William Downes, 1st Baron Downes

William Downes, 1st Baron Downes PC (1751 – 3 March 1826) was one of the leading Irish judges of his time,who heldoffice as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Downes was the second son of Robert Downes (1708-1754)of Donnybrook Castle, Dublin,MP forKildare,and his wife Elizabeth Twigge, daughter of William Twigge, also of Donnybrook; he was a grandson of Dive Downes, Bishop of Cork and Ross and his fourth wife Catherine Fitzgerald. TheDownes familycame originally from Thornby, Northamptonshire. He was related to the influential Burgh and Foster families and, through his FitzGeraldgrandmother,to the Earl of Kildare.He had an elder brother Dive, who took holy orders; Dive died in 1798.Their father died when William was only three.

He graduated from the University of Dublin, was called to the Barin 1776 and was elected a member of the Irish House of Commons for Donegal Borough in 1790. He was appointed a judge of the Court of King's Bench in 1792; afterthe murder of Lord Kilwarden in 1803, Downes succeeded him as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dublin1806-1816.

Lord Chief Justice

Downes was regarded as "the acknowledged father of the law".The low opinion held of him by his predecessor asLord Chief Justice, John Scott, 1stEarl of Clonmell, who called him "cunning and vain",can be disregarded, as Clonmelldislikedand despised mostof hisjudicial colleagues and wasnever fair to them.In general Downes was respected for his integrity, although his manner was stern and intimidating, and it was said that henever laughed.According to Elrington Ball, afterthe deathof Kilwarden it was generally agreed that only Downes was fit to succeed him. He was one of the few judges whom Daniel O'Connell could not intimidate. At the trial of John Magee forseditious libel in 1813, O'Connell's conduct of the defence was so intemperate that another barrister said that he should have been prevented from speaking; Downes said drily that hepersonally regretted not having prevented O'Connell from practicing law in the first place. On the other hand,Downes did let O'Connell speakin defence of his client at great length, and was severely criticised by the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Sir Robert Peel, for so doing.

He took asevere view of any form of judicial misconduct. In 1803 the author of a series ofscurrilous letters attacking the Government under thepen name Juverna was exposed as Robert Johnson,a justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). Downes drove hardfor his prosecution and conviction on the charge ofseditious libel and his enforced retirement from the Bench. When Johnson tried to evade prosecution Downes had him arrested, telling him sternly that his attempt to evade justice was as great a crime as thelibel itself.

He retired in 1822; despite hisconsiderable age, and the fact that he had neither wife nor children, he accepted a peerage, and was createdBaron Downes, of Aghanville in the King's County, with a special remainder to his cousin Ulysses Burgh. Ulysses was thegrandson of William'saunt Anne Downes, whohad married Thomas Burgh. Hesucceeded Williamas second and last Baron Downes. Williamlived at Booterstown, County Dublin.

When he died he was buried in St Anne's Church, Dublin next to his judicial colleague William Tankerville Chamberlain (died 1802), whohad been his inseparable friend for many years: "their friendship and union was complete...and now by the desire of the survivor they lie together in the same tomb" according to the epitaph.