Sir Robert Dillon of Riverston ( – 1597) was an Irish lawyer, judge, and politician. He came from a family with a distinguished record of judicial service. He pursued a successful career as a judge, which was, however, dogged by accusations of corruption and other serious wrongdoing, of which the worst was that he had falsely condemned
Nicholas Nugent
Nicholas Nugent (c. 1525–1582) was an Anglo-Irish judge, who was hanged for treason by the government that appointed him. He had, before his downfall, enjoyed a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of ...
, another judge and rival, to death. Sir Robert Dillon, the subject of this article, must not be confused with an earlier
Sir Robert Dillon of Newtown (c. 1500 – 1579), his grand-uncle, who was also
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 ...
.
Birth and origins
Dillon was born about 1540, probably at Riverston,
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 ...
, the eldest son of Thomas Dillon and his wife, Anne Luttrell. His father was the eldest son of
Sir Bartholomew Dillon,
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge i ...
. His father's family comprised many holders of judicial offices and was well-connected. The Dillons were
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
and descended from Sir Henry Dillon who came to Ireland with
Prince John in 1185. His mother was a daughter of
Sir Thomas Luttrell, who was
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 ...
.
Dillon must not be confused with his great-uncle
Sir Robert Dillon of
Newtown (near Trm), although the confusion is understandable as the two men held the same judicial office, and the records of 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 ...
do not always distinguish clearly between them.
Career
Dillon was educated at
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
, London, where he is recorded in 1560. Here his lifelong enmity with
Nicholas Nugent
Nicholas Nugent (c. 1525–1582) was an Anglo-Irish judge, who was hanged for treason by the government that appointed him. He had, before his downfall, enjoyed a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of ...
began: the two Irish law students were reprimanded for brawling by the benchers of the inn, and bound to keep the peace.
His first official appointment came in 1569 when he was made second justice of
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
, Ireland, serving under
Ralph Rokeby, the first
Chief Justice of Connacht. In this capacity, he favourably impressed Sir
Edward Fitton, the first
Lord President of Connaught
The Lord President of Connaught was a military leader with wide-ranging powers, reaching into the civil sphere, in the English government of Connaught in Ireland, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The office was created in 1569, and in 1 ...
. When Fitton became Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, he secured Dillon's appointment as
Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland
The Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland and a member of the Dublin Castle administration under the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Kingdom of Ireland. In early times the title was sometimes given as Ch ...
. Two other powerful patrons were
Adam Loftus, the
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...
, and
Robert Weston, the
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 ...
, who recommended Dillon for appointment as
Master of the Rolls in Ireland
The Master of the Rolls in Ireland was a senior judicial office in the Irish Chancery under English and British rule, and was equivalent to the Master of the Rolls in the English Chancery. Originally called the Keeper of the Rolls, he was respons ...
, partly on account of his staunch adherence to the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
. As Fitton's protégé, Dillon was inevitably drawn into the bitter feud that erupted in 1572-3 between Fitton and
Sir William FitzWilliam, the
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
. FitzWilliam urged the Queen to detain Dillon in the
Fleet Prison, but
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
took Dillon's side in the dispute, reprimanded FitzWilliam, and persuaded him to resolve his differences with Fitton. Relations between Dillon and FitzWilliam improved in later years.
After years of lobbying for a senior judicial post, involving at least one trip to London, Dillon was, in 1577, made second justice of the
Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
The Court of Common Pleas was one of the principal courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England. Common Pleas was one of the four courts of justice which gave the Four Courts in Dublin, which is still ...
, serving under his great-uncle Sir Robert Dillon, chief justice of the Common Pleas. On his great-uncle's death in 1580, he expected to be promoted to his place, but the position was given to his rival Nicholas Nugent. Dillon reached his aim eventually in 1581 when Nugent had to resign in the context of the revolt of his nephew
William Nugent
William Nugent (Irish: ''Uilliam Nuinseann'') (1550–1625) was a Hiberno-Norman rebel in the 16th century Kingdom of Ireland, brother of Christopher, fourteenth baron of Delvin (Sixth Baron Delvin), and the younger son of Richard Nugent, ...
