William Yonge or Young (died c.1437) was an Irish cleric 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 ...

, who held office as

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 ...

.Ball p.175 He was appointed

Archdeacon of Meath The archdeacon of Meath is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare. The archdeaconry can trace its history from Helias, the first known incumbent, who held the office in the twelfth century to the last dis ...

and

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

of the parish of St. Columba's, Kells, which was attached to the Archdeaconry, in 1412.''Patent Roll 13 Henry IV'' In 1415 the Crown pardoned him for any illegal intrusions he had made into the lands attached to St. Columba's, and granted the right to him and to all his successors as Archdeacon to hold the lands in question quietly and without disturbance. In the same year John Young, presumably a close relative, was granted certain lands in County Meath formerly held by William. He was Lord Chancellor of Ireland sometime between 1418 and 1422; as so often in this period there is confusion over the precise dates on which he held office. His tenure as Lord Chancellor seems to have been brief. However he clearly had enough knowledge of the law to be subsequently appointed one of the justices and Keepers of the Peace for County Meath in 1426.''Patent Roll 5 Henry VI '' In 1430 the Crown granted him custody of the manor of Portlester in Meath during the minority of the heir, Richard, Duke of York.''Patent Roll 9 Henry VI''In 1435 he objected to the appointment of

Robert Dyke Robert Dyke, Dyck or Dyche (died 1449) was an English-born cleric and judge who held high office in fifteenth-century Ireland. He was appointed to the offices of Archdeacon of Dublin, Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland, Lord High Treasurer of ...

Archdeacon of Dublin The Archdeacon of Dublin is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Anglican Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough. The Archdeacon is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the Dublin part of the diocese, which is by far ...

, as rector of St. Patrick's Church, Trim, County Meath (now Trim Cathedral). Yonge had his own candidate, John Ardagh, one of his

chaplains A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

, but the Crown preferred Dyke, who had an exceptionally long and distinguished career as a public servant, culminating in his appointment as

Lord Treasurer of Ireland The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland, chief financial officer of the Kingdom of Ireland. The designation ''High'' was added in 1695. After the Acts of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain a ...

.Potterton p.12 Yonge's date of death has been given as 1437, but this is uncertain. Lord chancellors of Ireland

Sources

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 *Potterton, Michael ''The Archaeology and History of Medieval Trim, County Meath'' Ph.D Thesis National University of Ireland Maynooth 2003

Notes

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