Falkiner — The Counties of Ireland. 179 



extended far over its present borders into the modem counties of 

 King's County, Queen's County, and Wicklow. 



The broad distinction which was drawn between counties ordinary 

 and counties palatine was reflected in the designation of the most 

 important office in their respective jurisdictions. In the county 

 proper that officer is invariably styled sheriff; but in the county 

 palatine he is as uniformly referred to as "the seneschal of the 

 liberty." The distinction is clearly marked in a mandate of 

 Edward III. to the Treasury of Ireland, which dii'ects that "because 

 the liberty of Carlow has been taken into the King's hands,"^ the 

 writs of the King for execution should be directed to the sheriff of 

 Carlow, in place of the late seneschal of that liberty."^ It appears, 

 however, that a general jui-isdiction lay in the sheriff of Dublin for 

 districts not clearly belonging to a specific county or liberty, or 

 wherever the seneschal of the latter should be found in default, as in 

 the case of Kildare prior to the Statute of 25 Edward I. In 

 18 Edward II. precepts were issued to the sheriffs of Dublin and 

 Meath to execute writs " in spite of the liberties of Kildare and 

 Louth " ; but this interference with the general principle of palatine 

 independence was doubtless exceptional and probably due to the 

 disorganisation resulting from the Bruce invasion. Eor so extensive 

 were the privileges of the liberties that, though the King might 

 and did appoint sheriffs within their limits, the authority of the 

 royal officers extended only to the Church lands, whence they were 

 known as sheriffs of the County of the Cross. Of such counties 

 there must originally have been as many in Ireland as there were 

 counties palatine^ ; but with the gradual absorption of the palatinates 

 in the Crown, either by inheritance, as in the case of Ulster, or by 

 forfeiture, as in that of "Wexford, they had all ceased to exist before 

 the reign of Henry VIII., except the County of the Cross of 

 Tipperaiy, which, being within the great OiTQond palatinate, created 

 by Edward III., survived till Stuart times. 



1 This had heen done hy virtue of Edward III.'s arbitrary hut temporary revoca- 

 tion of all franchises, liberties, and grants formerly made in the Kingdom of Ire- 

 land — a measure doubtless intended primarily as an answer to the renunciation by 

 the Bourkes of Connaught of their allegiance to the Crown, and to the general 

 disorganisation which followed the wars of the Bruces. 



2 Close EoU, 17 & 18 Edward III. 



^ In the list of Proffers and Fines of Sheriffs & Seneschals in the time of 

 Edwai-d III., Sheriffs of the Cross are mentioned for the Crosses of Kilkenny, 

 Tipperary, Carlow, Wexford, Kerry, Kildare, IMeath, and Ulster. 



