James Cornwalsh

James Cornwalsh (died 1441) was an Irish judge who held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was a political figure of considerable importance in fifteenth-century Ireland, and a supporter of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. He was murdered as a result of a feud over the possession of Baggotrath Castle, near Dublin.

Family He was born in Ireland, the son of William Cornwalsh: as their name suggests, the Cornwalsh family had come to Ireland from Cornwall in the fourteenth century. The name has several alternative spellings, such as Cornwalysch and Cornwallis. He was probably descended from Sir John de Cornwall or Cornwaille, Constable of Carlow Castle in the time of Edward III. In 1358, Sir John petitioned the Crown for redress, on the ground that his castle of Kylebelle (now vanished, it is thought to have been near Leighlinbridge), had been burned by the Irish of Leinster. He was granted £40 for repairs. John le Cornwaleys of Dublin was described as an attorney in 1310. A William Cornwall of Dublin, possibly a brother of James, was living in 1423.

James lived mainly at Dunboyne in County Meath until he moved to Dublin in his last years. He married Matilda Rochfort and by her was the father of John Cornwalsh, himself a future Chief Baron.

Career He was a justice of the peace for Wexford and Waterford in 1406, and was appointed Deputy Admiral of Ireland, serving under Sir Jenico d'Artois, in 1410. In 1427, he was forgiven all his debts to the Crown, and in the same year, he was awarded 20 marks by the Crown for his labours "on the King's business" in Leinster and Munster. In 1423, he was granted a two-third share of the manor of Rathfarnham in south Dublin (Rathfarnham Castle was not yet built). In 1426, he was granted the manor of Crumlin, Dublin for eight years. The same judges had sat on previous commissions, notably in 1426/7, when they tried a charge of felony against the Bishop of Meath, Edward Dantsey, who was accused of stealing a chalice from a Church in "Taveragh" (probably Tara). The Bishop vigorously maintained his innocence and was acquitted, after the case was removed to the Irish Parliament. One John Penthony later confessed to the theft, and received absolution for his sins.

In 1420, when his predecessor as Chief Baron James Fitzwilliam died, Cornwalsh was appointed guardian to Fitzwilliam's young son, Phillip; in hindsight, this was an ironic choice in light of his later murderous feud with Phillip's family.

Death-the Baggotrath Castle feud Baggotrath Castle, built by Sir Robert Bagod in about 1280, was bought by Sir Edward Perrers in about 1403. Perrers was an English-born military commander and an influential statesman, who acted as Deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and was a close associate of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. He owned substantial lands in County Meath and Newcastle, County Wicklow, as well as Baggotrath. He died sometime after 1424. After their only son's death in 1428, possession of Baggotrath Castle and her husband's other lands passed to Sir Edward's widow, Joanna. Under her will, made in 1440, she appointed Cornwalsh her executor, along with her chaplain Nicholas Furlong.

Aftermath Given the gravity of the crime and the social prominence of the victim, it is surprising that Fitzwilliam and Ismaye were soon pardoned for killing Cornwalsh, and were even allowed to retain possession of Baggotrath Castle in the short term. Elrington Ball speculated that the Crown was not satisfied as to their guilt (although public opinion at the time was clear that FitzWilliam "wickedly slew Cornwalsh") or possibly Cornwalsh's actions were seen as sufficient provocation for the crime.

Elrington Ball drew the inference that "violence is indigenous to the Irish soil". There is no doubt that murder and other violent crimes were all too common in fifteenth-century Ireland, even among the ruling class: Cornwalsh's son and heir John later married Matilda, widow of Thomas Hussey, 5th Baron Galtrim, who was reputedly murdered on his own wedding day, an episode which inspired the nineteenth-century ballad "The Bride of Malahide". On the other hand, given the number of equally heinous crimes in England, such as the Radford killing, it is perhaps fairer to conclude that there was a serious breakdown of law and order in both kingdoms, which greatly weakened the authority of the Crown. His son and heir, Thomas, was still a minor when his mother remarried.