Sir Robert Jacob or Jacobe (1573–1618) was an English-born lawyer, who was
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 rar ...
between 1606 and 1618. He was a close friend and political associate of
Sir John Davies
Sir John Davies (16 April 1569 (baptised)8 December 1626) was an English poet, lawyer, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1621. He became Attorney General for Ireland and formulated many of the legal ...
, the
Attorney General for Ireland
The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. With the es ...
; both were key figures in the Irish administration during this period.
Family
He was born at
Higher Bockhampton
Stinsford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, about east of Dorchester. The parish includes the settlements of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. The name Stinsford may derive from , Old English for a limited area of pasture. ...
, now
Stinsford
Stinsford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, about east of Dorchester. The parish includes the settlements of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. The name Stinsford may derive from , Old English for a limited area of pasture. ...
, in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
, the second son of Robert Jacob and Anne Steldon. The Jacob family were descended from William Jacob, who was living in
Tolpuddle
Tolpuddle () is a village in Dorset, England, on the River Piddle from which it takes its name, east of Dorchester, the county town, and west of Poole. The estimated population in 2013 was 420.
The village was home to the Tolpuddle Martyrs, ...
in 1450. Robert always valued his association with both towns, and when he applied for a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
he described himself as Robert Jacob of Tolpuddle and Bockhampton.
In about 1603 he married Mary Lynch (died 1622), widow of David (died 1602), who was reputedly a sailor; she was the daughter of William Lynch (or Linch), a merchant of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. She had one surviving son, William (died 1627), a soldier who served in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, by her first husband. Mary was a colourful character with a reputation for rather bawdy wit, who once publicly ridiculed the Spanish Ambassador,
Count Gondomar
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
and quarrelled publicly with Sir John Davies' wife,
Eleanor Touchet. She was known to her numerous critics as "Lusty Mall Targett, the sailor's widow". Despite much gossip, she seems to have been a loyal wife, who lobbied vigorously on her husband's behalf for royal office and favour. She and Robert has five children, Robert junior, Arthur, Francis, Mary junior and Anne. All of their children were still alive in 1617 when they are mentioned in their grandfather William Lynch's will (of which Lady Jacobe was the
executor
An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used.
Overview
An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...
); but only the younger Mary is definitely known to have been still living in 1623. She married Sir James Hamilton of Manor Elieston, a cousin of the
Earl of Abercorn
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
.
Solicitor General
Not much is known about his education, nor when he was
called to the Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
, or his early legal career. He 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 1601, and in 1606 he was sent to Ireland as Solicitor General. He was admitted to the
King's Inn
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 ...
in 1607 and given chambers there in 1612. Like most successful men at this time he found jobs for family members: his brother Hammett became
Clerk of the Peace
A clerk of the peace held an office in England and Wales whose responsibility was the records of the quarter sessions and the framing of presentments and indictments. They had legal training, so that they could advise justices of the peace.
Histo ...
for
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
Robert sat in 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 ...
as one of the two MPs for
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 ...
, a newly created borough, in the Parliament of 1613–1615. The 1613 election was notable for the number of disputed results and Robert, who had the usual English settler's prejudice against the Irish, wrote that "Irish lawyers did more harm than the
priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...
all combined in opposing the Crown's work" and complained that they were electing "seditious
schismatics" (i.e.
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
) as members of Parliament. In fact when the results were finalised Protestants had a slight majority in the Commons. He was also made a
Burgess __NOTOC__
Burgess may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Burgess (given name), a list of people
Places
* Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community
* Burgess, Missouri, U ...
of
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 ...
Corporation under the new
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
granted to the town in 1613.
He seems to have been a highly competent lawyer, who prosecuted cases regularly before the
Court of Castle Chamber
The Court of Castle Chamber (which was sometimes simply called ''Star Chamber'') was an Irish court of special jurisdiction which operated in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
It was established by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571 to deal with ca ...
(the Irish equivalent of
Star Chamber
The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judic ...
