Robert le Poer (died c.1346) was an Irish judge and Crown official who held the offices of Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.

Family

Francis Elrington Ball, in his definitive study of the pre-1921 Irish judiciary, says nothing of Robert's ancestry. Other sources state that he was a younger son of Arnold le Poer,

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of Kilkenny (died 1328). Arnold was one of the commanders of the army of

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

which defeated the invasion of Ireland by Edward Bruce, the younger brother of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

. He became a figure of considerable power in his native county, but his career was destroyed by the Kilkenny

Witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have u ...

Trials. Arnold's support for the alleged leader of the local coven of witches, his relative

Alice Kyteler Dame Alice Kyteler (1263 – after 1325) was the first recorded person condemned for witchcraft in Ireland. She fled the country to either England or Flanders, and there is no record of her after her escape from persecution. Her servant Petronill ...

, gained him the enmity of Richard de Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory, who was the prime mover behind the Trials. Arnold made what was in hindsight the serious mistake of having the Bishop arrested and imprisoned. The Bishop quickly secured his release, and Arnold in his turn was arrested on charges of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. He died in

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the ...

in 1328 while awaiting trial. There seems no reason to doubt this account of Robert's parentage, although it may seem surprising that if he was Arnold's son, his career was not damaged by Arnold's downfall – indeed Arnold's arrest coincided roughly with Robert's appointment as Treasurer. Possibly his appointment marked a decline in the influence of Ledrede, who was English by birth and bitterly unpopular with most of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, and even with his clerical colleagues, including the Archbishop of Dublin, Alexander de Bicknor.

Career

Robert, as a young man, was in the service of

John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (6 May 1262 – 28 February 1313), feudal Lord of Abergavenny, was an English peer and soldier. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland in 1290/92 in the Great Cause and signed and sealed the ...

and went with him to

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

in 1307.Ball ''Judges in Ireland'' p.71 The connection with the Hastings family continued, and by 1322 he was their bailiff in Ireland. He became parish priest of Lutterworth, Leicestershire in 1318, and of Adderley,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

the following year. In the 1320s he also had a living in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by ...

His first Crown office was as Chamberlain of North Wales in 1323; in 1327 he became Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, with a salary of £40 a year. In 1331 he was appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and at the same time held the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland.Ball p.72 In 1335 he was superseded as Chief Baron, but remained an ordinary Baron of the Exchequer. In 1338 he served briefly as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland); the following year he has reappointed Chief Baron and remained in that office until 1344. In 1342 and 1344 he received extra payments from the Crown for his good service, and in particular for his several journeys to

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 ...

as Chancellor.Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London Butterworths 1839 p.145 He was still alive in January 1346 when he petitioned the Privy Council for the arrears of his salary to be paid.-''Close Roll 9 Edward III''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:le Poer, Robert People from County Kilkenny 14th-century Irish judges 1344 deaths Year of birth unknown Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer