William de Rodyard

William de Rodyard, de Rodiard, or de Rudyard (c.1275- c. 1349) was an English-born judge and cleric in fourteenth-century Ireland. He held office as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He was also Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, and briefly Deputy Lord Treasurer of Ireland. He was the first Chancellor of the Medieval University of Dublin (not to be confused with Trinity College Dublin, which was a much later foundation).

Career

Little is known of his background or his early life, although he was probably born in Rudyard, Staffordshire, and took his name from the village. He was in holy orders, and must have been a university graduate since he was often termed "Magister (Master)", a title which was given at the time only to those with a University degree. It is unlikely that he would have been selected to head the new University if he did not have a degree.

He is first heard of in Dublin in 1307 as Treasurer of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; he was elected Dean of St Patrick's in 1312, He was dead by 1349. From the beginning it was closely associated with St Patrick's Cathedral, and de Rodyard, as Dean of St. Patrick's, was the obvious choice to be the first chancellor. Michael Hardy was the first Master.

Although a number of Chairs were endowed, including chairs of Theology and Law, the University, due to lack of proper financial and political support, never flourished, and it was suppressed at the Reformation. The present University of Dublin was founded in 1592.