William Chevir

William Chevir (died 1446) was an Irish politician and judge, whose career was marked by accusations of oppression and corruption.

Family

He was born in Kilkenny city, son of John Chevir, justice of the peace;[1] his brother, John Chevir junior, later became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.[2] The surname, which is uncommon in Ireland, may be an early form of Cheever; Chevyr was another contemporary spelling.

Career

Little is known of his early career, but he and his brother were closely associated with James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde, the dominant Anglo-Irish noble in the south-east of Ireland .[3] It was presumably due to Ormonde's influence that William became second justice of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) and later acted as deputy to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.[4]

Talbot–Ormonde feud

Irish politics in the 1430s and 1440s was dominated by the feud between Ormonde, by then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Richard Talbot, Archbishop of Dublin, backed by his powerful brother John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Nearly all Crown officials found themselves forced to take sides: William Chevir was a staunch adherent of Ormonde.[5]

Giles Thorndon, the English-born Lord Treasurer of Ireland, had a long and impressive record of service to the House of Lancaster, but seems to have been rather out of his depth in Ireland, which was then in a state of exceptional political turmoil. In general he backed the Talbots, but Ormonde persuaded him to appoint Chevir his deputy in 1442.[6] According to Thordon's complaint to the Privy Council, Chevir was guilty of such obvious maladministration that Thorndon refused to reappoint him in 1443,[7] whereupon Ormonde in retaliation despoiled Thorndon's property. The Crown was more interested in ending the feud than punishing those involved,[8] and matters dragged on inconclusively until 1446 when Chevir died; Thorndon returned to England soon afterwards.

Reputation

While Chevir undoubtedly had reason to be grateful to Ormonde for advancing his career, Griffiths criticises him for "abetting Ormonde in embezzlement and oppression".[9]

References

  1. ↑ Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 John Murray London 1926 Vol.1.p.177
  2. ↑ Ball p.177
  3. ↑ Griffiths, Ralph A. The Reign of Henry VI- the Exercise of Royal Authority Ernest Benn Ltd. 1981 p.417
  4. ↑ Ball p.177
  5. ↑ Griffiths p.417
  6. ↑ Patent Roll 20 Henry VI- 2 August "William Chevyr, deputy to the Treasurer.."
  7. ↑ Griffiths p.417
  8. ↑ Otway-Ruthven, A.J. History of Medieval Ireland Barnes and Noble Reissue 1993 p.396
  9. ↑ Griffiths p.417
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