This is a list of lawyers who held the rank of

serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...

at 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 ...

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 used in Ireland until about 1388; the earlier terms were "serviens", "King's Narrator" or "King's Pleader". The term Pleader was still in use in the 1470s. However, there is a reference to Richard le Blond as the King's "Serjeant pleader" in 1305 or 1306. In the early years of the office, appointment as serjeant might be temporary and might cover only a part of the country, although John de Neville was acting as Serjeant in 1295-6 "for all parts of Ireland". As a rule, they were licensed to appear in all of the Royal Courts, although John Haire in 1392 was described as "Serjeant-at-law of our Lord the King in the Common Pleas". The serjeant's duties were numerous and varied.Casey p.8 Early serjeants spent much time suing to recover Royal lands which had been unlawfully disposed of, and recovering other Crown property like

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s and

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

. They also spent a surprisingly large amount of time protecting the Crown's right of

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...

: i.e. the right of nomination of a

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

to a particular church (many private landowners also acquired the right). In 1537 a Royal Commission on law reform considered recommending the abolition of the office of Serjeant, and the transfer of his functions to the Attorney General, but nothing came of the proposal, probably due to firm opposition from the Serjeant-at-law of the day, Patrick Barnewall, who appealed to tradition. He argued that the Serjeant-at-law had argued in Court on the Crown's behalf for 200 years, and the system worked perfectly well.

The role of the serjeant-at-law

In contrast to England, for many years there was only one serjeant-at-law in Ireland, who was known as the "king's serjeant" or simply "serjeant". In 1627 another officeholder was appointed, and the two were known as the "prime serjeant" and "second serjeant". In 1682 a "third serjeant" was appointed. In 1805 the prime serjeant became known as "first serjeant." Until the nineteenth century, the need for three serjeants was often questioned, especially as the office of Third Serjeant was often left vacant for several years. It seems that the position of third serjeant was created simply as a form of "consolation prize" for Sir

John Lyndon Sir John Lyndon (c. 1630-1699) was an Irish judge and politician of the seventeenth century. He was the first holder of the office of Third Serjeant-at-law, which was created especially for him, apparently as a "consolation prize" for not being ...

, the first holder of the office, who had been passed over as both a High Court judge and as second serjeant, and no particular duties attached to the office. Certainly, Sir Richard Ryves, the

Recorder of Dublin Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * '' Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a new ...

, was able to combine the notoriously gruelling office of recorder with the position of third serjeant, and later second serjeant, which suggests that he was not overworked in his role as serjeant.

Alan Brodrick, 1st Viscount Midleton Alan Brodrick, 1st Viscount Midleton, PC (Ire) (c. 1656 – 29 August 1728) was a leading Irish lawyer and politician who sat in the Parliament of Ireland between 1692 and 1715 and in the British House of Commons from 1717 to 1728. He was Speake ...

, who was removed from his office of third serjeant in 1692, complained about his dismissal, but admitted that in his two years in the office he had almost no work to do.

Hewitt Poole Jellett Hewitt Poole Jellett (5 January 1825- 19 March 1911) was an Irish barrister and judge. He is notable for holding the office of Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) for more than twenty years until his death at the age of eighty-six.Hart p.123 He was born i ...

, second serjeant in the early 1900s, was so old in his final years that his office was clearly an honorary one.Hart p.123

Emoluments

The position was extremely lucrative, at least until the late eighteenth century. Although in theory the salary in the 1690s was fixed at £30 a year, it was well known that in practice the various perquisites attached to the office brought it up to between £900 and £1000 a year, in addition to what the office holder earned from private fees, as it was the serjeant's right to continue to take briefs on behalf of clients other than the Crown. In the early centuries, it was apparently normal procedure for the Serjeants to take private work,Hart p. 13 although it was understood that Crown work took precedence: a

retainer agreement A retainer agreement is a work-for-hire contract. It falls between a one-off contract and permanent employment, which may be full-time or part-time. Its distinguishing feature is that the client or customer pays in advance for professional work ...

made between William of Bardfield, King's Serjeant, and his client Nicholas, son of John of Interberge, in the early 1300s spells this out. In the early centuries the Serjeant might be paid for his work in a single session, as for example, Roger L' Enfant was in 1377. By the late nineteenth century, according to

Maurice Healy Maurice Healy (3 January 1859 – 9 November 1923) was an Irish nationalist politician, lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP). As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he was returned to in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Gre ...