) and is found giving detailed advice in 1611 on the legal aspects of the forfeiture of the O'Farrell lands in
Longford
Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...
.
Politician
Like his friend Sir John Davies, he was as much a politician as a lawyer. As a statesman, he was deeply concerned about the future of English rule in Ireland. After the
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Sep ...
he warned in a famous phrase that "there are 2000 idle men that had no means but to feed on the gentlemen of this country....he was accounted the bravest man that comes attended with most of these followers ". He appears to have thought that the killing of Sir
Cahir O'Doherty
Sir Cahir O'Doherty ( ga, Cathaoir Ó Dochartaigh or ga, label=none, Caṫaoir Ó Doċartaiġ; 1587–5 July 1608) was the last Gaelic Chief of the Name of Clan O'Doherty and Lord of Inishowen, in what is now County Donegal. O'Doherty was a n ...
in 1608 would restore peace; yet the following year he was fearful of the possible return of
Hugh O'Neill and the consequences for
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
: "there are great probabilities that all the people of that province would easily run into rebellion if Tyrone (O'Neill) should return, or if any munition or aid should be sent to them from foreign parts".
In 1612 he wrote a lengthy memorandum on the weakness of English rule in Ireland, for which he proposed two main remedies: the restoration of a
standing army
A standing army is a permanent, often professional, army. It is composed of full-time soldiers who may be either career soldiers or conscripts. It differs from army reserves, who are enrolled for the long term, but activated only during wars or n ...
, and the expulsion of the Irish chiefs from troublesome parts of the country, and their replacement by large numbers of settlers. The ordinary Irish people in his view could be left in peace, while loyal Irish chiefs would be required to surrender only a small part of their lands to the Crown (thus increasing the Crown's revenue).
During the so-called "Native's Rebellion" of 1615, a conspiracy by
Hugh McShane O'Neill
Hugh McShane O'Neill was an early modern Irish nobleman and rebel associated with the McShanes of Glenconkeyne and Killetra (modern south County Londonderry). This group was also called the "Wild Clan Shanes of Killetragh" or the "McShane-O'Neil ...
and other Irish nobility to massacre English and Scottish
settlers
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settle ...
in Ulster, he kept his composure. He apparently thought that the Rebellion was too badly bungled to be a serious threat to the Crown, a belief fully borne out by its ignominious failure.
Death
Jacob's ambition and his undoubted ability ideally suited him to play a leading part in Irish affairs when and if Sir John Davies was recalled or promoted, but in the event he died in 1618, while Davies was still in office as Irish Attorney General. His widow Mary quickly remarried the well-known politician and poet
Christopher Brooke
Christopher Brooke (died 1628) was an English poet, lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1604 and 1626.
Life
He was the son of Robert Brooke, a rich merchant and alderman of York, who was twice lord mayor of that city ...
, though she continued to use the title Lady Jacob. She had at least one more child, a son called John, and died in 1622. According to gossip, she tried to sell her husband's office, but was unsuccessful.
Character
Jacob's attitude to the Irish people was stern, but in private life he seems to have been a kindly man. In 1617 he wrote a warm and encouraging letter to his good friend and colleague Sir John Davies about the sad condition of Davies' son Jack, who was deaf and dumb, and generally thought to be mentally deficient:
''" If your son Jack were now put into the hands of some skilful men, he might be brought to speak. For he is wonderfully mended in his understanding of late, for he understands anything that is spoken to him without making any signs, so as it is certain he hath his hearing"''.
He was apparently fond of
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
, and is believed to have taken part in a
masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...
called ''Cadmus'', which was performed 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 ...
at Christmas 1608.
[Wiggins, Martin, Richardson, Catherine ''British Drama 1533-1642- a Compendium'' ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
2015 Vol. VI : 1609–1616
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobe, Robert
Irish MPs 1613–1615
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Carlow constituencies
People from Dorset
1573 births
1618 deaths
Alumni of King's Inns
Kingdom of England people in the Kingdom of Ireland