Sir Maurice Eustace
Encyclopedia
Family background
Eustace was born between 1590 and 1595, at CastlemartinCastlemartin
Castlemartin may refer to:*Castlemartin House and Estate, County Kildare, Ireland*Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, a village in Wales*Castlemartin , a former administrative unit in Wales named after the village...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, the son of William Fitzjohn Eustace,constable of 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...
. The Eustaces of Castlemartin were cousins of Viscount Baltinglass
Viscount Baltinglass
The title of Viscount Baltinglass was created twice in the Peerage of Ireland.The first creation was made on 29 June 1541 for Sir Thomas Eustace, who had been created Baron Kilcullen in September 1535. Both titles became extinct in 1585 on the death of the third viscount.The second creation was...
, but played no part in the Desmond Rebellions
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
, being generally noted for loyalty to the Crown. Maurice in time was to recover much of the property forfeited by his cousins. In religion the family seem to have been divided in sympathy; a close relative, also Maurice Eustace, was denounced to the authorities as a Jesuit in 1581 and executed. The judge himself, though a Protestant was exceptionally tolerant in matters of religion.
Early career
Eustace attended the University of DublinUniversity of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
, and on graduation became a fellow, lecturing in Hebrew; in his will he left a legacy to maintain a Hebrew lecturer.However he had set his mind on a legal career and after two years resigned the fellowship and entered Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. He was also determined on a career in politics and through his father had met the Lord Lieutenant Viscount Grandison
Viscount Grandison
Viscount Grandison of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for Sir Oliver St John, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, with special remainder to the male issue of his niece Barbara, wife of Sir Edward Villiers, elder half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham,...
.
He appears to have spent some time in England after his call to the Bar but was in Dublin by 1630, building up an enormous practice; it was said he could " earn forty gold pieces in a morning"
He entered 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...
in 1634 as member for Athy
Athy
The town developed from a 12th century Anglo-Norman settlement to an important British military outpost on the border of the Pale.The first town charter dates from the 16th century and the town hall was constructed in the early 18th century...
. Unlike some of the " Old English ", he was a whole-hearted supporter of the Lord Deputy Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
who in return regarded Eustace as a man of integrity and ability. He became serjeant-at-law and a justice of assize. In 1640 he was re-elected to the Commons and became Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
. His formal speech of welcome to Wentworth is considered a good example of his ornate style of oratory, which was much admired at the time:
"Welcome, most worthy Lord, to the new birth of this our Parliament;this is the voice of the House of Commons , and I am sure it is the voice of the whole assembly; it is beside Vox Populi abroad, and I am sure it is Vox Dei".
He remained Speaker until 1647; at its final meeting the House voiced its thanks for the many good services performed by Sir Maurice Eustace their Speaker, and spoke ominously of the "inveterate hatred and malice of the detestable rebels" against him.
Civil War
So long as Dublin remained under Royalist control, Eustace prospered, despite complaints of invasion of his property and theft of cattle.In 1643 he was sent to negotiate with the Irish Confederacy at KilkennyKilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
; he also obtained the reversion to the office of 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....
, and acquired land in Athy and Cong
Cong
Cong may refer to:*Cong , a form of jade artifact from ancient China*Cong , a Chinese surname.*Cống people, an indigenous people of about 1,700 in Vietnam*Cong, County Mayo, a village in the Republic of Ireland...
.In 1647 however the Marquis of Ormonde surrendered Dublin to the Parliamentary forces. Eustace was arrested and sent to Chester Castle
Chester Castle
Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls . The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the...
where he remained for seven years His confinement however cannot have been very strict as he formed an extra-marital relationship which produced two children. On his release he returned to Dublin; after being re-arrested he was allowed to resume practice at the Bar.Though his loyalties were never in doubt he seems to have enjoyed the goodwill of Henry Cromwell
Henry Cromwell
Henry Cromwell was the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier, and an important figure in the Parliamentarian regime in Ireland.-Life:...
.
