Joseph Devonsher Jackson PC (23 June 1783 – 19 December 1857) was an Irish

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP in the

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and subsequently a High Court Judge.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' p.355

Early career

He was the eldest son of Strettell Jackson of Peterborough,

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, a carrier by trade, and Mary Cossens.Bell, G.M. ''The Currency Question: an Examination of the Evidence on Banks of Issue'' p.73 He went to a private school run by a local clergyman. He attended

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 ...

, where he received the top honours every year, and attended the

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, before being called to the

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland () is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Bar of Ireland, commonly c ...

in 1806. He built up a lucrative legal practice, and was able to pay off his father's debts when the family business failed. He was briefly involved in the

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

manufacturing business run by his wife's brother Mr. Clarke, but he had little talent for the trade. As a young man, he was a passionate and evangelical

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, active in attempting to convert

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to his own faith; but as a judge, he was notably free of religious bias, despite the Queen's fears that he would prove to be a bigoted Orangeman.Ball p.295

Politician and judge

He was appointed the King's Second Serjeant for Ireland in 1835, and remained the Queen's Second Serjeant until 1841, although ironically his continuance in the office was against the expressed wishes of

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, who was concerned about his strong religious beliefs. He held the office of Chairman of

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

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, which he resigned to seek election to Parliament. He was MP for Bandon from 1835 to 1841. He was a member of the Commons Select Committee on

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in 1840. On 10 November 1841 he was appointed

Solicitor-General for Ireland The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Kingdom of Ireland, 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 ...

. The Government greatly relied on his advice concerning Irish affairs. He was also made 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 ...

. This preferment had the effect of vacating his Parliamentary seat. Instead of seeking re-election in Bandon, Jackson stood for

Dublin University The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...

. He represented that seat between 11 February 1842 and 9 September 1842. He was then appointed a Judge of the

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1842–1848. He resigned his Parliamentary seat by accepting the

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, so he could take up the judicial post. As a judge, he was noted for compassion in criminal cases.

Personal life

Jackson was described as a "temperate" politician, but he was a reliable supporter of the

monarchy, constitution and church as well as the Union between Great Britain and Ireland, and a staunch opponent of

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

(who nicknamed him "Leather Lungs", due to his almost interminable speeches). He lived at

Sutton Castle Sutton Castle or Sutton House is a Victorian Tudor-style castellated mansion house with terraced gardens on the southern coast of Howth Head, overlooking Dublin Bay, in County Dublin, Ireland. History The current house replaced an earlier Sutto ...

Howth Howth ( ; ; ) is a peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the ...

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, and also had an estate at Knockalisheen,

, which was the subject of

litigation 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. ...

after his death.''Dixon v Rowan'' 1860 Irish Chancery Reports p.365 He married in 1811 Sarah Lucinda Clarke, ninth daughter of Benjamin Clarke of Cullenswood, County Dublin and Mary Read, but the couple had no children. His widow died on 30 November 1858. On his death, his estate was divided between his four sisters. He is buried at St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton.

References

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 *Bell, G.M. ''"The Currency Question: an Examination of the Evidence on Banks of Issue"'' London Longman Orme Brown Green Longmans 1841 *Geoghegan, Patrick M. "Jackson, Joseph Devonsher" ''Cambridge Dictionary of Irish Biography'' *Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''"Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland"'' London Butterworth 1839 * ''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Vol. I 1832-1885'', edited by Michael Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976) *

Notes

External links

*
Portrait of Jackson in the British Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Joseph Devonsher 1783 births 1857 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Cork constituencies (1801–1922) Irish Conservative Party MPs Members of the Privy Council of Ireland UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 Solicitors-general for Ireland Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Dublin University Serjeants-at-law (Ireland) Burials at St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton