Sir John de Shriggeley, whose family name is also spelt Shirggeley and Shryggeley (died after 1405) was an Irish statesman and judge who held several important judicial offices, including

Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, which was known in its early years as the Court of Common Bench, or simply as "the Bench", or "the Dublin bench". It was one of the s ...

. Although he committed two

murders Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

, he was a valued servant of the

English Crown This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sax ...

Family

He was born in

County 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 ...

, son of John de Shriggeley senior. The de Shriggeley family are said to have been relatively recent arrivals in Ireland from

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, who took their family name from the village of

Pott Shrigley Pott Shrigley is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census, the civil parish and village has a population of 289.

in that county.Crooks, Peter ''Factionalism and Noble Power in English Ireland c.1361-1423'' PhD Thesis

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 ...

2007 pp.212-13

Marriage

In 1385, he married Nicola, daughter of Nicholas Bathe, and widow of Sir Simon Cusacke of Beaurepaire, who had been a substantial landowner 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 ...

, and had been summoned to the

English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

of 1376 (the so-called

Good Parliament The Good Parliament is the name traditionally given to the English Parliament of 1376. Sitting in London from April 28 to July 10, it was the longest Parliament up until that time. It took place during a time when the English court was perceived ...

) as Baron Culmullen.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p.165 As the remarriage of a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

required the Crown's consent, their marriage without a royal

licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

was technically an offence, but the couple quickly received a

royal pardon In the English and British tradition, the royal prerogative of mercy is one of the historic royal prerogatives of the British monarch, by which they can grant pardons (informally known as a royal pardon) to convicted persons. The royal preroga ...

, in consideration of John's "good service" to the Crown.''Patent Roll 9 Richard II'' Simon Cusacke and Nicola had a son, John who was still a minor at the time of his father's death. Simon, probably by an earlier marriage had a daughter Joanna, who married another leading Irish judge, John de Sotheron of

Great Mitton Great Mitton is a village and a civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is separated from the civil parish of Little Mitton by the River Ribble, both lie about three miles from the town of Clitheroe. The combined population o ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and had issue.''The Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist: a Quarterly Review'' Vol XV (1874-5)

Inheritance

Nicola brought John a substantial

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

, including lands at Culmullen in County Meath but they had great difficulty in establishing her right to Culmullen, ownership of which was disputed by various relatives of Nicola's first husband. In 1393 John and Nicola complained to the Crown that they had been unlawfully dispossessed of their lands for more than seven years (i.e. since their marriage). The dispute turned violent over the following few years, as Shriggeley and one Geoffrey Cusacke (who was a nephew of Nicola's first husband Sir Simon Cusacke) were

bound over In the law of England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions, binding over is an exercise of certain powers by the criminal courts used to deal with low-level public order issues. Both magistrates' courts and the Crown Court may issue b ...

in 1394–5 to be of good behaviour, to find men of good social standing to act as

sureties In finance, a surety , surety bond or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor to pay ...

for their conduct, and to pledge to do no harm to each other. The Cusacke family continued the struggle to gain possession of Culmullen for at least another generation, long after Shriggeley's death.

Judge

Shriggeley was appointed second 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 ...

in 1382. In August 1384 he became

; John Brekdene, the Chief

Remembrancer The Remembrancer was originally a subordinate officer of the English Exchequer. The office is of great antiquity, the holder having been termed remembrancer, memorator, rememorator, registrar, keeper of the register, despatcher of business. The R ...

of the Exchequer, replaced him as Baron.Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London Butterworths 1839 pp.145-8 As was not uncommon at the time, Shriggeley was ordered not to intermeddle with his previous office (possibly he had hoped to continue drawing both salaries). He became Chief

Escheator Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

of Ireland in 1386, and at the same time, he was made Chief Clerk of the Markets, and Keeper of the Weights and Measures for Ireland. He stepped down as Chief Justice in 1388, although he sat as a High Court judge on at least one further occasion. His ability to perform his judicial functions must have been greatly hindered by the fact that both the Common Pleas and the Exchequer for some decades sat in

