Robert Napier (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Napier was an English-born judge in Ireland.. He was High Sheriff of Dorset
in 1606 and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament
for Dorchester
(1586-7), Bridport
(1601) and Wareham
(1604-11). . He founded the fortunes of the Napier family in Dorset, acquiring extensive new estates in the county including Middlemarsh Hall, which became the family seat. His son, Sir Nathaniel
, was also a Member of Parliament, as was his grandson, Sir Gerrard
, who was created a baronet
in 1641.
Church. In his will he left money for the accommodation of ten poor men in Dorchester
: Nathaniel used it to build the Napier Almshouses in that town.
, Fellow 1559, Bachelor of Arts 1562. He entered the Middle Temple
in 1566, and was fined for failing to act as reader in 1588. In 1593 he was knighted and sent to Ireland as Chief Baron.
. In 1600 he went to England for good and refused to return to Dublin; he was suspended in 1601 and replaced the following year.
High Sheriff of Dorset
The High Sheriff of Dorset is an ancient High Sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. The position was once a powerful position responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing law and order in Dorset. In modern times the sheriff has become a ceremonial role, presiding...
in 1606 and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Dorchester
Dorchester (UK Parliament constituency)
Dorchester was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Dorchester in Dorset. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1295 to 1868, when its representation was reduced one member....
(1586-7), Bridport
Bridport (UK Parliament constituency)
Bridport was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:...
(1601) and Wareham
Wareham (UK Parliament constituency)
Wareham was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1302 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:...
(1604-11). . He founded the fortunes of the Napier family in Dorset, acquiring extensive new estates in the county including Middlemarsh Hall, which became the family seat. His son, Sir Nathaniel
Nathaniel Napier
Sir Nathaniel Napier , of Middlemarsh Hall and Moor Crichel in Dorset, was an English Member of Parliament . He was born c.1587, the only son of Sir Robert Napier, a judge and MP, who held the office of Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and his second wife Magdalen Denton. He was knighted in...
, was also a Member of Parliament, as was his grandson, Sir Gerrard
Sir Gerrard Napier, 1st Baronet
Sir Gerrard Napier, 1st Baronet , of Middle Marsh and Moor Crichel in Dorset, was an English Member of Parliament who supported the Royalists during the English Civil War....
, who was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1641.
Personal life
He was born at Swyre in Dorset, third son of James Napier, of a branch of an old Scots family which settled in Dorset. He married firstly Catherine Warham, by whom he had a daughter, Anne and secondly Magdalen Denton, the mother of his heir. The marriage of his only son Nathaniel to Elizabeth Gerrard caused some comment since even for the time the couple, at eleven and nine, were exceptionally young. He is buried at Minterne MagnaMinterne Magna
Minterne Magna is a village in west Dorset, England, situated at the source of the River Cerne in the Dorset Downs, on the A352 main road half way between Dorchester and Sherborne. The village has a population of 188 .-Minterne House:...
Church. In his will he left money for the accommodation of ten poor men in Dorchester
Dorchester
-England:*Dorchester, Dorset, the county town of Dorset; central to the organisation of the emigration of Puritans to North America during the 17th century*Dorchester, Oxfordshire, also known as Dorchester-on-Thames-Canada:...
: Nathaniel used it to build the Napier Almshouses in that town.
Early career
He was educated at Exeter College, OxfordExeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, Fellow 1559, Bachelor of Arts 1562. He entered the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1566, and was fined for failing to act as reader in 1588. In 1593 he was knighted and sent to Ireland as Chief Baron.
Judicial career
As a judge Napier was agreed to be a failure. Most English judges found the Irish climate a burden, but most made the effort to perform their duties nonetheless. Napier on the other hand sent back to England a steam of complaints about his health and inadequate salary. He lobbied for a Chief Justiceship in England, and crossed regularly back to England,, on one occasion being nearly shipwrecked off HolyheadHolyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
. In 1600 he went to England for good and refused to return to Dublin; he was suspended in 1601 and replaced the following year.