Oliver Jones

Oliver Jones (-1682) was an Irish politician and judge of the seventeenth century, who was widely rumoured to have secret Roman Catholic sympathies, and was criticised for changing sides during the English Civil War.

He was born in Athlone, the third son of John Jones, a merchant, and Jane Messett. He was admitted to the King's Inns in 1638. He entered the Irish House of Commons as MP for Athlone in 1639. He was generally believed to have Roman Catholic sympathies, and as a result, he clashed with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl of Strafford and with Strafford's key ally Sir Richard Bolton, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. After Strafford's downfall and death in 1641, Jones was active in the impeachment of Lord Chancellor Bolton. After the Restoration of Charles II, this was not held against him, since several of his colleagues on the Bench had also made their peace with Cromwell, and the restored Stuart dynasty was, within reason, prepared to overlook such disloyalty. He was restored to his old office of Attorney General for Connacht and returned to the House of Commons as member for County Roscommon. He was then living in Roscommon Castle.

In 1670, Lord Berkeley, during his relatively brief term as Lord Lieutenant, promoted Jones to a seat on the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland), and he was transferred in 1672 to the Court of King's Bench (Ireland).

He died in 1682 and was buried in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. He was married with children, although little seems to be known of his family.