.''Patent Rolls 10 Henry VI'' What seems to have been the last judicial commission appointing Blakeney as a member, dated November 1434, and which included most of the senior judges, was to inquire into all treasons committed in Dublin and the adjoining counties of the Pale.''Patent Rolls 13 Henry VI''

Sources

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921'' London John Murray 1926 *Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London Butterworths 1839 *''Close Rolls 2 Henry VI '' *''Close Rolls 5 Henry VI'' *''Close Rolls 15 Henry VI'' *''Patent Rolls 8 Henry V'' *''Patent Rolls 3 Henry VI '' *''Patent Rolls 7 Henry VI '' *''Patent Rolls 10 Henry VI'' *''Patent Rolls 13 Henry VI''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakeney, John Chief justices of the Irish Common Pleas Lawyers from Dublin (city) Members of the Privy Council of Ireland 15th-century Irish judges 14th-century births 1438 deaths Year of birth unknown