Thomas Dillon (c. 1535 – 1606) 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 ...

and landowner: his descendants held the title

Baron Clonbrock Baron Clonbrock, of Clonbrock in County Galway, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 3 June 1790 for Robert Dillon, 1st Baron Clonbrock, Robert Dillon, who had earlier represented Lanesborough (Parliament of Ireland constituen ...

.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p.224 He was born at Proudstown, near

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 ...

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

. He was a grandson of Gerald Dillon, whose elder brother Sir Robert Dillon founded the senior branch of the family which held the title

Earl of Roscommon Earl of Roscommon was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 5 August 1622 for James Dillon, 1st Baron Dillon. He had already been created Baron Dillon on 24 January 1619, also in the Peerage of Ireland. The fourth Earl was a court ...

. Thomas's father, Richard Dillon (died 1565), son of Gerald and his wife Ellen Macrery, was a judge of the

Court of Queen's Bench (Ireland) The Court of King's Bench (of Queen's Bench when the sovereign was female, and formerly of Chief Place or Chief Pleas) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The King's Ben ...

. He entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1559. He was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

; he was a member of the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...

and had a chamber there. He briefly held office as justice of

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

, then practised on the

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

circuit. He became

Chief Justice of Connacht The chief justice of Connacht was the senior of the judges who assisted the Lord President of Connaught in judicial matters. Despite the chief justice's title, full judicial powers were vested in the Lord President, whose office was established in ...

in 1577, in which office he gained a reputation for integrity, and was suggested as a possible

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

in 1582. In 1593, despite the general rule that a provincial Chief Justiceship should not be combined with a seat on the

High Court Bench The high courts of India are the highest courts of appellate jurisdiction in each state and union territory of India. However, a high court exercises its original civil and criminal jurisdiction only if the subordinate courts are not authorize ...

, he became 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 sti ...

. He continued to spend most of his time in Connacht, but in 1596 he clashed with his formidable superior, Sir Richard Bingham, the

Lord President of Connaught The Lord President of Connaught was a military leader with wide-ranging powers, reaching into the civil sphere, in the English government of Connacht, Connaught in Ireland, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The office was created in 1569 ...

, and was committed to

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 ...

as a result. He was restored to favour the following year, after Bingham himself suffered temporary disgrace and fled to England. Thomas lived mainly at Curraghboy,

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

; his property was ravaged during the

Nine Years War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...

. He died in 1606 and was buried 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 ...

. He married Alice Shaen (or Farrell), daughter of Nicholas Shaen and Margaret Bathe (or Bath), and sister of Sir Francis Shaen or Shane, ancestor of the Shaen Baronets. Her stepfather Sir Thomas Lestrange (died 1590) was Bingham's Deputy as Lord President of Connaught. They had at least one son Robert (died 1628), and a daughter Jenet, who married Sir John Bathe of

Drumcondra, Dublin Drumcondra () is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside (Dublin), Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council. The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area. History Th ...

, a leading spokesman for the Roman Catholic community, by whom she had five children. Thomas's last direct male descendant was Robert Dillon, 5th

, who died in 1926.Pine, L.G. ''The New Extinct Peerages'' London 1972 p.75

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Thomas People from Navan 1606 deaths Members of the Inner Temple Year of birth uncertain Justices of the Irish Common Pleas Chief justices of Connacht Lawyers from County Meath 16th-century Irish judges