Robert De Emeldon

Robert de Emeldon (died 1355) was an English-born Crown official and judge who spent much of his career in Ireland. He held several important public offices, including Attorney-General for Ireland, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.Ball, F. Elrington
The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921
' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p.80 He was a turbulent and violent man, who was guilty of at least one homicide, was imprisoned for a number of serious crimes including rape and manslaughter, and had a bad reputation for corruption: but he was a royal favourite of King Edward III and was thus able to survive temporary disgrace.Gilbert, Sir John ''History of the Viceroys of Ireland'' Dublin J. Duffy and Co. 1865 p.205

Early career

He took his name from his birthplace, Embleton, Northumberland. He also had links with Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as he was a cousin of Richard de Emeldon, who was five times Mayor of Newcastle between 1305 and 1332, having moved there from Embleton. Robert became parish priest of Lesbury, Northumberland in 1329.

He was an official in the English Chancery for many years: Gilbert states that he was a great favourite of Edward III, who had known him since childhood. He came to Ireland about 1335 and was appointed a prebendary in the Diocese of Clonfert. He was almost certainly a qualified lawyer: the Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer then did not always have legal qualifications, but the King's Attorney would certainly have been a professional advocate.

Homicide

The Patent Rolls have a terse entry for 18 January 1336:

''Pardon to Robert of Emeldon in consideration for his services to the King in Ireland for the death of Ralph de Byrton, knight, and of any consequent outlawries.''

No further details of the crime or of the victim are given, although the list of charges brought against Emeldon in 1350 included at least one charge of manslaughter. The reference to his services to the King suggests that the Crown, even at this early stage of his career, saw him as too valuable an official to be lightly disgraced. A royal pardon was relatively easy to obtain, even for such a serious crime, and this ability of serious
criminals to evade justice seems to have become a matter of scandal only in the following century.

Later career

In 1340, Emeldon became Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland and a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. He was appointed Treasurer of Connacht in 1341, and was entrusted with the task of receiving on the Crown's behalf the profits of all lands in Connacht held by William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, who had been murdered in 1333; the Earl held these lands as tenant in chief from the King. In 1346 he was rewarded for his good services to the Crown, after he accompanied the Justiciar of Ireland on a campaign against Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond.''Close Roll 20 Edward III''

He was appointed Attorney General for Ireland (King's Attorney), a relatively new office, in March 1348''Patent Roll 21 Edward III'' and Lord High Treasurer shortly afterwards. The vacancy in the Lord Treasurer's office arose from charges of corruption and negligence, which ultimately proved to be groundless, made against Emeldon's predecessor, John de Burnham, who was required to spend several years in England clearing his name. The main instigator of the charges was William de Barton, a disgruntled former official at the Exchequer of Ireland, who had been removed from office on the curious ground that he suffered from violent convulsions. Emeldon, unlike Barton, benefited directly from Burnham's long absence from Ireland, and although there is no firm evidence of his complicity, it is possible that he was involved in the accusations against Burnham. He was certainly an ally of Barton, and recommended him for appointment to another senior position, Chief Engrosser in the Court of Exchequer (Ireland), in 1348.''Patent Roll 22 Edward III'' Emeldon himself quickly embarked on an enthusiastic career of embezzlement and bribery.

Disgrace

In 1350 the new Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Sir Thomas de Rokeby, launched a campaign to remove corrupt Irish Government officials, of whom the most notorious was Emeldon, who was arrested and imprisoned immediately after Rokeby's arrival in Ireland, on charges of corruption. In Emeldon's case "corruption" seems to have meant not only financial dishonesty in the usual sense (although there was plenty of evidence of that), but also numerous crimes of violence, including assault, malicious wounding, rape, robbery and manslaughter.Connolly p.63 Emeldon, instead of immediately protesting his innocence, pleaded benefit of clergy. It is likely that some of the charges were true; he had of course already been pardoned for killing Ralph de Byrton in 1336. Perhaps aware that his plea might be seen as an admission of his guilt, he quickly changed his stance. He pleaded his innocence at a hearing in the ecclesiastical court of the Archbishop of Dublin, and announced his willingness to appear before the King personally. The matter was accordingly referred to the King and Council.

Pardon and last years

Due to the favour he enjoyed with the King, who maintained that he was a "loyal and always faithful servant", Emeldon was soon released from prison and received a second royal pardon, despite Rokeby's protests. He became Chief Baron in 1351 and died in office in 1355. His last years apparently passed without serious incident

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Emeldon, Robert de
1355 deaths
People from Embleton, Northumberland
Year of birth unknown
Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer
Lord High Treasurers of Ireland