Alexander de Balscot, also known as Alexander Petit (died 1400) was one of the leading Irish clerics of the late fourteenth century, who held the offices of

Bishop of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been ...

Bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Unt ...

Treasurer of Ireland The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland, chief financial officer of the Kingdom of Ireland. The designation ''High'' was added in 1695. After the Acts of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain ...

and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He was born at

Balscote Balscote or Balscott is a village in the civil parish of Wroxton, Oxfordshire, about west of Banbury. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the place-name as ''Berescote''. '' Curia regis'' rolls from 1204 and 1208 record it as ''Belescot''. An e ...

in Oxfordshire; Nicholas de Balscote,

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron ( judge) who presided over the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). The Irish Court of Exchequer was a mirror of the equivalent court in England and was one of the four courts which sat in the build ...

1313-1319, was probably his cousin, though of an earlier generation. John Balscot, Deputy to the Lord Treasurer of Ireland in 1354, may also have been a relative. Alexander is first heard of in Ireland in 1358; he became vicar of Dungarvan in 1359, Bishop of Ossory in 1371 and Bishop of Meath in 1386. He was criticised for spending large sums of money to influence his election to the See of Ossory but received a royal pardon to cover any possible wrongdoing. He was appointed Treasurer of Ireland in 1372 and again in 1376-7; he acted as

Justiciar of Ireland The chief governor was the senior official in the Dublin Castle administration, which maintained English and British rule in Ireland from the 1170s to 1922. The chief governor was the viceroy of the English monarch (and later the British monarch ...

in 1379. Richard II appointed him Lord Chancellor in 1386. He was a key member of the Irish government of the pre-eminent

royal favourite Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, KG (16 January 1362 – 22 November 1392) was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England. He was the ninth Earl of Oxford and the first and only Duke of Ireland and Marquess of Dublin. H ...

. Following de Vere's downfall at the

Battle of Radcot Bridge The Battle of Radcot Bridge was fought on 19 December 1387 in medieval England between troops loyal to Richard II, led by court favourite Robert de Vere, and an army captained by Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby. It took place at Radcot Bridge, ...

in 1388, de Balscot was dismissed from office, along with most of his colleagues, including John Stanley, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, the Governor, and Sir Robert Crull, the

Lord High Treasurer of Ireland The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland, chief financial officer of the Kingdom of Ireland. The designation ''High'' was added in 1695. After the Acts of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain a ...

. Later that year, King Richard II reappointed all of them to their old positions. De Balscot later also acted as Chancellor and Justiciar at intervals until his death in 1400. He died at his official residence at

Ardbraccan Ardbraccan ( ga, Ard Breacáin) is an ancient place of Christian worship in County Meath, Ireland. It is the location of the former residence of the Roman Catholic, then, after the Reformation, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath. It is approx ...

, County Meath, and was buried in

Trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), or ...

at St. Mary's Abbey. Elrington Ball describes him as a man of great wisdom and learning; although he was out of favour for part of his career, he was always restored to a position of influence, as his advice was indispensable. O'FlanaganO'Flanagan, J. Roderick ''Lives of the Lord Chancellors of Ireland'' London 1870 similarly refers to his extraordinary reputation for wisdom and learning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balscot, Alexander De 14th-century Irish judges Lord chancellors of Ireland People from Oxfordshire Year of birth unknown 1400 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Ossory Bishops of Meath 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Lords Lieutenant of Ireland People from Dungarvan