. Dillon 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 ...
in November 1581 by
Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton
The Rt Hon. Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, KG (1536–1593), was a baron in the Peerage of England. Lord Grey de Wilton is now largely remembered for his memoir of his father, for participating in the last defence of Calais (1558), a ...
, the Lord Deputy. Nugent's execution in 1582 greatly damaged the reputation of a man who had always been unpopular, and caused the Queen and
Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...
to regard him with suspicion.
Meanwhile, Dillon was also willingly involved in the
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within soc ...
of the strictly illegal and underground
Catholic Church in Ireland
, native_name_lang = ga
, image = Armagh, St Patricks RC cathedral.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption = St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh.
, abbreviation =
, type ...
, even when it also meant harming his own relatives. While sheltering at
Slane Castle
Slane Castle (Irish ''Cáisleán Bhaile Shláine'') is located in the village of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The castle has been the family seat of the Marquess Conyngham, Conyngham family since i ...
, Archbishop
Dermot O'Hurley
Dermot O'Hurley (c. 1530 – 19 or 20 June 1584)—also ''Dermod or Dermond O'Hurley'': ga, Diarmaid Ó hUrthuile—was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel in Ireland during the reign of Elizabeth I, who was put to death for treason. He ...
, who would become one of the most celebrated of the 24 formally recognized
Irish Catholic Martyrs
Irish Catholic Martyrs () were 24 Irish men and women who have been beatified or canonized for dying for their Catholic faith between 1537 and 1681 in Ireland. The canonisation of Oliver Plunkett in 1975 brought an awareness of the others who d ...
, was recognised by
Baron Slane
Baron Slane was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1370 for the Fleming family but forfeited in 1691.
Origins
The Flemings of Slane descend from Erchenbald, otherwise referred to as "Archembald le Fleming", of Bratton Flemin ...
's first cousin, Sir Robert Dillon, who immediately informed
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 ...
. Baron Slane was immediately summoned by Lord Justices
Adam Loftus and
Henry Wallop
Sir Henry Wallop (c. 1540 – 14 April 1599) was an English statesman.
Biography
Henry Wallop was the eldest son of Sir Oliver Wallop (d. 1566) of Farleigh Wallop in Hampshire. Having inherited the estates of his father and of his uncle, Sir Joh ...
and, under pain of being charged with
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
, the Baron aided in the arrest and subsequent execution of Archbishop Dermot O'Hurley.
[ Edited by Patrick J. Cornish and Benignus Millet (2005), ''The Irish Martyrs'', Four Courts Press, Dublin. Page 69.]
His puzzling decision to warn the future rebel
Sir Brian O'Rourke not to come to Dublin in 1589, on the grounds that he would be arrested, inevitably led to accusations that he had fomented O'Rourke's rebellion, which broke out the following year. Although Dillon was not close to
Sir John Perrot
Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) served as Lord Deputy of Ireland, lord deputy to Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, t ...
, FitzWilliam's successor as Lord Deputy, Perrot's downfall damaged his career as it led the crown to scrutinise closely the conduct of all senior Irish officials, thus giving an opportunity to Dillon's many enemies to come forward.
William Nugent
William Nugent (Irish: ''Uilliam Nuinseann'') (1550–1625) was a Hiberno-Norman rebel in the 16th century Kingdom of Ireland, brother of Christopher, fourteenth baron of Delvin (Sixth Baron Delvin), and the younger son of Richard Nugent, ...
