John Bowes, 1st Baron Bowes PC (I) (1691 – 22 July 1767) was an Anglo-Irish peer, politician and judge. He was noted for his great legal ability, but also for his implacable hostility to Roman Catholics.

Life

He was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the second son of Thomas Bowes, a merchant and member of the

Worshipful Company of Turners The Worshipful Company of Turners is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Turners' Company is one of the oldest Livery Companies in the City of London. Its origins go back to early medieval times: the first reference to a London ...

, and his wife, a Miss North, and was called to the Bar in 1712. He came to Ireland as a member of the staff of Richard West, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, in 1723. He built up a large 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 ...

and was appointed

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 ...

in 1730, and Attorney-General in 1739. He was raised to the Bench as

Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron ( judge) who presided over the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). The Irish Court of Exchequer was a mirror of the equivalent court in England and was one of the four courts which sat in the buildi ...

in 1741, having previously failed to become third Baron (which was a surprisingly lucrative office, as the Baron received several extra fees). He was appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland by King George II in 1757, despite the chronic ill-health which afflicted him. In his last years, his legs were so swollen that he could scarcely walk.

Hostlity to Catholics

John Bowes epitomized the severity of the 18th century Penal Laws against Irish Catholics when he ruled, in about 1759, that: "The law does not suppose any such person to exist as an Irish

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, nor could such a person draw breath without the Crown's permission". Such views, given that Roman Catholics made up more than 90% of the Irish population, inevitably made him bitterly unpopular, and in 1760 he was assaulted during a riot outside the House of Commons.

Achievements

In spite of his religious bigotry, he was considered one of the outstanding judges of his time. In particular, he was a reforming Lord Chancellor, who was praised for making the Court of Chancery "a terror for fraud, and a comfort and protection for honest men". As Attorney General he showed considerable courage in going on

assize The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

during the Irish Famine (1740-1741) despite the infectious

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

which was raging at the time, and which claimed the lives of three other judges who had decided to brave the dangers. Between 1731 and 1742, he represented

Taghmon Taghmon (; ) is a village in County Wexford, Ireland. It lies on the R738 regional road, 14 km west of Wexford town and 25 km east-southeast of New Ross. History It can be established, from historical records, that the area now com ...

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 ...

. He was considered one of the finest speakers of his time; his speech for the prosecution at the trial of Lord Santry, who was charged with murder in 1739, was described by those who heard it as a masterpiece of eloquence and logic, and led to the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

bringing in a unanimous verdict of guilty against Santry. He 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 ...

in 1758 as Baron Bowes, of Clonlyon in the

County of Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin, Dublin to ...

Death

He died in Dublin on 22 July 1767, his mental faculties fully intact despite his bodily infirmities, and was buried in

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the ( ...

, where his brother raised a memorial to him. He never married, and his title became extinct on his death. He lived at Belvedere House, Drumcondra. His estates passed to his brother Rumsey Bowes of

Binfield Binfield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 8,689. The village lies north-west of Bracknell, north-east of Wokingham, and south-east of Reading at the westernmost extremity of ...

, Berkshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowes, John Bowes, 1st Baron 1691 births 1767 deaths Attorneys-General for Ireland Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by George II Irish MPs 1727–1760 Lord chancellors of Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Wexford constituencies Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Solicitors-General for Ireland 18th-century Anglo-Irish people Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer Serjeants-at-law (Ireland)