Henry Joy (born 7 January 1766; died 5 June 1838 in Rathfarnham, near Dublin) was an Irish judge. He was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1822, and Attorney-General for Ireland in 1827. He was made Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer in 1831, a position he held until his death in 1838. He was a cousin of the United Irishmen leader, Henry Joy McCracken.

Family

He was born in Belfast, son of Henry Joy and grandson of Francis Joy;Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland'' 1221-1921 John Murray London 192
Vol.2 p.347
/ref> his mother was Barbara Dunbar, daughter of George Dunbar from

Dungannon Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the ...

. The Joy family, who were of Huguenot origin, were among Belfast's leading industrialists, and Francis founded the Belfast News Letter. Henry's aunt Ann was the mother of Henry Joy McCracken. The future judge did not share his cousin's passion for politics; although he opposed the

Act of Union 1800 The Acts of Union 1800 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a single 'Act of Union 1801') were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irela ...

, he was generally considered to be a strictly "non-political" judge. Although he had a deep personal affection for his cousin, disapproved strongly of McCracken's role in the republican insurrection of 1798, and for which he was executed. He also admired another United Irishman, Thomas Russell, and unsuccessfully defended him on a charge of treason, following the Irish Rebellion of 1803.

Career

He was educated at the

University of Dublin The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

, entered Middle Temple in 1783 and 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 ...

in 1788. He went on the northeast circuit and specialised in

equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

. He was an acknowledged expert in this field of law, but his career progressed slowly, due perhaps due to his lack of interest in politics. He took silk in 1808, and became Third Sergeant in 1814, Second Sergeant in 1816 and First Sergeant in 1817. According to Elrington Ball, his promotion from Attorney-General to Chief Baron was a purely political decision. Although Joy was well qualified for the position on grounds of legal ability, the appointment was intended to please Daniel O'Connell. O'Connell, however, had quarrelled with Joy, as he had with most of the Irish judiciary, accusing him of deep hostility towards

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. So far from being pleased with Joy's elevation, O'Connell unsuccessfully sought his removal from the Bench.Bal
pp.269-70
/ref> Joy died in 1838 at his residence Woodtown Park, Rathfarnham, County Dublin, and was buried in Monkstown. He never married, sharing Woodtown with his sisters Harriet and Grace.

Character

A popular verse, punning on his surname, suggests that he was a rather dour character: "tho' he smiles, 'tis less with mirth than pleasure". He was noted for his dedication to the law and lack of interest in politics, but he did not lack other enthusiasms. He was deeply interested in ornithology and arboriculture, and kept a small private museum at Woodtown. He was a noted traveller, who went as far as Constantinople.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joy, Henry 1767 births 1838 deaths Solicitors-General for Ireland Attorneys-General for Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Lawyers from Belfast Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer Serjeants-at-law (Ireland)