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Luke Gernon (c.1580 – c.1672) 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 ...
who held office in seventeenth-century Ireland. He is best remembered today for his
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
(which seems to have been a private letter) called ''A Discourse of Ireland''. The ''Discourse'' was written in 1620, and was first published in 1904. He had several notable descendants, including his grandson, the
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
Nicholas Brady, and Maziere Brady, a long-serving Lord Chancellor of Ireland in the nineteenth century.


Career

In view of his later eminence, it is surprising how little is known of Gernon's family background or his early life.Suranyi p.147 He was certainly English by birth and was most likely a native of
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, but nothing seems to be known of his parents. He was probably the Lucas Gernon who entered
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
in 1604; afterwards, he is said to have served for a time as a
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...
. He arrived in Ireland in about 1619, in which year he was admitted to the King's Inn.Kenny p.206 In the same year he became second justice of the Provincial Court of the
Lord President of Munster The post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munste ...
, of which he gives some interesting details in his ''Discourse.'' He lobbied, unsuccessfully, to be appointed a judge of one of the courts of common law, which would have enabled him to move to
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 ...
, which has always been the centre of Irish political and social life (although the Irish capital did not impress him: "it resembles
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
but falls short" he wrote). He lived for many years in
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
, a city which, like other residents and travellers of the time, he praised for its wealth and beauty, and he remained there until the outbreak of the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
. Gernon and his family suffered greatly during the Rebellion, as we know from his petition in 1653 to
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
, in which he acknowledges Cromwell's lawful authority as ruler of England and Ireland, and asks again for a
pension A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a " defined benefit plan", wh ...
, which it seems had already been promised but never paid. Gernon states that he had lost an estate worth £3000 (a considerable sum at the time); that he and his wife and four small children had been forced to "travel in depth of winter through the woods and bogs", and as a result, one child starved to death and Mrs. Gernon lost the use of her limbs. On this occasion the pension was paid, no doubt because the petition was supported by Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery and by
James Ussher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific Irish scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ...
,
Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
, who seems to have been a close friend of Mrs. Gernon. At the Restoration of Charles II, Gernon, like most of the Irish judges who had acknowledged the authority of Cromwell, was pardoned for his disloyalty, and his pension from Cromwell of 100 marks a year was continued by the new Government. He was not restored to his old office of second justice in Munster, which was given to John Nayler, but this is hardly surprising since he was now at least 80 years old. The office of Lord President of Munster, and the provincial Court of Munster, were abolished in 1672: Gernon may still have been alive then, although he was dead in 1673 when
probate In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...
of his estate was granted to Thomas Sheridan, who was not a family member but the estate's principal
creditor A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some propert ...
. In his later years, he lived mainly in Cork.


Family

Although Archbishop Ussher praised Mrs Gernon highly, calling her "a lady of quality", little else seems to be known of her, apart from the fact that she had a family connection with Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, which was useful to her husband. From Luke's petition to Cromwell for redress, we know that they had four children, of whom one died young as a result of the family's sufferings in the Rebellion of 1641. A surviving daughter, Martha, married Major Nicholas Brady and was the mother of Nicholas Brady (1659–1726), co-author with
Nahum Tate Nahum Tate ( ; 1652 – 30 July 1715) was an Anglo-Irish poet, hymnist, and lyricist, who became Poet Laureate in 1692. Tate is best known for '' The History of King Lear'', his 1681 adaptation of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', and for his libr ...
of '' New Version of the Psalms of David (1''696), a metrical version of the
Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...
. A later distinguished descendant of Gernon was Maziere Brady (1796–1871),
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 ...
.


''A Discourse of Ireland (1620)''