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

, which was closer to the heart of

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

Ireland than Dublin, but was regularly raided and burnt by hostile Irish clans. His colleague

John Brettan John Brettan or Breton (died after 1382) was an Irish judge and Crown official. His regular petitions to the Crown and to the Irish Privy Council, of which he wrote five which have survived between 1376 and 1382 (others by his own account have been ...

wrote in a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

to the Crown in 1376 that most of the judges dared not travel to Carlow. Some of them, like

Robert de Holywood Robert de Holywood (died 1384) was an Irish judge and landowner who held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was the ancestor of the Holywood family of Artane Castle, and of the St. Lawrence family, Earls of Howth. He was a substa ...

and

John Tirel John Tirel, or Tyrell (died 1395) was a prominent judge and statesman in fourteenth-century Ireland who held office as Serjeant-at-law and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Mu ...

, refused to leave Dublin at all "on account of the dangers". Shriggeley himself did manage to hold the

assizes 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 ...

in Carlow for several terms in 1382–5, and was awarded two extra payments of 10 marks as a result. He was a trusted servant of the Crown (an order from 1386 survives for the payment of his arrears of salary as Chief Justice), and in particular, he enjoyed the confidence of

Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, KG (16 January 1362 – 22 November 1392) was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England. He was the ninth Earl of Oxford and the first and only Duke of Ireland and Marquess of Dublin. He ...

, the prime

royal favourite Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

of King

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

through much of the 1380s. However, the Duke's downfall in 1388 does not seem to have harmed Shriggeley's career. In 1389 in consideration of his seven years of good service in the "Irish wars" and in "diverse offices", he was given a

knighthood 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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

and granted lands at

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

Murderer

It was no doubt his good services to the Crown which led to his being

pardoned A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

in December 1389 for killing Nicholas Cusacke and Richard Cormygan: he was pardoned after a plea for mercy from Geoffrey Vale (this was probably the Geoffrey Vale who was High Sheriff of Carlow in 1374). Little is known of the details of the murders, although Nicholas's surname suggests that the crime was connected with the long-running dispute over possession of the former Cusacke lands in County Meath, which were held by Shriggeley in right of his wife Nicola. This violent dispute, which continued for many years after Shriggeley's death, was a cause of great concern to the Crown in the 1390s.

Last years

In 1390 he was granted the lease of "the

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

below

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the se ...

". In 1395 on the King's instructions he conveyed to Robert Fitzleones lands in County Meath which had been the subject of a lawsuit in Chancery. In 1400 he is listed in the Chancery rolls in connection with a writ of

mainprise Mainprise is a concept in English law regarding the release of a prisoner from custody upon sureties pending trial. It is nearly identical to the concept of bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensu ...

, i.e. an order to the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

to discharge a prisoner who had produced a person to act as

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor to pay ...

for their further appearance in Court. In 1403 he was described as living at

Skryne Skryne or Skreen (), is a village situated on and around a hill between the N2 and N3 national primary roads in County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the far side of the Gabhra valley from the Hill of Tara. This valley is sometimes referre ...

. In the same year, he was appointed Captain of the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, Keeper of the Peace and a member of the

Commission of Array A commission of array was a commission given by English sovereigns to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military ...

for Skryne and Dees (possibly Decies?). In 1404 he was appointed an acting justice, one of four senior judges who tried an action for novel disseisin between Nicholas Crystor and the Stokes family concerning lands at

Siddan Siddan ( ga, An Sián – fairy mound) is a civil parish in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The parish formerly formed one of the gateways that made up the border of the Pale. References Civil parishes of County ...

, near Strokestown in Meath.''Patent Roll 5 Henry IV'' He was still living in the following year, when the Crown granted him letters of protection (these were usually granted for a journey abroad).''Patent Rolls 6 Henry IV''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shriggeley, John de Lawyers from County Dublin People from Cheshire 14th-century Irish judges 15th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Irish people of English descent Chief Justices of the Irish Common Pleas