Robert Fitzrery (died after 1472 ) was an Irish Law Officer, landowner and
judge of the fifteenth century. He was a gifted lawyer, and also suggests a shrewd and acquisitive man of business.
[Smith p.131]
Family
He was born at
Swords, County Dublin
Swords ( or ), the county town of Fingal, is a large suburban town on the east coast of Ireland, situated ten kilometres north of Dublin city centre. The town was reputedly founded . Located on the Ward River, Swords features Swords Castle, ...
.
[Curtis pp.13-17] The FitzRerys were a long-established family of
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
origin who came to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
before the
Anglo-Norman invasion 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 from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...
and settled at Cloghran in Swords, where they remained substantial landowners until the seventeenth century. Their claim to be descended from the twelfth-century Welsh ruler
Gruffudd ap Cynan
Gruffudd ap Cynan ( 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was rememb ...
, King of
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...
(1055-1137), is not implausible since Gruffudd was born in Swords to an Irish mother, had numerous non-marital children, and retained close links with Dublin in later life.
[
John FitzRery was Clerk of the Wages for ]Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following th ...
before 1374, and 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 a ...
of Ireland c.1375-1382.[''Patent Roll 5 Richard II'' ] He was reappointed Escheator, Clerk of the Markets and Keeper of Weights and Measures in 1388.[''Patent Roll 9 Richard II '']
One branch of the family settled at Kinsallagh, near the borders of County Dublin and County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
, where Peter FitzRery in 1475 had a substantial land holding, which later passed by marriage into the Fleming family.
Marriage and property dealings
Robert married c.1444 Joan White (or Whyte), widow of Peter Dowdall of Drogheda. The couple seem to have lived mainly in Drogheda. They jointly owned several properties, including one in 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 ...
which they leased to John Field and his wife Margaret Woodman in 1451, and another in Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is hal ...
which they leased to William Allyr in the same year. Robert was the sole lessor of a property, probably in County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
, which he leased to Sir Robert Dowdall
Sir Robert Dowdall (died 1482) was an Irish judge who held the office of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas for more than forty years. He is mainly remembered today for the murderous assault on him by Sir James Keating, the Prior of Kilmain ...
, the 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 ...
(possibly a relative of Joan' first husband), in 1446. Simon FitzRery, Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The ...
1465–6, joined with Robert and the wealthy merchant Patrick FitzLeones
Patrick FitzLeones (died after 1495) was a wealthy and influential merchant in fifteenth century Dublin, who served three times as Mayor of Dublin.
The FitzLeones were a long-established Dublin family: in 1281 Geoffrey FitzLeones and his wife ...
in a lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industr ...
from the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
The Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral is the senior cleric of the Protestant St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, elected by the chapter of the cathedral. The office was created in 1219 or 1220, by one of several charters granted to the cathedral by Ar ...
of the profits of the prebend
A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of t ...
of Lusk in 1472. Simon was probably a close relative of Robert. In 1468 John Plunket entered a bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...
to repay FitzRery £50.National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...
D15917
About 5 years after the death of Joan's first husband Peter Dowdall, Robert and Joan revived a long-running lawsuit which she and Dowdall has begun in about 1438, claiming ownership of a 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 milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the productio ...
at Castlecooley on the Cooley peninsula
The Cooley Peninsula (, older ''Cúalṅge'') is a hilly peninsula in the north of County Louth on the east coast of Ireland; the peninsula includes the small town of Carlingford, the port of Greenore and the village of Omeath.
Geography
T ...
in County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
.[ Significantly, Robert and Joan renewed their suit in August 1449, when Richard, Duke of York, the newly arrived ]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 King ...
, who a few years later claimed the English throne
The Throne of England is the throne of the Monarch of England. "Throne of England" also refers metonymically to the office of monarch, and monarchy itself.Gordon, Delahay. (1760) ''A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All t ...
, was at Drogheda to conduct sensitive political negotiations with the Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
clans of Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
.[ It has been suggested that Robert and Joan were prepared to offer York their political support in return for his assistance with their efforts to peacefully obtain possession of the disputed property, which is a tribute to their business acumen and political sense.][
]
Career
The first record of his professional life is in 1447, when James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde
James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond (23 May 1393 – 23 August 1452) was the son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. He was called 'The White Earl', and was esteemed for his learning. He was the patron of the Irish literary work, 'The Book of the ...
, probably the most powerful Anglo-Irish magnate of his time, appointed him his attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
in all his lawsuits
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
. The choice of FitzRery for such an onerous employment suggests that he was already highly regarded as a lawyer.
He was appointed Attorney-General for Ireland
The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. With the ...
in 1450, and almost immediately obtained a supplement to his annual salary in the amount of 100 shillings a year charged on the Crown rents of Chapelizod
Chapelizod () is a village preserved within the city of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the wooded valley of the River Liffey, near the Strawberry Beds and the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseul ...
and Leixlip
Leixlip ( or ; , IPA: �lʲeːmʲənˠˈwɾˠad̪ˠaːnʲ is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border betwe ...
.[Hart p.21] Both he and the King's Serjeant
A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are w ...
, Thomas Snetterby
Thomas Snetterby (died c.1463) was an Irish barrister, King's Serjeant and Crown official of the fifteenth century. He was remembered long after his death for giving his name to Snetterby's orchard near Kevin Street, Dublin.
He seems to have been ...
, complained that the fixed salary for a law officer (£9 a year) was grossly inadequate given their onerous workload, as had Snetterby's predecessor, Edward Somerton
Edward Somerton, or Somertoune (died 1461) was an Irish barrister and judge who held the offices of Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) and judge of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) and the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He was born in Ireland, possibl ...
, and all three men received the increase requested. There was perhaps less justification in FitzRery's case since the Attorney-General, unlike the Serjeant, was not obliged to attend meetings of Parliament and 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 ...
at his own expense.[
He held office as Attorney General until 1463. Though no ]patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling disclo ...
seems to survive for his appointment to the Bench, a statute of the Irish Parliament of 1471-72 describes him as a justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
The Court of Common Pleas was one of the principal courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England. Common Pleas was one of the four courts of justice which gave the Four Courts in Dublin, which is stil ...
.[''Statute of 11 and 12 Edward IV (1471-2) c. 4''] However a lease to which he was a party dated 1472 describes him as a ''narrator''. This term usually meant a barrister, though it might also mean King's Serjeant-at-law
A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are w ...
, suggesting that his tenure on the Bench had been a short one. His date of death is not recorded.
Sources
*Curtis, E. (1921) ''The FitzRerys, Welsh Lords of Cloghran, Co. Dublin'' Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society Vol. 5
*Hart, A.R. ''A History of the King's Serjeant at law in Ireland'' Dublin Four Courts Press 2000
*''National Library of Ireland''
*''Report of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland Vol.19''
*Smith, Brendan ''Crisis and Survival in Late Medieval Ireland: the English of Louth and their Neighbours 1330-1450'' Oxford University Press 2013
*''Statute Law Revision Act 2007''
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzRery, Robert
Attorneys-General for Ireland
Lawyers from County Dublin
Irish people of Welsh descent
Justices of the Irish Common Pleas
15th-century Irish judges
15th-century Irish landowners