Thomas de Burley

Thomas de Burley (died c.1371) was an English-born judge and monk in fourteenth century Ireland. He was twice Lord Chancellor of Ireland and Prior of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, whose Dublin house was at Kilmainham. Despite his clerical rank he had a reputation for corruption and vindictiveness.

Little is known of his life before 1359, when he was appointed both Prior and Lord Chancellor,[1] except that he was English by birth, and entered the order in England. D'Alton tells us that he was Prior for "many years".[2] It has been suggested that he was an unwelcome choice as Prior, but this may simply reflect his later unsavoury reputation.

He clashed with many of his judicial colleagues, notably Richard White, the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and numerous complaints were made against him for maladministration and corruption. He was superseded as Lord Chancellor in 1364, after the Irish House of Commons sent a powerful delegation, including White and Maurice Fitzgerald, 4th Earl of Kildare, to England to complain of his misconduct; the precise complaint being that he had seriously misrepresented to King Edward III the state of affairs in Ireland. It is interesting that the King gave an order that the delegation should not be "troubled" for their mission on their return to Ireland, indicating that they were afraid of reprisals from Burley or his allies, which in turn suggests that Burley had a name for being vindictive.[3]

He was also preceptor of the Order's house in Shropshire.[4]

In 1367 it was proposed to reappoint him Lord Chancellor in place of the quarrelsome and unpopular Thomas le Reve, Bishop of Lismore and Waterford. A brief power struggle developed, from which Burley emerged the victor. The same year he complained that the Order's manor at Leixlip was being wrongfully distrained for debts it did not owe.

In 1367-8 the Bermingham family and their retainers began a private war in County Meath. Burley was appointed to negotiate a treaty with them, together with John Fitzrichard, High Sheriff of Meath, and Robert Tyrrel, Baron of Castleknock. A parley was arranged at Carbury but the Berminghams in breach of the agreed terms took the commissioners captive. Burley was quickly released in exchange for James Bermingham, then a prisoner in Trim Castle; the others were required to pay a ransom. He does not seem to have been ill-treated.[5]

He probably died in 1371, when William Tany succeeded him as Prior.

References

  1. ↑ Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 John Murray London 1926 Vol. 1 p.83
  2. ↑ D'Alton, John History of the County of Dublin Hodges and Smith Dublin 1836 p.615
  3. ↑ Crooks, Peter "Hobbes", "Dogs" and politics in the Ireland of Lionel of Clarence c. 1361-6 The Denis Bethell Prize Essay 2005
  4. ↑ Ball p.83
  5. ↑ D'Alton p. 616
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