The manuscript called ''A Discourse of Ireland'', first published in 1904, seems to have originally been a long letter which Gernon wrote to an unnamed friend in England. The tone of the ''Discourse'' is generally friendly to the Irish people but it is also somewhat condescending, and written entirely from the viewpoint of an English
colonist A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...
. Gernon, unlike many Englishmen of his era, did not regard the Irish people as being either savage or uncivilised, but believes that they will benefit from English influences; rather coarsely, Ireland is described as a young woman or "nymph" who needs to be "occupied". Significantly he heaps praise on
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (13 October 1566 – 15 September 1643), also known as 'the Great Earl of Cork', was an English politician who served as Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom of Ireland. Lord Cork was an important figure in the continu ...
, for many years the dominant English settler in
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
, (and whose son Lord Orrery was his friend and patron), especially for his improvements to the recently founded town of Bandon (although Lord Cork was not, as he sometimes claimed, the actual founder of Bandon). There are short but valuable descriptions of the principal Irish towns (although he admits that his descriptions of
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Derry and
Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...
which he never visited, are based on hearsay). Dublin, which he compares unfavourably to Bristol, is not surprisingly described in more detail than the others: he notes that Dublin is the most frequented place in Ireland, but gibes that this is "more for convenience than Majesty". There is a sketch of
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 ...
("our
Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...
"), by which Gernon was rather impressed: the Castle was encircled by "a huge and mighty wall four square and of incredible thickness, and (there are) many fair buildings within". There are also descriptions of the two Cathedrals: St Patrick's Cathedral is the more "vast and ancient", but
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
is in better repair. He also describes
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 ...
, and the original Four Courts (forerunners of the present
Four Courts The Four Courts () is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the build ...
, though they were located on the other side of the
River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major Tributary, tributaries include t ...
, near Christchurch). Limerick, his own home for many years, is also described in some detail. The bridge divides the north town from the south town, the south town (Irish Town) now being largely decayed. He praises the north town (English Town) as "magnificent" in appearance: the High Street is built of
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
, in the form of a single building from one gate to another, "like the colleges in
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, so that at my first entrance it did amaze me", although he cannot resist a gibe about the dirt and foul smells. (A Spanish visitor in 1584 had given a similarly flattering picture of the city, though without reference to the dirt). He praises St. Mary's Cathedral: "not large but very lightsome, and by the providence of the
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
( Bernard Adams) fairly beautified within, and as gloriously furnished with singing and organs". King John's Castle was the seat of the Provincial Court of Munster, of which Gernon was a member (this helps date the document to 1620), and of which he gives a brief portrait. He defends the Irish people against the charge of being savages: "be not afraid – the Irishman is no
cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecology, ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well ...
to eat you up nor lousy Jack to offend you". He does deplore the general standard of cleanliness among the Irish, and dislikes Irish food, although he found the roast
mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...
tolerable, and enjoyed Irish
whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...
. The principal Irish fault in his view is a certain servility of manner, which, perhaps surprisingly, he acknowledges as being natural in a conquered people. Irish women, he praises highly for their beauty, charm and virtue, although he regretted that they age more quickly than English women do. Their virtue, he noted, does not prevent them from drinking with male guests, while it is customary for the men to kiss all the women present. His use of the terms ''Bean Tí'' to describe the "woman of the house" and ''"deoch ar doras"'' for "drink at the door" or "the parting glass" shows that he had picked up some Gaelic phrases. He describes in detail the Irish style of dress, in particular, the distinctive fringed mantle worn by the men, and the interior of the typical Irish tower house: "they are built very strong, with narrow stairs, for security"."Eating and drinking in Cork Castle" ''Irish Times'' 9 December 1997 This description is based mainly on his visit to Barryscourt Castle, Carrigtwohill, home of the de Barry family. His views on the Irish weather were mixed: he praises the climate for its mildness, but deplores the constant rain. The rain as he points out is more than simply a nuisance: in the previous summer (1619) there was such heavy rain that the
harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
failed (although England in the early 1620s also suffered several bad harvests due to wet weather).Coward p.5


Sources

*Barnard, J. and McKenzie, D.F '' The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain'' ''Vol. IV 1557–1695'' Cambridge University Press 2002 *Coward, Barry ''The Stuart Age - England 1603–1714'' 2nd Edition Longman Group London 1994 *Gernon, Luke ''A Discourse of Ireland'' (1620) C.L. Falkiner ed. (1904) *Kenny, Colum ''King's Inns and the Kingdom of Ireland'' Irish Academic Press Dublin 2000 *Suranyi, Anna ''The Genius of the English Nation-Travel Writing and National Identity in Early Modern England'' Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp. 2008


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gernon, Luke Irish non-fiction writers Irish male non-fiction writers People from Hertfordshire Members of Lincoln's Inn Year of birth uncertain Second justices of Munster