, the rule had grown up that the Serjeants could not take cases against the Crown, and by then they had ceased to receive a salary; the assurance of a steady supply of Crown work was felt to be a sufficient reward.

Duties and precedence

From the fourteenth century on the serjeant usually had a seat 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 ...

.Hart p.16 As a government officeholder, he was expected to manage parliamentary business in the Commons on the government's behalf. Because he was a government appointment he was liable to summary dismissal on a change of government, as happened most notably in 1714, oh the accession of the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

. In the early centuries he was invariably 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 ...

; later the attorney general took his place (as early as 1441

Stephen Roche Stephen Roche (; born 28 November 1959) is an Irish former professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming the second of only two cyclists to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de Fr ...

, the king's attorney, is recorded as a member of the Council). The serjeants-at-law ranked ahead of 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 ...

and the

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 ra ...

(who on occasion was the same person) until 1805, when the law officers took precedence, the office of prime serjeant being downgraded to first serjeant, with precedence over the other two serjeants but not the law officers.Haydn, p. 590 From about 1660 onwards they were expected to consult with the attorney general and were discouraged from acting on their own initiative: in 1692 the prime serjeant,

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

, was dismissed for repeatedly acting in opposition to Crown policy. From the 1560s on the serjeants acted as "messengers" to the

i.e. they were summoned to advise the House on points of law, just as the High Court judges advised the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

. The role of messenger lapsed around 1740. Most sixteenth-century serjeants, including

Thomas Rochfort Sir Thomas Rochfort (c.1450- 1522) was a distinguished Irish judge and cleric who held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland (he was the first recorded holder of that office), Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and Dean of St. Patrick's Cath ...

, Thomas Luttrell, Patrick Barnewall and John Bathe, were solicitors-general at the same time, suggesting that the latter office was both junior and not very onerous. At least one serjeant of the era,

Richard Finglas Richard Finglas (died 1574) was an Irish barrister and Law Officer of the sixteenth century. He belonged to the prominent Finglas family of Westphailstown (or Westpalstown), County Dublin, and must therefore have been a close relative, probably a ...

, combined the office of serjeant with the subordinate office of Principal Solicitor for Ireland. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the serjeants often acted as extra judges of

assize The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

. Although the practice had its critics, it survived intermittently into the nineteenth century:

Walter Berwick Walter Berwick (1800–1868) was an Irish judge, who perished in the Abergele rail disaster of 1868.Hart p. 163 He was a much loved public figure, especially in Cork, where he is commemorated by the Berwick Fountain on the Grand Parade in Cork c ...

was chairman of the East Cork

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

from 1856 to 1859, while also serving as serjeant, and Sir

John Howley John Howley (born 30 December 1931 died 25 May 2020) is an Australian painter whose core work is related to the Fantastic Art genre. Life Howley was born in Melbourne and studied at the National Gallery School of Art in Melbourne (1949� ...

was both serjeant-at-law and chairman of the

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

Quarter Sessions for 30 years. Howley however was criticised for what was called his "legal pluralism". At least one serjeant, Sir John Bere (1609–17), went as a judge of assize while sitting as an MP in the Parliament of 1613-15, which would be considered entirely unacceptable nowadays, although Irish judges then were often encouraged by the Crown to sit. Many, but not all, serjeants went on to become judges of one of the

courts of common law A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

followed a somewhat unusual path in that he was appointed serjeant after retiring from office as chairman of the Quarter Sessions for Queen's County (now

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

) and returning to practice at the Bar. Even more surprisingly, he remained a serjeant for life and was still in office when he was eighty-five. Joseph Stock was a judge of the Irish

Admiralty Court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

both before and during his long tenure as serjeant (1840–51), although he was clearly only a part-time judge.

Abolition of the office of serjeant

No serjeants were appointed after 1919, and on the establishment of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

the rank ceased to exist. The last surviving serjeant, Alexander Sullivan, moved to England where he practised at the

English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...

