Sir Nicholas Barnewall (died after 1465) was an Irish judge and landowner of the fifteenth century who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was the ancestor 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 ...

of Crickstown. He was born at Crickstown, County Meath, the eldest son of Sir

Christopher Bernevall Christopher Bernevall, or Barnewall (1370–1446) was an Irish politician and judge of the fifteenth century, who held the offices of Vice-Treasurer of Ireland and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was deeply involved in the political controversies ...

(died 1446) and his wife Matilda (or Maud) Drake (died before 1424), an heiress of the wealthy Drake family of Drakerath. She was a close relative, possibly a sister, of John Drake, who was three times Lord Mayor of Dublin in the early 1400s, and led the citizens of Dublin to a decisive victory over the O'Byrne clan of

County 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 ...

at the Battle of Bloody Bank on the River Dargle in 1402. Nicholas's father was Lord Chief Justice of Ireland for more than a decade. Nicholas was "bred up to the law", and was appointed to the same office as his father in 1457, with a knighthood. In 1461 he was superseded in favour of Sir

Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket Sir Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket (c.1407-1471) was a leading Irish lawyer and judge of the fifteenth century who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was an ancestor of the Duke of Wellington in the female line. His second marriage ...

, but regained office later the same year. He retired about 1463, and was still alive in 1465. He married Ismay, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Serjeant of

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...

, County Dublin: they had at least two sons, Christopher and Edmund. Ismay's sister Joan married Sir Jenico d'Artois the younger, eldest son of the soldier and statesman Sir

Jenico d'Artois Sir Jenico d'Artois, Dartas, Dartass or Dartasso (c.1350 – November 1426) was a Gascony-born soldier and statesman, much of whose career was spent in Ireland. He enjoyed the trust and confidence of three successive English monarchs, and became a ...

and his first wife Joan Taaffe of Liscarton Castle, County Meath. There was a bitter dispute over the family inheritance between the two sisters and their respective husbands, from which the Barnewalls emerged the winners, acquiring far more than the half share of the estate to which Ismay was entitled by law. Christopher, Nicholas's eldest son, inherited Crickstown, where the Barnewall family remained for several generations. He married Ellen Butler, daughter of Edmund Butler, 8th Baron Dunboyne. In 1623 his descendant Sir Patrick Barnewall was conferred with a baronetcy in 1623, which still exists. Ismay outlived her husband, and remarried the prominent Yorkist nobleman Sir Robert Bold, 1st and last

Baron Ratoath Baron Ratoath was a short-lived title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1468 for Sir Robert Bold, who died without male heirs in 1479. Robert Bold, Ist Baron Ratoath The barony of Ratoath was created in 1468 for the English-born soldi ...

, who died in 1479. Catherine Bold, Lord Ratoath's daughter and heiress by his previous marriage, married Nicholas and Ismay's younger son Edmund Barnewall: they settled at Dunbrow in County Dublin, where their descendants remained for several generations. Nicholas's younger brother Robert was created the first

Baron Trimleston 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 ...

in 1461.

References

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 *'' Burke's Peerage'' 3rd Edition London 1846 *Lodge, Edmund ''British Peerage'' London 1838 {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnewall, Nicholas People from County Meath Lords chief justice of Ireland