Henry Draycott was an English born official in Ireland who held a number of senior positions including Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. Despite an apparent lack of legal training he went on to have a successful career as a judge, becoming Baron of the Court of Exchequer

Court of Exchequer

Court of Exchequer may refer to:*Exchequer of Pleas, an ancient English court, that ceased to exist independently in the late nineteenth century...

 and Master of the Rolls in Ireland

Master of the Rolls in Ireland

The office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland originated in the office of the keeper of the Rolls in the Irish Chancery and became an office granted by letters patent in 1333. It was abolished in 1924....

. He also became a substantial landowner in the Pale

The Pale

The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...

, his estates centred on Mornington, County Meath

Mornington, County Meath

Mornington is a coastal townland in County Meath, Ireland. Together with the neighbouring villages of Laytown and Bettystown it comprises the census town of Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington....

.

Background

His early life is not well- documented, but it is known that he was born in Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

; his family name presumably derives from the village of the same name. Despite his later eminence as a judge, it is not clear when,or if, he was called to the Bar. He first appears in Ireland in the early 1540s; his first official post was treasurer of the Lordship of Wexford

Wexford

Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...

, and he received a lease of crown lands there.

Administrator

Draycott rose quickly in the Dublin administration, becoming Chief Remembrancer, a senior position in the Court of Exchequer. He was elected to the Irish House of Commons

Irish House of Commons

The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...

 as member for Naas

Naas

Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...

 in 1559. He was entrusted with a number of political missions to England, and was later a reliable supporter of Sir Henry Sidney

Henry Sidney

Sir Henry Sidney , Lord Deputy of Ireland was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he received extensive grants of land, including the manor of Penshurst in Kent, which became the...

; he was given the task of settling a controversy between the Earl of Ormond and the Earl of Desmond

Earl of Desmond

The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....

, and was involved in the settlement of Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

 in 1567.

Draycott was granted substantial properties in Meath and Louth

County Louth

County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...

. His main estate was Mornington; he also owned the manor of Donnycarney

Donnycarney

Donnycarney or Donnycarny is a Northside suburb in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is bordered by Beaumont, Artane, Killester and Marino, and lies in the postal districts of Dublin 9 and 5....

 and property in Dundalk

Dundalk

Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...

. LIke most English settlers he was indifferent to the rights of earlier owners and was willng to assist other members of his class in " finding" title to land; in particular John Hooker

John Hooker

John Hooker may refer to:*John Hooker English writer, solicitor, antiquary, civic administrator and advocate of republican government*John Lee Hooker, , American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist...

, when secretary to Sir Peter Carew

Peter Carew

Sir Peter Carew was an English adventurer, who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England and took part in the Tudor conquest of Ireland.He is to be distinguished from another Sir Peter Carew Sir Peter Carew (1514? – 27 November 1575) was an English adventurer, who served during the...

, refers to the assistance Draycott gave his master in acquiring land.

Judicial career

Draycott became a Baron of the Exchequer in 1563 and Master of the Rolls in 1566. Although he gained a reputation for integrity, Elrington Ball queries his suitability in particular for the Mastership, since it is not clear if he had any legal training. However the Mastership was then partly an administrative office and Draycott was an efficient administrator; it is recorded that one of his tasks was to peruse and sort official records. Another objection to his appointment was chronic ill-health: he died in 1572.

Character

Despite his lack of legal training Draycott was praised as a judge of integrity, and as a man whose service to the Crown deserved praise. Less attractive is his greed for land and willingness to help other settlers in similar acquisitions. Unlike most settlers he may have had Catholic sympathies: though he was outwardly a Protestant his family within a few years of his death became and remained Catholic.

Descendants

Draycott's widow, Mary, remarried Owen Moore, the Muster Master for Ireland. His daughter Alice died in mysterious circumstances in 1576, reputedly poisoned by the Earl of Leicester

Earl of Leicester

The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...

. His descendant, Henry Draycott of Mornington, died in 1694 without issue: this led to a notable lawsuit, Draycott v. Talbot in which one Edward Draycott claimed, unsuccessfully, to be Henry's son.