, who had been
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 ...
and restored to favour, complained that Dillon had abused his position to prosecute members of the Nugent family, and in the summer of 1591 Nugent formally accused Dillon of maladministration of justice. The case was strong: in particular, the charge that Dillon had wrongfully condemned William's uncle Nicholas Nugent, his predecessor as chief justice, to death for
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. Apart from their long-standing personal enmity, Dillon blamed Nugent for his failure to become chief justice. A colourful, though probably apocryphal story, was widely circulated that Dillon, after the execution, watching Nugent's corpse hanging from the gallows remarked "Ha, friend Nugent! I think I am even with you for coming between me and my place ...". Other charges included corruption in his role as a commissioner for the settlement of Connacht, and rather incongruously, cruelty to his mother.
In the view of
Roger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham (4 November 1553 – 31 July 1616) was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held a number of positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and survey ...
, the
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 ...
, there was little doubt that Dillon had been guilty of crimes dishonourable to a judge, but Wilbraham considered that Dillon was briefly imprisoned at
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 August 1591. He was suspended from office as a judge and commissioners were appointed to try the charges, but obstacles were constantly arising. However, in April 1593 he was dismissed as chief justice, Robert Weston was appointed in his place as chief justice. But in November Dillon was pronounced innocent on all charges and reinstated. Dillon had become very rich and there is no doubt that he used his wealth to placate influential members of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
with expensive gifts. In addition, Elizabeth and Burghley, previously hostile to Dillon, had decided that a purge of senior Irish officials would simply deprive them of valuable public servants, however questionable their conduct, a view first put forward by Roger Wilbraham.
On 23 September 1594, the day of Chief Justice Weston's death,
Sir Geoffrey Fenton wrote to Lord Burghley that Dillon was to be restored to the chief-justiceship. This decision was confirmed by patent of 15 March 1595, and Dillon retained the office until his death in July 1597.
Dillon died on 27 July 1597 in Riverston and was buried at
Tara, County Meath.
Reputation
Elrington Ball remarks that while Dillon's conduct as a judge was deplorable, he was an eloquent public speaker, and a man of some personal charm and humour.
Marriages and children
Dillon married twice, but neither of his marriages can be dated.
He married firstly Eleanor Alan, daughter of Thomas Alen of
Kilteel
Kilteel () is the name of a village, townland and civil parish located in the barony of South Salt, County Kildare, Ireland. The townland of Kilteel Upper contains the remains of a church with a decorated Romanesque chancel arch, the ruins ...
Castle,
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 Mary Rawson, natural daughter of John Rawson,
Viscount Clontarf
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
.
Robert and Eleanor had a son:
#Richard, who predeceased his father unmarried
—and a daughter:
#Mary, married Patrick Segrave of Killeghlan,
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 ...
, son of
Richard Segrave
Dillon married secondly Catherine Sarsfield, daughter of
Sir William Sarsfield of
Lucan Manor
Lucan Manor is a Georgian-Palladian house and estate in Lucan, County Dublin. A manor house, it is remembered particularly for its association with the Sarsfield family. A castle or house has been recorded on the site since at least the 12th ce ...
, who had been
Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The ...
in 1566, and his wife Mabel FitzGerald.
Robert and Catherine had five sons:
#Bartholomew (died 1633), married Catherine, daughter and heiress of Alexander Fitton and his wife Mary Wyse, in about 1595, which made him owner of
Bective Abbey
Bective Abbey ( ga, Mainistir Bheigthí) is a Cistercian abbey on the River Boyne in Bective, County Meath, Ireland.
The abbey was founded in 1147, and the remaining (well-preserved) structure and ruins primarily date to the 15th century. Th ...
. Bartholomew was 24 years old at his father's death.
#William
#Thomas, father of Arthur Dillon
#Michael
#Christopher
—and nine daughters of which the eldest:
#Eleanor (died 1635), married Richard Aylmer of Dullardstown
Dillon's second wife died in 1615.
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
* – 1221 to 1690
*
*
*
* – Viscounts
*
* – Knights bachelors & Index
*
*
Attribution
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon Robert
1540 births
1597 deaths
16th-century Irish judges
16th-century Irish politicians
Attorneys-General for Ireland
Chief Justices of the Irish Common Pleas
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
People from County Meath
People of Elizabethan Ireland