, and as a mark of courtesy was always addressed as Serjeant Sullivan.

King’s serjeants, 1261–1627

* 1261: Roger Owen * 1270: Robert of St. Edmund * 1281: John Fitzwilliam * 1292: John de Ponz (also called John de Ponte or John of Bridgwater) * 1293: John de Neville * 1297: William of Bardfield * 1297: Richard le Blond * 1310: Matthew of Harwood * 1316 Nicholas de SnyterbyHart p.9 * 1319: John of Staines * 12 February 1326:

Simon Fitz-Richard Sir Simon Fitz-Richard (died c.1348 ) was an Irish landowner, barrister and judge. He became Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, and fought a long and successful campaign against the efforts of his enemies to remove him from office, despite t ...

* 29 September 1327 John of Cardiff, also called John de la Battalk

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

''Officers in Ireland anno primo R. Edward III with their yearly fees'' * 29 September 1327

John Gernoun John Gernoun, or Gernon (died ) was an Irish landowner, soldier and judge who held office as Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He gave good service to the Crown during the Scottish Invasion of 1315-18, but ...

* 1331

Thomas de Dent Thomas de Dent, Thomas Dyvelyn, Thomas Denton, or Thomas of Dublin (died after 1361) was an English-born cleric and judge who held high office in Ireland during the reign of King Edward III, and was praised as a diligent and hard-working Crown off ...

* 3 December 1341: Hugh Brown * 1 June 1343: William le Petit * 1348: Robert Preston, later 1st Baron Gormanston * 1356:

John Keppock John Keppock (died 1404) was an Irish judge of the late fourteenth century, who held the offices of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He became a political figure of some importance. He was the son of Simon Ke ...

* 1358: Richard White * 19 November 1357: Edmund de Bereford, or Edmund of Barford * 1373/4:

John Tirel John Tirel, or Tyrell (died 1395) was a prominent judge and statesman in fourteenth-century Ireland who held office as Serjeant-at-law and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Mu ...

, or Tyrell * 18 April 1375:

Richard Plunkett Richard Plunkett (c.1340-1393) was an eminent Irish judge and statesman of the fourteenth century, who held the offices of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His descendants held the titles Baron Dunsany, Baron Killeen ...

* 1375: Walter Cotterell * 12 June 1377: Roger L' Enfant * 1383: Peter Rowe * 1386: Richard Glynon * 24 September 1388: John Bermyngham * 1392: John Haire, described as "Serjeant of our Lord the King in the

Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

" * 1393: Nicholas White * 1406: James Uriell * 10 December 1420: Maurice Stafford ''Close Roll 9 Henry V'' * 20 October 1422: Christopher Bernevall * 8 November 1434: Sir Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket * 20 June 1435:

Robert Dowdall Sir Robert Dowdall (died 1482) was an Irish judge who held the office of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas for more than forty years. He is mainly remembered today for the murderous assault on him by Sir James Keating, the Prior of Kilmain ...

* 4 February 1437:

Edward Somerton Edward Somerton, or Somertoune (died 1461) was an Irish barrister and judge who held the offices of Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) and judge of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) and the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He was born in Ireland, poss ...

* 24 June 1447 : Thomas Snetterby * 1460: Peter Trevers * 1462:

Thomas Dowdall Thomas Patrick Dowdall (1872 – 7 April 1942) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and company director. Early life He was born at Chatham Barracks, Gillingham, Kent, the son of Charles Dowdall, colour sergeant in the 48th foot, and Margare ...

* 1463: Philip Bermingham * 1471: Henry Duffe * 1477: John Estrete * 1496:

Thomas Kent Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

* 1501: John Egyr * 1504:

John Barnewall, 3rd Baron Trimlestown John Barnewall, 3rd Baron Trimleston (1470-25 July 1538), was an Irish nobleman, judge and politician. He was the eldest son of Christopher Barnewall, 2nd Baron Trimlestown and his wife Elizabeth Plunket, daughter of Sir Thomas Fitz-Christopher Pl ...

