Thomas Cantock was an Irish cleric and judge who held the offices of Bishop of Emly

Bishop of Emly

The Bishop of Emly was an episcopal title which took its name after the village of Emly in County Tipperary, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1569 and by the Roman Catholic Church until 1718...

 and 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:...

.

O'Flanagan, writing in 1870, complains that a biographer of Cantock is faced with an almost complete lack of information. Not a great deal more is known today. He was English by birth, and may have been a relative of the Roger de Cantock who held the manor of Dyrham

Dyrham

Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.-Location and communications:Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west . It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, about north of Bath and a little south of the M4 motorway...

, Gloucestershire in 1347; the family had earlier connections with Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

. He was sent by King Edward I on a mission to Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 in 1288. He was Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1292–1294 and again from 1306–1308.He was elected Bishop of Emly in 1306. He is known to have acquired lands at Ballyfermot

Ballyfermot

Ballyfermot is a suburb in the city of Dublin.Celebrities such as the famous Furey Brothers and the brilliant Keenan family have all resided in Ballyfermot.Ireland, located 7 kilometres due west from the city centre, and to the south of the Phoenix Park...

 and Chapelizod

Chapelizod

Chapelizod is a picturesque Irish village preserved within the city of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the verdant wooded valley of the River Liffey, on the way to the slopes of the Strawberry Beds, below the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseault's...

in County Dublin. O'Flanagan states that from the little that is known of him he seems to have been popular and hospitable.