Exchequer of Ireland

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For the present-day government fund, see Central Fund (Ireland).

The Exchequer of Ireland at work during the 15th century.

The Exchequer of Ireland was a body in the

Act of Union 1800, which incorporated Ireland into the United Kingdom, the Exchequer was merged with the English Exchequer in 1817 and ceased to function as an independent body, although the Irish Court of Exchequer
, like other Irish courts, remained separate from the English equivalent.

History

The Exchequer of Ireland was formed in 1210, when

Act of Union 1800.[4]

The "Red Book of the Irish Exchequer" (so-called by analogy with the English

Magna Carta Hiberniae, destroyed in the 1922 Four Courts explosion.[5]

For much of its history it was based in

Anglo-Irish government. However, Carlow was raided and burnt by the Irish clans of Leinster at least three times. As a result, the Exchequer moved back to Dublin for a time in the 1360s and eventually the entire administration returned there in 1393.[6]

Procedure

Court hearings were held before the

Pipe Rolls, which recorded the revenues and debts owed to The Crown.[9]

Officials

Superior Exchequer

Main article: Court of Exchequer (Ireland)

The Superior Exchequer, occasionally known as the Irish Exchequer of Pleas, had a variety of officers. At its head was the

Barons of the Exchequer of Ireland; the Lord Chief, second and third Barons.[12] The Lord Chief Baron was the most senior judge, sitting in all cases and hearing all nisi prius actions alone.[13] Outside of the judiciary, the Auditor-General was tasked with entering all grants of land and records of rent, as a result being an officer of both the Superior and Inferior departments of the Exchequer. In this, he was assisted by the Surveyor-General, who kept records of all Crown lands, and the Remembrancers, who took the oaths of people pursuing a case.[14]

The Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877 merged the Four Superior Courts into one High Court of Justice in Ireland, with the Court of Exchequer becoming its Exchequer Division. This division was abolished in 1897, although the last Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer retained his title until retiring from the High Court of Justice in 1916.

Inferior Exchequer

The officers of the Inferior Exchequer included the Lord High Treasurer, who in practice rarely acted, and his deputy the Vice-Treasurer, who as a result did most of the work. The Treasurers were in charge of all of The Crown's revenue in Ireland, signing and approving all orders accepting money and paying it out. They were assisted by the Teller or Cashier, who actively collected the money, and the

Clerk of the Pells, who logged the Teller's receipts.[15] The Treasurers were accountable for their revenues to a Commission, established by Great Britain, which consisted of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland, the Lord High Chancellor, the Lord Chief Baron and the other two Barons of the Irish Exchequer.[16] These Commissioners were expected to make an annual review, and also inspected other bodies, such as the Board of Works and the Board of Ordnance.[17]

References

  1. ^ Howard (1776) p.2
  2. ^ Howard (1776) p.3
  3. ^ Howard (1776) p.7
  4. ^ H. (1932) p.159
  5. ^ Crooks, Peter (2015). "Exporting Magna Carta: Exclusionary Liberties in Ireland and the World". History Ireland. 23 (4): 14–17. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  6. ^ Otway-Ruthven A.J A History of Medieval Ireland Barnes and Noble reissue New York 1993 pp. 287, 309-10, 324
  7. ^ Howard (1776) p.5
  8. ^ Howard (1776) p.4
  9. ^ Howard (1776) p.6
  10. ^ Howard (1776) p.9
  11. ^ Thomas (1848) p.150
  12. ^ Howard (1776) p.10
  13. ^ Howard (1776) p.11
  14. ^ Howard (1776) p.13
  15. ^ Howard (1776) p.25
  16. ^ Howard (1776) p.27
  17. ^ Howard (1776) p.28

Bibliography

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