* 1506: Clement Fitzleones * 1509: Patrick Finglas * 1511:

* 1516: Thomas Fitzsimons * 1520: Robert Barnewall (King's Serjeant) * 1532: Sir Thomas Luttrell * 1534: Patrick Barnewall * 1550: Sir John Bathe * 11 September 1554:

* 21 February 1574:

Edward Fitz-Symon Edward Fitz-Symon ( 1530–1593) was a leading Irish barrister and judge of the Elizabethan era. He held the offices of Attorney General for Ireland, Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) and very briefly Master of the Rolls in Ireland. ''Calendar of the Pa ...

* 9 May 1594: Arthur Corye * 1 November 1597: Sir

Edward Loftus Sir Edward Loftus (1563–1601) was an Irish barrister, judge and soldier of the Elizabethan era. He was born in Dublin, the second son of Adam Loftus, Archbishop of Dublin, and his wife Jane Purdon, daughter of James Purdon and Jane Little. H ...

* 8 June 1601: Nicholas Kerdiffe * 9 February 1609: Sir John Bere * 13 May 1617: Sir

John Brereton John Brereton (''c.'' 1571/1572 – ''c.'' 1632) was a gentleman adventurer and chronicler of the 1602 voyage to the New World led by Bartholomew Gosnold. Brereton recorded the first European exploration of Cape Cod and its environs. His accoun ...

Haydn, p. 591

Prime serjeants, 1627–1805

* 23 May 1627: Sir John Brereton * 6 October 1629: James Barry * August 1634: Sir Maurice Eustace * 20 September 1660: Sir Audley Mervyn * 26 October 1675:

Sir William Davys Sir William Davys (before 1633 – 1687) was an Irish barrister and judge who held the offices of Recorder of Dublin, Prime Serjeant and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was suspected of Roman Catholic sympathies and was threatened with remova ...

* by 1680:

(succeeded under a patent of reversion dated 29 August 1676; removed from office in 1686) * 15 February 1687:

Garrett Dillon Garrett (or Gerard or Gerald) Dillon (c.1640-c.1696) was an Irish judge, politician and soldier, who held the office of Recorder of Dublin. He is mainly remembered today as one of the signatories of the Treaty of Limerick, which he helped to n ...

* 29 September 1690:

(restored to office in 1690, removed a second time in 1692) * 29 December 1692:

Nehemiah Donnellan Nehemiah Donnellan (a.k.a. Fearganainm Ó Domhnalláin) (fl. c. 1560-1609) was Archbishop of Tuam. Background Donellan was born in the county of Galway, a son of Mael Sechlainn Ó Dónalláin, by his wife Sisly, daughter of William Ó Cellaigh o ...

* 5 November 1695: Sir Thomas Pakenham * 1 December 1703: Robert Saunders * 28 February 1708:

William Neave {{Use Irish English, date=January 2020 William Neave (c.1662-1713) was an Irish barrister, politician and law officer. He held the office of Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) and in that capacity played a crucial role in the Dublin Castle administration f ...

* 8 December 1714: William Caulfeild * 11 August 1711: Robert Blennerhassett * 9 February 1712:

Morley Saunders Morley Saunders (1671-1737) was an Irish politician, barrister and landowner. He followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a member of the Irish House of Commons and Prime Serjeant-at-law. He is mainly remembered today as the builder of Sau ...

* 13 June 1715:

Godfrey Boate Godfrey Boate (1673/1676 - 1722) was an Irish judge: he is mainly remembered now for incurring the enmity of Jonathan Swift, who celebrated Boate's death with the mocking ''Quibbling Elegy on Judge Boat''. Biography He was born in County Tippera ...

* 23 June 1716:

Robert Fitzgerald Robert Stuart Fitzgerald (; 12 October 1910 – 16 January 1985) was an American poet, literary critic and translator whose renderings of the Greek classics "became standard works for a generation of scholars and students".Mitgang, Herbert (Janua ...

* 26 January 1724: Francis Bernard * 22 June 1726: Henry Singleton * 14 January 1742: Arthur Blennerhassett * 9 May 1743:

Anthony Malone Anthony Malone (5 December 1700 – 8 May 1776) was an Irish lawyer and politician. Life The eldest son of Richard Malone of Baronston (or Baronstown) House, Ballynacarrigy, County Westmeath, who was a barrister like his three eldest sons, and ...

