Nehemiah Donnellan (1649-1705)
Encyclopedia
Nehemiah Donellan was an Irish lawyer, the son of Sir James Donnellan and grandson of Archbishop Nehemiah Donnellan
. His mother was Sarah Wheeler, daughter of Jonah Wheeler, Bishop of Ossory
. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1666. Though he seems to have originally intended to be a soldier, he resolved on a legal career instead, and entered Middle Temple in 1669. He was an exceptionally unruly student, being fined for breaking doors and gambling at Christmas. He was called to the Irish Bar about 1672 and became Commissioner of Revenue Appeals in 1677. After the Revolution of 1688
he lived for a time in England.
He was appointed Prime Serjeant
on 29 December 1692 and represented the borough of Galway
in the Irish House of Commons
from 1692 to 1693. In 1693 he was also made Recorder of Dublin
.
He was raised to the bench as a Puisne Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer
in 1695, and on 31 December 1696 was one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal of Ireland
until the appointment of John Methuen
as Lord Chancellor of Ireland
in 1697. He became Chief Baron of the Exchequer on 27 December 1703, holding the office until his death. His elevation was part of an effort to remove judges suspected of Tory or pro-Catholic views; but it was a little surprising that Donnellan, descendant of an Old Irish, Gaelic speaking family with Catholic members, was not suspected of such sympathies himself.
He married twice; little is known of his first wife, who died before 1688, leaving a surviving son, James. He remarried Martha Ussher, daughter of Christopher Ussher, who outlived him by many years, and married secondly Phillip Perceval, brother of the 1st Earl of Egmont
. They had two sons, Nehemiah and Christopher and two daughters, Martha and Anne. Anne is remembered as the friend of most of the leading Irish writers of her time, and for founding the Donnellan Lectures at Trinity College Dublin.
Nehemiah Donnellan
Nehemiah Donnellan , Archbishop of Tuam, fl. c. 1560-1609.-Background:Donellan was born in the county of Galway, a son of Mael Sechlainn Ó Dónalláin, by his wife Sisly, daughter of William Ó Cellaigh of Calla...
. His mother was Sarah Wheeler, daughter of Jonah Wheeler, Bishop of Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...
. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1666. Though he seems to have originally intended to be a soldier, he resolved on a legal career instead, and entered Middle Temple in 1669. He was an exceptionally unruly student, being fined for breaking doors and gambling at Christmas. He was called to the Irish Bar about 1672 and became Commissioner of Revenue Appeals in 1677. After the Revolution of 1688
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
he lived for a time in England.
He was appointed Prime Serjeant
Serjeant-at-law (Ireland)
This is a list of lawyers who held the rank of serjeant-at-law at the Irish Bar.Unlike in England, for many years there was only one Serjeant-at-Law in Ireland, who was known as the King’s Serjeant or simply Serjeant. In 1627 another was appointed, and they were known as the Prime Serjeant and...
on 29 December 1692 and represented the borough of Galway
Galway Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Galway Borough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Galway Borough was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...
in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
from 1692 to 1693. In 1693 he was also made Recorder of Dublin
Recorder of Dublin
The Recorder of Dublin was a judicial position in Dublin, Ireland. The first to hold the position was James Stanihurst, speaker of the Irish parliament, in 1564 and the last was Sir Thomas O'Shaughnessy. The Recordership was abolished in 1924....
.
He was raised to the bench as a Puisne Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer
Exchequer of Ireland
The Exchequer of Ireland was a body in the Kingdom of Ireland tasked with collecting royal revenue. Modelled on the English Exchequer, it was created in 1210 after John of England applied English law and legal structure to the Kingdom of Ireland...
in 1695, and on 31 December 1696 was one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal of Ireland
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
until the appointment of John Methuen
John Methuen
The Very Reverend John Alan Robert Methuen was an Anglican priest who was eminent in the latter part of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st. He was born on 14 August 1947 and educated at Eton and Brasenose College, Oxford...
as Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
in 1697. He became Chief Baron of the Exchequer on 27 December 1703, holding the office until his death. His elevation was part of an effort to remove judges suspected of Tory or pro-Catholic views; but it was a little surprising that Donnellan, descendant of an Old Irish, Gaelic speaking family with Catholic members, was not suspected of such sympathies himself.
He married twice; little is known of his first wife, who died before 1688, leaving a surviving son, James. He remarried Martha Ussher, daughter of Christopher Ussher, who outlived him by many years, and married secondly Phillip Perceval, brother of the 1st Earl of Egmont
Earl of Egmont
Earl of Egmont is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1733 for John Perceval, 1st Viscount Perceval. This Perceval descends from John Perceval, who on 9 September 1661 was created a Baronet, of Kanturk in the County of Cork, in the Baronetage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his...
. They had two sons, Nehemiah and Christopher and two daughters, Martha and Anne. Anne is remembered as the friend of most of the leading Irish writers of her time, and for founding the Donnellan Lectures at Trinity College Dublin.