Robert Dixon (1685-1732) was an Irish

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, judge and politician who served very briefly as a 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 ...

. He was born at

Calverstown Calverstown () is a small village in County Kildare, Ireland. It lies south of the town of Kilcullen and about from each of the towns of Athy, Kildare, Naas and Newbridge. It is an old settlement located close to the archaeological sites of D� ...

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, ...

, the only surviving son of Colonel Robert Dixon (died 1725), MP for

Randalstown Randalstown is a townland and small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. It has a very prominent disused railway viaduct and lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. The town is bypassed by the M22 ...

, who married Mary Story, widow of Patrick Lambert, MP for

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 ...

, who lived at Dunmaine,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

. He was the grandson of Sir Richard Dixon and Mary Eustace, daughter of William Eustace of Blakrath. He went to school in

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 ...

, and matriculated from

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 ...

in 1701. He entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1704 and was called to 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 ...

before 1711, becoming

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1716. He entered politics and was elected to 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 fra ...

in 1727 as member for

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...

. He was said to be a very effective Parliamentary

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...

, but had clearly set his heart on securing a seat on the Bench. This was a natural enough ambition as his family tree already boasted several distinguished judges, notably Sir Maurice Eustace,

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 ...

1660–1665, who was a close relative of his grandmother Mary Eustace. As a preliminary to his judicial appointment, he became Second

Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) This is a list of lawyers who held the rank of serjeant-at-law at the Irish Bar. Origins of the office of serjeant The first recorded serjeant was Roger Owen, who was appointed between 1261 and 1266, although the title itself was not commonly ...

in 1728. Despite vigorous lobbying for a judgeship he did not reach the Common Pleas until 1731, only to die a few months later. He married Mary Ormsby, daughter of John Ormsby of Cloghans,

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

; they had no children. On his death, Calverstown passed by marriage to the Borrowes family (

Sir Kildare Borrowes, 3rd Baronet Sir Kildare Borrowes, 3rd Baronet (c. 1660 – May 1709) was an Irish politician. He was the son of Sir Walter Borrowes, 2nd Baronet and his first wife Lady Eleanor FitzGerald, daughter of George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare and Lady Joan ...

, who died in 1709, had married Robert's aunt and eventual heiress Elizabeth Dixon).Cokayne Vol.2 p.270

Sources

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 *Burke, Sir Bernard ''Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland'' London Harrison and Co. 1912 *Cokayne ''Complete Peerage'' Reprinted Gloucester 1983 5 volumes *Hart, A.R. ''"History of the King's Serjeants at law in Ireland"'' Dublin Four Courts Press 2000

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Robert Justices of the Irish Common Pleas Serjeants-at-law (Ireland) Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Lawyers from County Kildare Politicians from County Kildare Members of the Inner Temple Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kildare constituencies 1685 births 1732 deaths