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Sir Christopher Barnewall (1522–1575) was a leading Anglo-Irish statesman of
the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...
in the 1560s and 1570s. He was the effective Leader of the Opposition in the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...
in the Parliament of 1568–71. He is remembered for building
Turvey House Turvey House was a substantially altered 16th century house synonymous with the townland of Turvey ( ga, Tuirbhe) near Donabate in North County Dublin. Turvey is said to be a reference to the Irish mythical character Tuirbe Tragmar ("thrower of ...
, where he sheltered the future Catholic
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
Edmund Campion Edmund Campion, SJ (25 January 15401 December 1581) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Anglican England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason, he was h ...
, for his impressive tomb in Lusk Church, and for the eulogy to him in
Holinshed's Chronicles ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', also known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland'', is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions, the first edition in 1577, and the second in 1587. It was a large, co ...
, which was written by his son-in-law Richard Stanyhurst.


Background

He was the son of Patrick Barnewall,
Solicitor General for Ireland The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. On ra ...
(died 1552), and Anne Luttrell, daughter of Richard Luttrell of
Luttrellstown Castle Luttrellstown Castle Luttrellstown Castle, dating from the early 15th century (c. 1420), is located in Clonsilla on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland. It has been owned variously by the eponymous and notorious Luttrell family, by the bookseller ...
by his wife Margaret FitzLyons.Ball, F. Elrington (1926). ''The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921''. London: John Murray. Through both his father's parents, Roger Barnewall and his wife Alison, (also born Barnewall), he was closely related to the senior branch of the Barnewall family, who held the title Baron Trimleston. His father, a protege of
Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...
, was a key figure in the Irish administration between 1535 and 1542. Patrick initially opposed the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but quickly changed his mind, and profited handsomely from the Dissolution, acquiring Grace Dieu Abbey in Dublin and
Knocktopher Knocktopher (historically ''Knocktofer'' and ''Knocktover''; ) is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is situated on the R713 road between the villages of Stoneyford to the north, and Ballyhale to the south. It was formerly situated on ...
in Kilkenny. Christopher himself built Turvey House near the ruins of Grace Dieu, reputedly using the Abbey's stones as the building material. The dispossessed nuns of Grace Dieu were however allowed to live nearby at Portrane. Turvey House stood till 1987, when it was demolished, in controversial circumstances, on the orders of
Dublin County Council Dublin County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath) was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in Ireland. History The county council was established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. Its headquart ...
. Unlike his father and his maternal uncle Thomas Luttrell, who both went on to become eminent judges, he did not practice at the
Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...
. Nor was he a Bencher of the King's Inns, which his father had helped to found, although he was a party to the renewal of the lease of the Inns from the Crown in 1567.Kenny, Colum (1992). ''The King's Inns and the Kingdom of Ireland''. Dublin: Irish Academic Press. He may have had some legal training, since
Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormonde Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond and 3rd Earl of Ossory PC (Ire) (;  – 1614), was an influential courtier in London at the court of Elizabeth I. He was Lord Treasurer of Ireland from 1559 to his death. He fought for the crown in th ...
, of whom he was a close associate, appointed Barnewall in 1556 as steward and receiver of all the Earl's lands within the Pale.


Politics

He sat in the Irish House of Commons as a member for Dublin county in the Parliament of 1568–71, and was
Sheriff of County Dublin The Sheriff of County Dublin (or (High) Sheriff of the County of Dublin) was the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Dublin. Initially, an office for a lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the Sheriff became an annual appointment follo ...
in 1560. He played a major role in
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
's second Irish Parliament, especially in the crucial year 1569. He was the effective leader of the Anglo-Irish landowners of the Pale, who were opposed to the Court party, which supported the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney. His supporters attempted to have Barnewall chosen as
Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...
but he was defeated by the Crown candidate James Stanyhurst. Barnewall assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition, concentrating his assault on the composition of the House, which he alleged had been "packed" with Crown supporters; in particular he objected to the presence of certain English members who represented boroughs where they did not live, and which in many cases they had never even visited. He brought a legal challenge to the validity of the House's composition, but although the judges ruled in his favour on two technical points, he was not successful in excluding the absentee members, and Sidney was able to get his program of legislation through Parliament without serious difficulty.


Edmund Campion

As a Member of Parliament Barnewall was required under the ''Act of Supremacy (Ireland) 1560'' to acknowledge
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
as head of the
Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...
. This was an advantageous step since his family had benefitted greatly from the suppression of the religious houses, and, despite their private religious beliefs, they had no wish to lose the monastic lands which they had acquired. Christopher's own private sympathies were undoubtedly with the Catholic faith, which his son Patrick was later to openly champion. Christopher agreed to shelter the future martyr Edmund Campion in 1569, at the request of his future son-in-law
Richard Stanyhurst Richard Stanyhurst (1547–1618) was an Anglo-Irish alchemist, translator, poet and historian, who was born in Dublin. Life His father, James Stanyhurst, was Recorder of Dublin, and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons in 1557, 1560 and 1568. ...
(son of James), who was Campion's pupil. Campion spent several weeks at Turvey House and later acknowledged Barnewall's role in saving his life. James Stanyhurst was also involved in sheltering Campion, which suggests that despite their sharp political rivalry, he and Barnewall were prepared to cooperate on certain issues.