* 24 January 1754:

Eaton Stannard Eaton Stannard (1685–1755) was a leading politician and lawyer in 18th-century Ireland. He was a popular Recorder of Dublin, a very unpopular serjeant-at-law (Ireland), and an experienced parliamentarian who represented Midleton in the Irish Ho ...

* 6 October 1757: William Scott * 27 July 1759:

Thomas Tennison Thomas Tennison (1707 – 27 March 1779) was an Irish politician and judge. He served as Prime Serjeant and as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He sat in the Irish House of Commons as member for Dunleer for many years.Ball, F. Elrington, ''T ...

* 11 December 1761: John Hely-Hutchinson * 18 July 1774: James Dennis * 24 July 1777:

Walter Hussey Burgh Walter Hussey Burgh SL (; ; 1742 – 1783) was an Irish statesman, barrister and judge who sat in the Irish House of Commons, served as Prime Serjeant (1777–79, 1782) and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer (1782–83). He was considered t ...

* 14 June 1780: James Browne * 1 June 1782:

(again) * 13 July 1782: Thomas Kelly * 31 December 1783: John Scott * 21 May 1784: James Browne (again) * 21 June 1787: James Fitzgerald * 28 January 1799:

St George Daly St George Daly (1758 – December 1829) was an Irish judge, who had a reputation for ignorance of the law. He owed his career advancement entirely to his support for the Act of Union 1801, which did nothing to enhance his standing in the lega ...

* 1 July 1801:

Edmond Stanley Sir Edmond Stanley SL (1760–1843) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer and politician who served as Serjeant-at-Law of the Parliament of Ireland, Recorder of Prince of Wales Island, now Penang, and subsequently Chief Justice of Madras. The elopement o ...

* 29 December 1802: Arthur BrowneHaydn, p. 592

First serjeants, 1805–

* 25 July 1805: Arthur Moore * 25 July 1816: William Johnson * 28 October 1817: Henry Joy * 13 May 1822:

Thomas Lefroy Thomas Langlois Lefroy (8 January 1776 – 4 May 1869) was an Irish-Huguenot politician and judge. He served as an MP for the constituency of Dublin University in 1830–1841, Privy Councillor of Ireland in 1835–1869 and Lord Chief Just ...

* April 1830: Thomas Goold * February 1832:

Edward Pennefather Edward Pennefather PC, KC (22 October 1774 – 6 September 1847) was an Irish barrister, Law Officer and judge of the Victorian era, who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Early life Pennefather was born in Tipperary, the second ...

* 23 May 1835:

Richard Wilson Greene Richard Wilson Greene PC, KC (1791–1861) was an Irish barrister and judge. He was born in Dublin, the son of Sir Jonas Greene, who was Recorder of Dublin from 1822 until his death in 1828, and his wife, the leading actress Marianne Hitch ...

* November 1842: Joseph Stock * June 1851: Sir John Howley * 27 February 1866: Richard Armstrong * 25 October 1880:

David Sherlock Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two ...

* 20 May 1884: James Robinson * 19 July 1885: Charles Hare HemphillHaydn, p. 593 * 17 November 1892: William Bennet Campion * 5 December 1907: Charles Andrew O'Connor * 14 January 1910:

John Francis Moriarty John Francis Moriarty PC, QC (1855 – 2 May 1915) was an Irish lawyer and judge. Background and education Moriarty was born in Mallow, County Cork, the second son of John Moriarty, a successful solicitor of the town, and his wife Ellen O'Conne ...

* 5 July 1913: Charles Louis Matheson * 29 October 1919:

Alexander Martin Sullivan Alexander Martin Sullivan (1829 – 17 October 1884) was an Irish Nationalist politician, lawyer and journalist from Bantry, County Cork. Biography Alexander Martin Sullivan, the second son of Daniel Sullivan of Dublin, was born in 1829 (A p ...

