Thomas Shortalls, or Shorthals (c.1370–1445) was an Irish municipal official and

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the fifteenth century.Ball p.176 He was probably born in

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

city, where the Shorthalls were a leading local family, but seems to have spent most of his adult life in

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 Shorthalls, who was

High Sheriff of County Kilkenny The High Sheriff of County Kilkenny was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Kilkenny, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Kilkenny County S ...

in 1421, was probably a relative. Robert, like Thomas, seems to have been a Crown servant of some importance: in 1425 the Privy Council ordered that he be paid 100 shillings for his services in the "

wars War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

and

treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

".''Close Roll 3 Henry VI'' Thomas is first heard of as clerk to the city of Dublin, and then became

Sheriff of Dublin City Sheriff of Dublin City was a judicial and administrative role in Ireland. Initially, the Sovereign's judicial representative in Dublin, the role was later held by two individuals and concerned with a mix of judicial, political and administrative ...

(the title then was

Bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

) in 1406. He served two further terms as Sheriff, in 1414 and 1424. In 1410 "for his services" the

English Crown This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sax ...

granted him an allowance of 28 shillings a year for the next seven years to be paid out of the fee farm rents of Dublin.''Patent Roll 11 Henry IV '' In the same year he was made

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of the Dublin wool staple (the centralised system in the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

of Dublin for regulation of the

wool trade Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

), jointly with Richard Bone. He was

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 1420–21.''Patent Roll 9 Henry V'' In 1426 he was named as one of the founders of the Dublin Shoemakers

Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

. In 1431 he was appointed a Baron of the

Court of Exchequer (Ireland) The Court of Exchequer (Ireland) or the Irish Exchequer of Pleas, was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was the mirror image of the equivalent court in England. The Court of Exchequer was one of the four royal courts of justic ...

, at a salary of 20 marks per annum. At the time this office did not necessarily require legal qualifications, and Irish Barons of the Exchequer in the fifteenth century were often criticised for their lack of learning. However Shorthalls had acted as attorney for his future colleague on the Court of Exchequer,

Francis Toppesfeld Francis Toppesfeld (died after 1427) was an English Crown servant who became a judge in Ireland.Ball p.175 He is first heard of in the reign of King Henry IV, when he was an esquire of the body, in personal attendance on the Royal Family. He was ...

(appointed a Baron in 1425)Smyth p.145 and his wife Alice during their stay in England in 1410, which suggests that he had more legal knowledge than most Barons. He became second Baron in 1435. He stepped down briefly in 1438 when he was referred to as the "former Baron", and was replaced by Peter Clynton (or Clayton),''Close Roll 20 Henry VI'' but he was sitting as a Baron again by 1442.''Patent Roll 20 Henry VI'' He was a member of the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

and was present at an important Council meeting in August 1442 where very serious accusations were made against 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 ...

Richard Wogan Richard Wogan (died after 1453) was an Irish judge and cleric who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and also served as a soldier. He was born in County Kildare, a member of the Wogan family of Rathcoffey Castle, which produced se ...

, who was accordingly deemed to have vacated office, and was replaced by Sir

Richard FitzEustace Sir Richard FitzEustace (c.1380–1445) was an Irish statesman who twice held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Family background He was born about 1380 in Coghlanstown, County Kildare. His father was Sir Maurice FitzEustace, High Sh ...

. He apparently retired in 1443, when John Gough became second Baron of the Exchequer,Ball p.179 and died two years later. People from Kilkenny (city) Barons of the Irish Exchequer Members of the Privy Council of Ireland 1445 deaths Lord Mayors of Dublin 1370s births Lawyers from County Kilkenny

Sources

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 *Graves, James and Prim, J.G.A. ''The History, Architecture and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny'' Dublin Hodges Figgis 1857 *Haydn, Joseph ''The Book of Dignities'' London Longman Brown Green and Longmans 1851 *Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London Butterworths 1839

Notes

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