James Dennis, 1st Baron Tracton PC (1721–15 June 1782) was an Irish politician and judge.

Background

Dennis was the son of John Dennis, a timber merchant of

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

Co. Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, and Anne Bullen, daughter of William Bullen (d.1735), of Southwater and Bullen's Cove;

Burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

.thepeerage.com James Dennis, 1st and last Baron Tracton
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Political and judicial career

Dennis was educated at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

and became a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

. He was the legal advisor to

Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, PC (1682 – 28 December 1764), was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer who served as the speaker of the Irish House of Commons from 1733 to 1756. A prominent parliamentarian who sat for almost fifty years in ...

, who also became a close personal friend. He later sat as a member of 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 fra ...

for

Rathcormack Rathcormack or Rathcormac () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is 6 km north of Sligo town on the N15 road between Benbulbin Benbulbin ( ga, Binn Ghulbain), sometimes Benbulben or Ben Bulben, is a large flat-topped nunatak roc ...

between 1761 and 1768 and for

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

between 1768 and 1777: his speeches in the House are said to have displayed his profound learning. He also served as

Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) This is a list of lawyers who held the rank of serjeant-at-law at the Irish Bar. Origins of the office of serjeant The first recorded serjeant was Roger Owen, who was appointed between 1261 and 1266, although the title itself was not commonly ...

and as

Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pre ...

in Ireland. He was sworn of the

Irish Privy Council His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

in 1777 and, at Lord Shannon's urging, was raised to the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

as Baron Tracton, of

Tracton Abbey Tracton Abbey (Irish: ''Mainistir Thráicht Fhionn''), was a medieval Cistercian friary located in Tracton, County Cork, Ireland. No traces of the abbey remain today. History Tracton Abbey was founded in 1225. By 1639 the abbey had fallen int ...

in the

County of Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, on 4 January 1781. He was a founding member of the popular drinking club,

The Monks of the Screw The Monks of the Screw was the name of an Irish drinking club active in the period 1779–1789. It was also called the Order of St. Patrick. The "screw" referred to the corkscrew required to open a bottle of wine. Ethos and foundation According ...

. Elrington Ball praised him as a man of great learning, perhaps the most intellectually gifted Irish judge of his time, and a man who was almost universally liked.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 pp.164-5

Personal life

In 1769, Dennis married Elizabeth Pigott, daughter of Emanuel Pigott of Chetwynd House,

, but he died childless in June 1782. The barony died with him, but he left his estates to his two nephews, who in accordance with his will changed their surname to 'Dennis' and paid an annual jointure of £1,800 to their uncle's widow. His nephews were the two sons of Thomas Swift (1711–1803), of Lynn,

Co. Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

, who had married his only sister, Frances. Thomas Swift was the son of Meade Swift (b.1692) J.P., of Lynn, a first cousin of the famous

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...

and Sir Richard Meade (1697–1744) 3rd Bt., father of the 1st

Earl of Clanwilliam Earl of Clanwilliam is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for John Meade, 1st Viscount Clanwilliam. The Meade family descends from Sir John Meade, who represented Dublin University and County Tipperary in the Irish Hous ...

. Lord Tracton left his estates in Co. Kerry to his first nephew, the Rev. Meade Swift-Dennis (1753–1837), who married Delia, daughter of Morley Saunders, of Saunders Grove,

Co. Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

, and Martha, daughter of

John Stratford, 1st Earl of Aldborough John Stratford, 1st Earl of Aldborough (169829 May 1777) was an Irish peer and politician and member of the Noble House of Stratford. Background John was born either on 10 August 1697,Stratford, Gerald "A History of the Stratford Family" Chapter ...

. Baron Tracton left his estates of Tracton Abbey,

and Temple Hill House,

Co. Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

to his second nephew, John Swift-Dennis (d.1830),

M.P. 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 of ...

for

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tracton, James Dennis, 1st Baron 1721 births 1782 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by George III Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cork constituencies Members of the Irish House of Lords Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer Serjeants-at-law (Ireland) People from Kinsale Alumni of Trinity College Dublin