Richard de Beresford or Bereford (died after 1318) was an English-born cleric who held high political office in Ireland in the early fourteenth century as Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and

Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...

Early career

Elrington BallBall, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 states that he was a cousin of

William Bereford Sir William Bereford (died 1326) was an English justice. Life He was the son of Walter de Bereford, with the family name coming from the village of Barford, Warwickshire. In 1287 his brother, Osbert de Bereford, a previous High Sheriff of Warwick ...

, the English Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, although this relationship has been questioned. The Bereford family came from Barford in Warwickshire. Richard is first heard of in 1283, when he was collecting taxes in Worcestershire; in 1284 he was in the service of the Bishop of Salisbury. In 1291 he became vicar of St. Mary's, Shenley in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and held the living till his death. He later complained of theft and serious damage to his property at Shenley. The village is now a part of

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

Career in Ireland

He first came to Ireland in 1300 as Treasurer of Ireland and held that office until 1308. In 1302-3 he was appointed to supervise the weirs on the River Liffey between Dublin and Leixlip, with instructions to inquire from the "worthy gentlemen" of County Dublin and

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, ...

as to their maintenance, and to remove any damaging items.''Patent Roll 31 Edward I'' He was one of five senior Crown officials who were given a royal commission to treat with the Irish magnates for service in the war with Scotland. His conduct as Treasurer came in for serious criticism: shortly after his departure from Ireland Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer, complained in the Justiciar's Court that Richard had unlawfully seized money and goods to the value of four hundred pounds which should have come to Ralph on the death of his wife Joan of Acre, daughter of King

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

.''Irish Justiciary Rolls 1308'' The Justiciar ordered repayment to Ralph of the full amount claimed, which suggests that Beresford's conduct was questionable at least. In 1305

Geoffrey de Morton Geoffrey de Morton (died c. 1317) was a wealthy merchant and shipowner in early fourteenth-century Dublin who served as Mayor of Dublin in 1303. He acquired an unsavoury reputation for unscrupulous business methods and corruption: in particular, ...

, lately Lord Mayor of Dublin, brought a series of lawsuits against Beresford. Beresford filed a counterclaim accusing Morton of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. Morton in later years became notorious for his malfeasance and unscrupulous business practices. Beresford was removed as Treasurer and a commission of oyer and terminer was set up to adjudicate on Morton's claims, and unrelated accusations by Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville, concerning Beresford's interference with Geneville's liberties in his barony of Trim, County Meath. Beresford was found guilty and imprisoned in Dublin Castle, but apparently succeeded in having the guilty verdict reversed. He is next heard of at Westminster having his accounts audited. Beresford was Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1314 to August 1317. He was also a justice of assize for six English counties. He was last heard of in his official capacity in August 1317. He died after 1318, when he was still serving as vicar of Shenley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beresford, Richard de Lord chancellors of Ireland People from Warwickshire