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THE COUET OF CASTLE CHAMBER OE STAR CHAMBEB 



OE IBELAXD. 



By HERBERT WOOD, BA. 



Read FfcBRrARY 9. Published March 12, 19H. 



That the history of Ireland is still an unfilled field is borne in upon us by 

 the consideration of the striking fact that the Court of Castle Chamber, which 

 exercised its powers for nearly a century in Ireland, has, up to the present, 

 failed to find its historian. It is true that various scattered references to it 

 will be found in the histories of this country : but no account of its constitution 

 and working has yet been produced. However excusable this want of interest 

 might be in the case of a Court of inferior jurisdiction, no such plea can be 

 maintained for neglecting this Court, which it was the aim of the government 

 to fashion in all respects like the Court of Star Chamber in England, a Court 

 which 1 'aeon described as " one of the sagest and noblest institutions of this 

 kingdom,'" and which Coke, in his Institutes, described as " the most honour- 

 able Court (our Parliament excepted) that is in the Christian world, both in 

 respect of the Judges of the Court, and of their honourable proceeding 

 according to their just jurisdiction and the ancient and just orders of the 

 Court.' 2 It is with the hope of throwing some light on the proceedings of 

 this Court in Ireland that I have ventured to read this paper before the 

 Royal Irish Academy. 



The official name by which this Court was known was that of the Court 

 of Castle Chamber, as appears by the Commission of 1581 ; but it is curious 

 to note that the very heading of this Commission runs : " Commissio specialis 

 pro Camera Stellata in Hibernia." AYhen we consider that it was the 

 intention of the government that this Irish Court should in all respects 

 correspond with that of the Star Chamber of England, it is not surprising to 

 find that the Court was sometimes designated the " Castle Chamber," and 

 sometimes the " Star Chamber." This confusion of nomenclature makes it 

 frequently very difficult to determine, when we find a reference to the Star 

 Chamber, whether that of England or Ireland is intended. 



1 Bacon, " History of the Reign of Henry Til.'' ed. 1641, p. 63. 

 - Coke's Institutes, part iv, c. v. 



