Godfrey Lill (born 1719, died 1783 in

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

) was an Irish politician,

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 ...

, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He became the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Fore in 1761 and

Baltinglass Baltinglass, historically known as Baltinglas (), is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Etymology The town's Irish name, ''Be ...

in 1768. He was appointed as Solicitor-General in 1770, and a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1774.

Early life

He was born in Dublin, third son of Thomas Lill. He was educated at the University of Dublin, where he was a scholar in 1737: he took his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1739 and his Master's degree in 1741. He was considered one of the finest students of his generation. He entered

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

in 1738, and was called to the Irish bar in 1743.Ball p.217

Family

He married Mary Bull, daughter of Nathaniel Bull of Surrey and had two daughters, Mary who married William Brereton, and Sarah who married Andrew Stewart, 1st

Earl Castle Stewart Earl Castle Stewart, in the County Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Andrew Thomas Stewart, 9th Baron Castle Stuart. The Earls Castle Stewart claim to be the head representatives in the pure male line of ...

. His father-in-law was an associate of the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle ...

, and Godfrey's rise to power is generally thought to have been due to the connection. He became Master in Chancery 1749-1760, King's Counsel in 1760, and Third Serjeant in 1767.Ball p.217

Character

He was a skilful orator, nicknamed "Smooth Godfrey" but in his career was often accused of poor judgement, hesitating before accepting a position on the bench, and refusing twice to become Chief Justice.Ball pp.163-4

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lill, Godfrey 1719 births 1783 deaths Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Solicitors-General for Ireland Justices of the Irish Common Pleas Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Westmeath constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Wicklow constituencies Serjeants-at-law (Ireland)