– the last Irish serjeantRonan Keane, ‘Sullivan, Alexander Martin (1871–1959)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 23 Sept 2012
/ref>

Second serjeants, 1627–

* 23 May 1627: Sir Nathaniel Catelyn * 14 April 1637: Sir Maurice Eustace * 4 March 1661: Sir William Sambach * 6 April 1670: Robert Griffith * 10 May 1673: Henry Hene * 26 May 1674: Sir Richard Reynell, 1st Baronet * 7 April 1680: Sir Richard Stephens (dismissed 1682) * 24 October 1682: William Beckett * 7 August 1683: Sir Richard Ryves (removed from office 1687) * May 1687: Sir Henry Echlin * 14 November 1690: Sir Richard Stephens (restored) * 5 January 1691: Sir Richard Ryves (restored) * 8 February 1692: Sir Thomas Pakenham * 13 January 1696:

* 1 December 1708: William Caulfeild (resigned) * 14 August 1711:

* 12 February 1712: John Cliffe * 18 December 1714: Robert Fitzgerald * 23 August 1716: John Witherington * 23 December 1718:

William Brodrick (politician) William Brodrick may refer to: * William Brodrick (1763–1819), British politician * William John Brodrick, 7th Viscount Midleton (1798–1870), Irish peer and Anglican clergyman * William Brodrick, 8th Viscount Midleton (1830–1907), Irish peer ...

, brother of Viscount Midleton who was Third Serjeant 1691-1711, (Plantation owner in

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

Attorney General of Jamaica Attorney General of Jamaica is the chief law officer in Jamaica. Section 79(1) of the Constitution of Jamaica states that "there shall be an Attorney General who shall be the principal legal adviser to the Government of Jamaica" and pursuant to ...

1692-1715 * 5 January 1728: Robert Dixon * 29 April 1731:

Richard Bettesworth Richard Bettesworth (1689-1741) was an Irish politician, Law Officer and barrister of the early eighteenth century. He was a quarrelsome individual, and his list of enemies included Jonathan Swift, the publisher George Faulkner and Josiah Hort, ...

* 31 March 1741: Robert Marshall * 25 November 1757: Richard Malone * 10 September 1759:

Edmond Malone Edmond Malone (4 October 174125 May 1812) was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare. Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first p ...

(brother of the preceding) * 14 January 1767: James Dennis * 19 July 1774:

Maurice Coppinger Maurice Coppinger (1727– 6 October 1802) was an Irish barrister and politician, who sat in the Irish House of Commons for many years, and held the office of King's Serjeant.Hart p.167 His name is commemorated in Coppinger Row, a side street in ...

* 5 November 1777:

Hugh Carleton Hugh Francis Carleton (3 July 1810 – 14 July 1890) was New Zealand's first member of parliament. Early life Carleton was born in 1810. He was the son of Francis Carleton (1780–1870) and Charlotte Margaretta Molyneux-Montgomerie (d. 1874). ...

* 8 May 1779:

Attiwell Wood Attiwell Wood (1728-1784) was an Irish politician, barrister and Law Officer of the eighteenth century. Background He was a native of County Cork. He was born into a family which had a long association with the town of Bandon; an earlier Attiw ...

* 8 April 1784: James Fitzgerald * 27 June 1787:

John Toler John Toler, 1st Earl of Norbury PC, KC (3 December 1745 – 27 July 1831), known as The Lord Norbury between 1800 and 1827, was an Irish lawyer, politician and judge. A greatly controversial figure in his time, he was nicknamed the "Hanging Jud ...

* 17 August 1789: Joseph Hewitt * 30 July 1791: Henry Duquerry * 10 December 1793:

Sir James Chatterton, 1st Baronet Sir James Chatterton, 1st Baronet (died 9 April 1806), was an Irish lawyer and politician, and the first of the Chatterton Baronets of Castle Mahon. Life He was the eldest son of Abraham Chatterton (died 1776), of Cork City, and his wife Martha ...

* 23 April 1806: John Ball * 3 December 1813: William MacMahon * 4 March 1814: Willliam Johnson * 26 July 1816: Henry Joy * 29 October 1817: Richard Jebb * 1 December 1818: Charles Burton * 3 December 1820:

* 13 May 1822: John Lloyd * 19 April 1830:

Francis Blackburne Francis Blackburne PC (Ire) KS (11 November 1782 – 17 September 1867) was an Irish judge and eventually became Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Background Born at Great Footstown in County Meath, he was the son of Richard Blackburne of Great Foo ...

