Robert Torrens (judge)

Robert Torrens (1775 – 1856) was an Irish judge. He enjoyed a high reputation for legal ability and integrity, and, despite occasional complaints about his infirmity, remained on the Bench into old age. Through his daughter Henrietta he was the ancestor of the Barons O'Neill.^[1]

Torrens family

He was born in Londonderry, the third child of the Reverend Thomas Torrens and his wife Elizabeth Curry.^[2] The Torrens family were of Swedish origin,^[3] and were probably descended from an officer in the army of William III of England. They were a numerous family with a tendency to intermarry, so that the family tree can be difficult to untangle. The judge should not be confused with Robert Torrens, the economist, who was his first cousin. Sir Henry Torrens, the noted military adviser, was the judge's brother; their eldest brother, John, became Archdeacon of Dublin.

Early life

Both of Robert's parents died when their children were very young, and they were entrusted to the care of relatives. Little is known of Robert Torrens's schooldays. He graduated from the University of Dublin in 1795, entered Middle Temple the following year and was called to the Bar in 1798. He became King's Counsel in 1817 and Third Serjeant in 1822.^[4]

Later career

In 1822 he was appointed under the Insurrection Act as the Commissioner for County Limerick,^[5] with the aim of dealing with the serious problem of agrarian violence in that county. He is said to have discharged his duties with great diligence, moderation and humanity, and earned the gratitude of the Crown; this, as much as his brother Henry's friendship with the Duke of Wellington, explains his appointment to the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) in 1823.^[6]

As a judge he was well-regarded; even Daniel O'Connell, no friend to the Irish Bench in general, seems to have thought well of him, although on one occasion he gravely embarrassed the judge by suggesting that he had shown bias against a Catholic priest.^[7] He was the junior judge at the Doneraile conspiracy trials of 1829 where O'Connell secured the acquittal of most of the accused; both judges, Torrens and Richard Pennefather, have been highly praised for their impartial conduct of the trials.^[8]

In 1855-6 Torrens was one of several Irish judges who was mentioned by the House of Commons as being too old or inform to fulfill their duties properly.^[9] The Irish Bar opposed his removal: their consensus was that although he was eighty years of age, Torrens was exceptionally conscientious and hard-working. Torrens protested strongly at the suggestion that he was unfit for office, but in the event died suddenly at his country house, Derrynoid Lodge, just after the spring assizes in 1856.^[10]

Family

Like many of his clan he married a cousin, in his case, Anne Torrens. They had three sons and two daughters, of whom the best known is Henrietta Torrens (1818-1857) who married William O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill and had four children, including Edward O'Neill, 2nd Baron O'Neill and the judge's namesake, Robert Torrens O'Neill.^[11]

References