Sir John Barnewall (c.1635-c.1705) was an Irish landowner,

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 ...

and judge, who held several judicial offices, including that of Recorder of Dublin 1687-9.

Background

He was born in

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 sou ...

, a member of the Crickstown branch of the prominent Barnewall family, which held the title

Baron Trimlestown Baron Trimlestown, of Trimlestown in County Meath, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was created in 1461 for Sir Robert Barnewall, who was the younger brother of Nicholas Barnewall, Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, ...

. His grandfather, Sir Patrick Barnewall, was the first of the

Barnewall Baronets The Barnewall Baronetcy, of Crickstown Castle in the County of Meath, is a title in the Baronetage of Ireland. It was created on 21 February 1623 for Sir Patrick Barnewall. He was the member of a family that had been settled in Ireland since 117 ...

. John was the second son of Sir Richard Barnewall, 2nd Baronet, and Julia, daughter of Sir Gerald Aylmer, 1st

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of Donadea,

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

and his wife Julia (or Juliana) Nugent, daughter of

Christopher Nugent Sir Christopher Nugent, 6th (or 14th) Baron Delvin (1544–1602) was an Irish people, Irish nobleman and writer. He was arrested on suspicion of treason against Queen Elizabeth I of England, and died while in confinement before his trial had tak ...

, 6th

Baron Delvin Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...

Career

He entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1673 and the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

in 1678. His practice as a

seems to have been lucrative: while his father had suffered heavy losses during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, and only recovered a fraction of his estates at the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, John was wealthy enough to purchase Ballybrittan Castle, near

Edenderry Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal runs along the south of Edenderry, through the Bog of Allen, and there is a short spur to the town ...

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

. Since the Barnewall family were staunch

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 ...

, John was an acceptable choice of

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

to the Catholic King

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

. In 1687 he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, and became Third Serjeant and Recorder of Dublin. In 1689 he became a Baron of the

Court of Exchequer (Ireland) The Court of Exchequer (Ireland) or the Irish Exchequer of Pleas, was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was the mirror image of the equivalent court in England. The Court of Exchequer was one of the four royal courts of justic ...

. After the downfall of James's cause at the Battle of the Boyne, John was removed from office, but his wealth and family connections apparently protected him from any other reprisals by the new regime, which was inclined to be conciliatory towards those of its former opponents who promised to keep the peace.

Family and descendants

He married Thomasine Preston, daughter of Anthony Preston, 2nd

Viscount Tara Viscount Tara (or Taragh) was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. The title was created by King Charles II in 1650 for the soldier Thomas Preston (1585–1655). He was the second son of Christopher Preston, 4th Viscount Gormanston. The 1st Viscou ...

and his wife and cousin Margaret Warren. Their only daughter and heiress Mary (or Margaret) married, in 1703, her cousin John Barnewall, 11th

.Mosley, ed. ''Burke's Peerage'' 107th edition Delaware 2003 Vol. 2 p.1601 Lord Trimlestown died in 1746, and Mary died at a great age in 1771. They had ten children, including *

Robert Barnewall, 12th Baron Trimlestown Robert Barnewall, 12th Baron Trimlestown (''c.''1704 – 6 December 1779) was a prominent Anglo-Irish landowner, active in the Roman Catholic cause. Early life Robert was the eldest son of John Barnewall, 11th Baron Trimlestown (1672–1746). Ro ...

(c.1704-1779) *

Anthony Barnewall Anthony Barnewall (1721–1739), was an officer in the Austrian army. Barnewall was the sixth and youngest son of John, eleventh Baron Trimleston, by his wife and cousin Mary (or Margaret), daughter of Sir John Barnewall. At the age of seventeen, ...

(1721-1739), an army officer, who was said to be a young man of "great promise". He entered the Austrian service, and was killed, aged only eighteen, at the Battle of Grocka, a decisive victory for the

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

, who seized

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

*Richard, father of Nicholas, 14th Baron Trimlestown *Margaret, who married James Butler, 8th Viscount Mountgarret *Thomasine, who married Janico Preston, 10th

Viscount Gormanston Viscount Gormanston is a Peerage, title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1478 and held by the head of the Preston family, which hailed from Lancashire. It is the oldest Viscount, vicomital title in the British Isles; the holder is Premier Vi ...

*Bridget, who married Robert Martyn of

Ballynahinch Castle Ballynahinch Castle is a former Ireland, Irish country house and estate, built on the site of a former castle, which is now a luxury hotel set in a private estate in the Connemara region of County Galway, Ireland. The castle lies on the edge of ...

References

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnewall, John 1630s births 1700s deaths 17th-century Irish lawyers 18th-century Irish lawyers People from County Meath Members of the Inner Temple Recorders of Dublin Serjeants-at-law (Ireland)