Chief Justice of Connacht

The Chief Justice of Connacht was the senior judge who assisted the Lord President of Connaught. Despite the Chief Justice's title, full judicial powers were vested in the President himself when the office was established in 1569. Ralph Rokeby, the first Chief Justice, found the introduction of the common law into Connacht a thankless task, writing gloomily that the people of the province "are not willing to embrace justice".

A second commission of 1604 vested in the President very wide powers to hear civil cases and to impose martial law and pursue the King's enemies with "fire and sword" (Rokeby had urged the granting of such powers from the beginning). The extent of these powers gave rise to clashes with the long-established courts and in 1622 instructions were issued to the Chief Justice of Connacht not to "intermeddle" with cases which were properly within the remit of another court.

On the face of it the office of Chief Justice was an onerous one, as shown by the fact that (at least for part of the Court's history) he had two associate justices to assist him, whereas the Chief Justice of Munster had only one. On the other hand Geoffrey Osbaldeston's appointment to the office in 1606 was generally seen as a demotion on the grounds of his incompetence, suggesting that the office was not then seen as one of great importance. However a Chief Justice who performed well could expect a place on the High Court Bench as a reward, and Donnellan and Jones were rewarded in this way. While it was generally understood that the Chief Justice of Munster should not hold any other office, the same rule did not hold in Connacht: Thomas Dillon combined the office with a seat on the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland).

The office fell with the abolition of the provincial presidencies in 1672.

List of Chief Justices of Connacht 1569-1672

Office abolished 1672

References

  1. ↑ Burke gives the name as William Spring, but Ball, generally the most reliable source, gives it as Adam Cusack who had been second justice since 1661.

Sources