|
Thomas Rochfort (c.1450-1522) was a distinguished Irish judge and cleric who held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland, Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral. He was born at Killadoon, near Celbridge, County Kildare, the second son of Roger Rochfort, Lord of the Manor of Killadoon, and his wife Catherine Read.〔Lodge, John and Archdall, Mervyn ''The Peerage of Ireland'' Volume 3 Dublin 1789〕 The Rochfort family came to Ireland around 1240; they were descended from Sir Milo de Rochfort, who held lands in Kildare in 1309. Roger's elder brother Robert was the ancestor of another distinguished judge, Robert Rochfort, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer under Queen Anne: their descendants held the title Earl of Belvedere.〔Lodge and Archdall ''Peerage of Ireland''〕 Little is known of Thomas before 1502, when he became Precentor of St. Patrick's Cathedral; he became Dean in 1505.〔Ball F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926〕 He was an active and reforming Dean who laid down important new rules on the jurisdiction and discipline of the Cathedral, and it was during his tenure as Dean that the Cathedral College of Minor Canons and Choristers was incorporated.〔Henry Cotton ''Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae: the succession of the prelates and members of the cathedral bodies in Ireland'' Dublin 1850 Hodges and Smith Vol. 5〕 He was reputed to be "a man learned in the law":〔Cotton Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae〕 no doubt for that reason, and rather unusually for a cleric at the time, he became Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) and Solicitor General in 1511. He appears to be the first person named as holding the office of Solicitor General, but no conclusions can be drawn from this as many of the crucial records have disappeared.〔In 1839 Smyth in his ''Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland'' found it impossible to compile a full list, due to the disapperance of so many of the records.〕 Subsequently he became clerk of the Court of Chancery, and then Master of the Rolls. As often in this period the exact dates he held office are uncertain, but he was certainly Master in 1520, and was superseded the following year. He remained Dean until his death in June 1522.〔Hart A.C '' History of the Kings Serjeant-at-law in Ireland'' Four Courts Press Dublin 2000〕 Hart〔'' History of the King's Serjeant-at-law in Ireland''〕 describes Rochfort's judicial career as unique in his lifetime, as he was the only cleric of his generation who held any judicial office other than that of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. == References == 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thomas Rochfort」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|