* 18 January 1831:

* 13 February 1832:

Michael O'Loghlen Sir Michael O'Loghlen, 1st Baronet (6 October 1789 – 28 September 1842) was a distinguished Irish judge and politician. He was born at Port Ruan, Ennis, County Clare, the third son of Colman O'Loghlen and his second wife, Susannah Finucane ...

* 27 January 1835:

Joseph Devonsher Jackson Joseph Devonsher Jackson PC (23 June 1783 – 19 December 1857) was an Irish Conservative MP in the United Kingdom Parliament and subsequently a High Court Judge.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' p.355 Early career H ...

* November 1841: Joseph Stock * November 1842:

Richard Benson Warren Richard Benson Warren (1784-1848) was an Irish barrister and Law Officer who held the position of Serjeant-at-law (Ireland).Hart p.184 He was born at Warrens Court, near Macroom, County Cork, the seventh son of Sir Robert Warren, 1st Baronet, an ...

* July 1848: Sir John Howley * June 1851: James O'Brien * 5 February 1858:

* 1859: Gerald Fitzgibbon * 25 February 1860:

James Anthony Lawson James Anthony Lawson, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire), Queen's Counsel, QC (1817–1887) was an Irish academic, lawyer and judge. Background and education Lawson was born in Waterford. He was the eldest son of James Lawson and Mary Anthony, da ...

* 21 February 1861: Edward Sullivan * 18 February 1865: Richard Armstrong * 24 February 1866: Sir Colman O'Loghlen, Bt * 29 November 1877:

* 25 October 1880: James Robinson * 20 May 1884: Charles Hare Hemphill * 19 July 1885: Peter O'Brien * 14 July 1887: William Bennett Campion * 17 November 1892:

* 18 July 1911:

Ignatius O'Brien, 1st Baron Shandon Ignatius John O'Brien, 1st Baron Shandon, (31 July 1857 – 10 September 1930), known as Sir Ignatius O'Brien, Bt, between 1916 and 1918, was an Irish lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland between 1913 and 1918. Early ...

* 9 December 1911:

Thomas Molony Sir Thomas Francis Molony, 1st Baronet, PC(Ire), KC (1865–1949) was the last Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was also the only Judge to hold the position of Lord Chief Justice of Southern Ireland although he did not hold that position unde ...

* 20 July 1912: Charles Louis Matheson * 5 July 1913:

* 29 October 1919: George McSweeney

Third serjeants, 1682–

* 24 July 1682: Sir

* 19 February 1683: Sir Richard Ryves * 3 August 1683: Sir Henry Echlin * 6 May 1687: Sir John Barnewall * March 1688: Sir Theobald Butler * 5 January 1691:

* 29 November 1711: John Cliffe * 25 February 1712: John Staunton * 14 December 1714: John Witherington * 28 March 1726: Robert Jocelyn * 4 May 1727: John Bowes * October 1730: Henry Purdon * 18 April 1737: Robert Marshall * 21 January 1742:

Philip Tisdall Philip Tisdall SL (1 March 1703 – 11 September 1777) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who held the office of Attorney-General for Ireland. He was for many years a leading figure in the Irish Government. Background He was born in County Lo ...

* 28 October 1751: Richard Malone * 24 November 1757:

Marcus Paterson Marcus Paterson (1712 – 12 March 1787) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He became the Member of Parliament for Ballynakill in 1756 and Lisburn in 1768. He was appointed as Soli ...

* 10 October 1764: James Dennis * 15 January 1767:

Godfrey Lill Godfrey Lill (born 1719, died 1783 in Enniskillen) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He became the Member of Parliament for Fore in 1761 and Baltinglass in 1768. He was app ...

* 12 July 1770:

* 20 July 1774: George Hamilton * 15 May 1776:

* 6 November 1777:

* 8 May 1779: James Fitzgerald * 25 July 1782: Peter Metge * 15 January 1784:

* 27 June 1787: Joseph Hewitt * 17 August 1789: Henry Duquerry * 30 July 1791: James Chatterton * 10 December 1793:

* 30 October 1801: Arthur Moore * 25 July 1805: Charles Kendal Bushe * 25 October 1805: John Ball * 23 April 1806: William MacMahon * 4 December 1813: Willliam Johnson * 19 March 1814: Henry Joy * 27 July 1816: Richard Jebb * 30 October 1817: Charles Burton * 1 December 1818:

* 13 February 1821:

Thomas Burton Vandeleur Thomas Burton Vandeleur (c. 1767–1835) was an Irish barrister and judge. He was born in Kilrush, County Clare to a prominent landowning family of Dutch origin, which settled at Kilrush in the 1680s, and did much to improve the town. He was ...