Death and memorials

Barnewall died in 1575 at Turvey and was buried in Lusk Church. His widow Marion, who remarried Sir Lucas Dillon, commissioned an impressive
tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...
for her "first and loving husband", dated 1589, which still exists. Her second husband apparently paid for it, suggesting that he shared the generally high opinion of Barnewall's character. Marion died in June 1607 and was buried in the same tomb as Christopher. He is also commemorated by the Sarsfieldstown Cross near
Laytown Laytown () is a village in County Meath, Ireland, located on the R150 regional road and overlooking the Irish Sea. Historically it was called ''Ninch'', after the townland it occupies. Together with the neighbouring villages of Mornington a ...
. The inscription promises a perpetual
indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...
to those who pray for Barnewall's soul.


Character

Holinshed's Chronicles contains a remarkable tribute to Barnewall; the warmly personal tone is explained by the fact that it was written by Richard Stanyhurst, who knew Barnewall all his life and married his daughter Janet:
the lantern and light as well of his house as of that part of Ireland where he dwelt, who being sufficiently well furnished with the knowledge of the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
tongue as of the
common law of England English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, bee ...
, was zealously bent on the reformation of his country; a deep and a wise gentleman, spare of speech and therewithal pithy, wholly addicted to gravity....very upright in dealing, measuring all his affairs with the safety of conscience, as true as steel....fast to his friend, stout in a good quarrel, a great householder....of nature mild, rather choosing to pleasure where he might harm than harm where he might pleasure.


Family

Barnewall married Marion Sherle, daughter of Patrick Sherle of Shallon,
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 ...
; she inherited the estate of Shallon from her brother John. She and John had been wards of her father-in-law after her mother's death. They had nineteen children, of whom thirteen reached adulthood: * Patrick (died 1622), who inherited his father's estates, and was the father of the 1st Viscount Barnewall * John (died 1599) of Flemington, who married Cecily Cusack, widow of Christopher St Lawrence, 8th Baron Howth, by whom he had a son and heir, Patrick * Catherine, who married Thomas Finglas of Westphailstown * Margaret (died 1576), who married
Nicholas St Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth Nicholas St. Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth (c.1550–1607) was a leading member of the Anglo-Irish nobility in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Despite openly professing his Roman Catholic faith, he enjoyed the trust of Elizabeth ...
, and had three children, including Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth * Janet (1560-1579), who married the celebrated historian
Richard Stanyhurst Richard Stanyhurst (1547–1618) was an Anglo-Irish alchemist, translator, poet and historian, who was born in Dublin. Life His father, James Stanyhurst, was Recorder of Dublin, and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons in 1557, 1560 and 1568. ...
* Alison, who married firstly John Plunkett and secondly Sir Edward FitzGerald of Tecroghan, County Meath * Elizabeth (died 1607), who married Richard (or John) Finglas of Westphailstown * Anne (died 1639), who married Sir John Draycott of
Mornington, County Meath Mornington () is a coastal village on the estuary of the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland approximately 5 km downriver from the centre of Drogheda. Together with the neighbouring villages of Laytown and Bettystown it comprises the cen ...
, son of
Henry Draycott Henry Draycott (c. 1510–1572) was an English-born Crown official and judge in sixteenth-century Ireland, who held a number of senior Government offices, including Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. Despite his apparent lack of legal qualifi ...
,
Master of the Rolls in Ireland The Master of the Rolls in Ireland was a senior judicial office in the Irish Chancery under English and British rule, and was equivalent to the Master of the Rolls in the English Chancery. Originally called the Keeper of the Rolls, he was respons ...
, and had six children * Mabel (died 1620), who married Sir Richard Masterson of
Ferns, County Wexford Ferns (, short for ) is a historic town in north County Wexford, Ireland. It is from Enniscorthy, where the Gorey to Enniscorthy R772 road joins the R745, both regional roads. The remains of Ferns Castle are in the centre of the town. His ...
* Ismay, who married Richard Delahide of Moyglare (grandson of James Delahide, who was attainted for
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
in 1537 as a "prime instigator" of the Rebellion of
Silken Thomas {{Infobox noble, type , name = Thomas FitzGerald , title = The Earl of Kildare , image = Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , ...
), and had issue * Eleanor (or Helen) (died 1628), who married
James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon (died March 1641) fought for the crown in the Nine Years' War. He was ennobled despite being a Catholic after his son Robert turned Protestant. Birth and origins James was born in Ir ...
(theirs was reputedly a love match) * Maud, who married Richard Nugent * Mary, who married Patrick Plunkett, 7th
Baron Dunsany The title Baron of Dunsany or, more commonly, Lord Dunsany, is one of the oldest dignities in the Peerage of Ireland, one of just a handful of 13th- to 15th-century titles still extant, having had 21 holders, of the Plunkett name, to date. Other ...
.Lodge, John ''Peerage of Ireland'' London 1784 Vol.3 p.49 Lady Barnewall remarried in 1578 the prominent judge Sir Lucas Dillon, who was the father (by his first wife Jane Bathe) of Eleanor's husband,
James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon (died March 1641) fought for the crown in the Nine Years' War. He was ennobled despite being a Catholic after his son Robert turned Protestant. Birth and origins James was born in Ir ...
, as well as eleven other children. She died in June 1607 and was buried beside her first husband at Lusk.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnewall, Christopher 1522 births 1575 deaths 16th-century Anglo-Irish people Irish knights Irish MPs 1560 Irish MPs 1569–1571 Politicians from County Dublin Politicians from County Meath Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Dublin constituencies Christopher