Restoration
At the Restoration, Eustace's unquestioned loyalty and legal and political experience made him on the face of it ideally suited to high office; accordingly he was appointed Lord Chancellor of IrelandLord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
and a Lord Justice , exercising the powers of the Lord Lieutenant in his absence, jointly with Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath
Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath
Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath , was an Irish peer, the younger was the son of Charles Coote and Dorothea Cuffe, the former being a veteran of the battle of Kinsale who subsequently settled in Ireland....
and Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery
Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery
Roger Boyle redirects here. For others of this name, see Roger Boyle Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery was a British soldier, statesman and dramatist. He was the third surviving son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork and Richard's second wife, Catherine Fenton. He was created Baron of Broghill on...
Ironically the main objection to his appointment came from Eustace himself: he had looked forward to retirement to his beloved country seat Harristown Castle, and honestly doubted if his age and health fitted him for office. He wrote pathetically to the Secretary of State:
" I.... am now grown too old to perform any public service. I desire no such post nor any favour except to remain in his Majesty's good opinion. I hope I shall not now be put beyond my strength with any public employment "
Lord Justice
As Lord Justice, Eustace was embroiled in the bitter disputes leading to the Act of Settlement 1662Act of Settlement 1662
The Act of Settlement 1662 passed by the Irish Parliament in Dublin. It was a partial reversal of the Cromwellian Act of Settlement 1652, which punished Irish Catholics and Royalists for fighting against the English Parliament in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the wholesale confiscation of their...
, between the largely Catholic Royalists who had been dispossessed in the 1652 Cromwellian Settlement and the newcomers who had bought their estates. Eustace by birth was a member of the dispossessed class and identified entirely with its interests; though a sincere Protestant he believed firmly in equal rights for Roman Catholics. This put him at odds with his fellow Lords Justices, Mountrath and Orrery: they were firm supporters of the Cromwellians, whom Eustace regarded as criminals, and in his view were implacably hostile to the Catholics. Eustace in fact did obtain some concessions for the Royalists in the Act of Settlement, but the struggle exhausted him and he was thankful when the Duke of Ormonde's arrival in Dublin in 1662 allowed him to resign .
Lord Chancellor
Eustace's prediction that he would be a failure as Lord Chancellor was fulfilled; the political struggle, physical illness, frequent bouts of depression and family troubles almost incapacitated him. He was also discouraged by the failure of his well-meant efforts to ensure toleration for Roman Catholics. By 1663 complaints had reached the English Lord Chancellor, the Earl of ClarendonEarl of Clarendon
Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1661 for the statesman Edward Hyde, 1st Baron Hyde...
, who had not been consulted on Eustace's appointment and had an extremely low opinion of his abilities.He wrote to Ormonde that Eustace should either do the honourable thing by resigning, or be dismissed. Ormonde however was always loyal to old friends; he did not defend Eustace's record as judge but pointed to his record of loyalty and suggested that dismissal was a poor reward. In the event it proved very difficult to find a suitable replacement and the question of Eustace's dismissal was still pending when he died.
Heirs
Eustace had always been an acute man of business and despite his troubles continued to prosper financially, recovering most of the forfeited Eustace estates and amassing a fortune reputed to be eighty thousand pounds. How to dispose of his wealth pre-occupied him during his last years. His marriage to Cicely Dixon, daughter of Sir Robert Dixon, Lord Mayor of DublinLord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent is Labour Party Councillor Andrew Montague. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the...
, was childless. During his years in Chester however he entered a relationship which produced a son and a daughter whom he was anxious to provide for. On he other hand he did not wish to disinherit his nephews, Sir John Eustace and Sir Maurice Eustace junior.How to balance the claims of his son and his nephews became almost an obsession,to the point where Ormonde was forced to rebuke him for neglecting official business over private concerns.His last will divided the property between his nephews, a decision which reportedly led to ill-feeling and further litigation.
Death and memorials
By 1665 Eustace, though at least seventy, appeared to have recovered his physical and mental health; at his daughter's wedding in the summer he was " as brisk as a bee". Shortly afterwards however he had a stroke and died. He had asked for a private burial at CastlemartinCastlemartin House and Estate
Castlemartin is the name of a historic house and estate, and the townland in which they sit, on the banks of the River Liffey in Kilcullen, County Kildare, Ireland...
but the Government deemed an official burial in St. Patrick's Cathedral appropriate.
His name was given to Eustace Street in Dublin city centre, where his town house stood.