* 13 May 1822: Robert Torrens * 13 July 1823: Thomas Goold * April 1830:

* 18 January 1831:

* 7 February 1832: Louis Perrin * 23 May 1835: Stephen Woulfe * 10 November 1836: Nicholas Ball * 20 July 1838: William Curry * May 1840: Richard Moore * August 1840: Joseph Stock * November 1841:

* November 1842: Richard Keating * September 1843: Sir John Howley * July 1848: James O'Brien * June 1851:

Jonathan Christian Jonathan Christian, SL, QC, PC (I) (17 February 1808 in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary – 29 October 1887 in Dublin), was an Irish judge. He served as Solicitor-General for Ireland from 1856 to 1858. He was a judge of the Court of Common P ...

* 1855:

* 5 February 1858: Rickard Deasy * 1859: Gerald Fitzgibbon * 1859:

Thomas O'Hagan Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan, KP, PC (Ire), QC (29 May 18121 February 1885), was an Irish lawyer and judge. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1868 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1881. Background and education O'Hagan was bor ...

* 24 October 1860: Edward Sullivan * 21 February 1861: Richard Armstrong * 18 February 1865: Sir Colman O'Loghlen, Bt * 24 February 1866:

Charles Robert Barry Charles Robert Barry QC, PC (3 January 1823 – 15 May 1897) was an Irish politician and lawyer who rose to become a Lord Justice of Appeal for Ireland. Legal and judicial career He was born in Limerick, a son of James Barry, solicitor, ...

* 12 January 1867: Richard Dowse * 11 March 1870:

* 29 November 1877: James Robinson * 25 October 1880:

Denis Caulfield Heron Denis Caulfield Heron LL.D QC (16 February 1824, Newry County Down – 15 April 1881, Lough Corrib, County Galway) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who was Catholic Liberal MP for Tipperary, and a senior legal adviser to the English Crown. H ...

* 30 May 1881: John O'Hagan * 13 September 1881: Charles Hare Hemphill * 26 May 1884: Peter O'Brien * 18 July 1885:

John George Gibson John George Gibson PC, QC (13 February 1846 – 28 June 1923), was an Irish lawyer, judge and Conservative politician. Background and education Gibson was the youngest son of William Gibson of Merrion Square, Dublin, and Rockforest, County Tipp ...

* 5 December 1885: William Bennett Campion * 14 July 1887:

Dodgson Hamilton Madden Dodgson Hamilton Madden (28 March 1840 – 6 March 1928) was an Irish Unionist Alliance Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom Parliament He was also a leading barrister, who held office as Serjeant-at-law, Attorney General for Irelan ...

* 14 February 1888:

* 17 November 1892: William Huston Dodd * 23 March 1907: Charles Andrew O'Connor * 5 December 1907: Matthew Bourke * 5 June 1909 :

* 14 January 1910:

* 18 May 1911 :

* 8 December 1911: Charles Louis Matheson * 20 July 1912:

* 5 July 1913: George McSweeney * 29 October 1919: Henry Hanna

References

*Casey, James ''The Irish Law Officers'' Round Hall Sweet and Maxwell 1996 * Hart, A.R. ''A History of the King's Serjeants at law in Ireland'' Four Courts Press Dublin 2000 * John Haydn and Horace Ockerby, ''The Book of Dignities'', 3rd edition, London 1894 (reprinted Bath 1969) * Healy, Maurice, ''The Old Munster Circuit'' Michael Joseph Ltd. 1939 (reprinted Cork Mercier Press 1979) *Smyth, Constantine Joseph ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' London Butterworths 1839

Footnotes

{{reflist Bar associations of Europe Law Officers of the Crown in the United Kingdom Ireland 1805 establishments in the United Kingdom