WooB— The Office of Chief Governor of Ireland, 11 72-1509. 207 



must be taken on trust, as the originals have been destroyed by the fire and 

 explosion which occurred in the Four Courts on 30th June, 1922. 



I intend to treat first of the various titles held by the Chief Governors, 

 and afterwards of the powers possessed by them. There is appended a list 

 of all the Chief Governors who held office between 1172-1509, with the 

 names of such deputies as I have been able to trace. 



I.— Titles of Chief Governors of Ireland. 

 (a) King's Lieutenant. 



The title of Lieutenant of the King was the highest which was given to 

 any Governor of Ireland. He was generally an English noble, and, in the 

 fifteenth century, a son or relative of the King himself. Before the coming 

 of Kichard II to Ireland in 1394, there were only nine cases of the office 

 being held by a King's Lieutenant. In 1308 Richard de Burgh, Earl of 

 Ulster, was appointed under that title, but his tenure was short, as next 

 day Piers de Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, was appointed ; the rest were 

 Eoger de Mortimer in 1317; William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, in 1331; 

 Lionel, Eaii of Ulster, and subsequently Duke of Clarence, 1-361 ; Sir 

 William de Windsor, 1369 ; Edmund de Mortimer, Earl of March, 1379 ; 

 Roger de Mortimer, 1382; and Philip de Courtenay, 1383. In the cases of 

 Piers de Gaveston, Eoger de Mortimer, William de Burgh, and Philip de 

 Courtenay, Justiciars were for all or part of the time acting with them. It 

 is curious to note that in two cases, viz. Sir William de Windsor and Roger 

 de Mortimer, they were, subsequently to being removed from their office as 

 King's Lieutenants, reappointed with inferior titles, Eoger de Mortimer 

 returning to Ireland in 1319 as Justiciar, and Sir William de Windsor in 

 1373 as Governor and Keeper of the Land. 



The powers of these Lieutenants were larger than those of a Justiciar, 

 and were set out at large in their patents. But what especially indicated 

 their importance was that they entered into indentures with the King on 

 their appointment, setting out the sums for which they agreed to undertake 

 the government of Ireland. Thus, in 1369, Sir William de Windsor agreed 

 for £1,000 a year; in l^ilG the King bound himself in 6,000 marks to 

 Mortimer ; in 1380 Edmund de Mortimer was appointed on consideration of 

 being paid 20,000 marks and permission to expend the King's revenue as he 

 wished; in 13^2 Roger de Mortimer was permitted to receive all the 

 revenues and profits of every kind derivable in Ireland under the Crown of 

 England, and 2,000 marks in money; in 1398 Thomas Holland, Duke of 

 Surrey, was appointed at 11,500 marks yearly; in 1400 Thomas de Lancaster 



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