From the Northern Whig, 21 February 1927:
“Although from very early times convenience led Irish barristers to form a voluntary association resembling the English Inns to which they belonged there was no Inn of Court in Ireland when Edward I came to the throne. During his reign, however, an Inn was established in Dublin for the purpose of preserving the subordinate connection of the Irish Bar with the English societies. It was known as Collet’s Inns, and adjoined the courts of Justice, which then stood in the neighbourhood of what is now Exchequer Street. But even at this time the attitude of the native Irish towards the introduction of English laws and customs was not sympathetic. The new Inn had not been very long in existence until, in conjunction with the Exchequer, it attracted the unfavourable notice of the O’Tooles, who were located in the Wicklow Mountains and were almost permanently engaged in plundering the surviving countryside. Accordingly in 1290 when the Deputy and the greater part of the garrison were involved in military manoeuvres elsewhere, this turbulent clan paid an unwelcome visit to the Exchequer. Having destroyed all the public records, they proceeded to raze the building to the ground, and the pile of smouldering debris which was left to mark the scene of the exploit included the ruins of Ireland’s first Inn of Court.
After this calamity, the Courts of Justice were held at Dublin Castle, and subsequently at Carlow, and the Inn was also in an ambulatory condition. In 1358, however, the homeless Society found a friend in Sir Robert Preston, the Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and this worthy gentleman surrendered his noble mansion where the City Hall now stands for an Inn of Court. Anxious to acknowledge the generosity of their patron, the Society adopted the name of Preston’s Inn, and as such was maintained with advantage to the legal profession for nearly two hundred years. The Preston family was honoured with a peerage, and received the title of Viscounts Gormanstown, but they did not inherit their ancestor’s generous interest in the welfare of lawyers, for they soon took steps to recover the property which Sir Robert had vacated. His power to make the grant was disputed, and the result was that the Benchers and lawyers were dispossessed.
The Society was again faced with the problem of finding new quarters, but it succeeded in enlisting the sympathy of another benefactor, this time a no less important person than Henry VIII. The King was a valuable friend, for he had on hands a considerable amount of desirable property which had formerly belonged to monastic bodies, and he obligingly placed the suppressed monastery of St Saviour’s at the disposal of the lawyers. This institution stood on the site which is now occupied by… the Four Courts. In 1542 Henry assumed the title of King of Ireland, and as a compliment to their Royal Patron the Society took the designation of King’s Inns. For the remainder of the century it continued in a very prosperous condition, and many persons of high rank were proud to be associated with it. In 1607 the Lord Deputy, Sir Arthur Chichester, to whom the manor of Belfast had recently been granted, was enrolled, and we are told by a historian that the society was so respectable that Jones, Archbishop of Dublin, and Loftus, Lord Chancellor, became members.
Unfortunately this respectability could not withstand the demoralising influences of the seventeenth century, and the unsettled state of affairs brought about by the civil wars hindered the progress of the institutions, while internal dishonesty wrought havoc on its revenues. There is ample evidence that shameless pilfering took place. Rents which should have found their way into the coffers of the Inn were diverted into the hands of the treasurers, who were often men holding exalted offices under the Crown. Unprincipled under-treasurers owing to lack of opportunity were obliged to confined their attention to the place and the less valuable belongings of the society, but these they embezzled with great zeal.
In spite of the machinations of corrupt officials King’s Inns continued to carry on its usual functions. As well as being an educational establishment it was a centre of social life in Dublin and scions of many noble and distinguished families were to be found in its halls. The records mention that stables were erected for the convenience of students with equestrian tastes, and it is evident from the quantities of wine which appear to have been consumed about this time, that the prandial education of these young gentlemen was not neglected. Perhaps, however, the apparent excesses can be explained by the fact that in addition to students members of the Bench and Bar attended commons, and had also to be catered for. It seems that even the Lord Chancellor, who was perhaps encouraged by the liberal fare, occasionally honoured the proceedings with his presence. But he did not dine without due ceremony, for an idem of £2 10s appears in the accounts ‘for a long cushion for the mace to rest upon.’
At this time, too, a chaplain was always appointed to supervise the spiritual welfare of the Society, and many men renowned for piety and learning, and who subsequently graced the highest ranks in the Church, filled this office. Among other names are to be found those of Dean Swift and Archbishop Ussher. The Inn had allotted to it a number of pews in the neighbouring Parish church of St Michan’s, but it is somewhat doubtful if proper advantage was ever taken of this privilege, for the records show that the keys of these pews were lost, a misfortune which appears to have been borne with complacency.
Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the monastic building, which had been remodelled to suit the requirements of the Society, commenced to fall into disrepair, and in 1742 the site was acquired by the Government for the erection of the Four Courts. In consequence of this the Inn for several decades was without a local habitation, although its usual procedure continued uninterrupted, the dinners for the time being held at the tennis court in Townsend Street.
The lack of suitable premises nevertheless became increasingly inconvenient, and eventually it was decided to purchase from the Rev. Richard Robinson, then Primate of Ireland, a plot of ground at the upper end of Henrietta Street. On this site Lord Chancellor Clare laid the foundation stone of the present building in 1802. Here the Society is still accommodated, and regulates the affairs of the Bar in the Free State. No one passing along Constitution Hill, now a sequestrated thoroughfare of Dublin, can fail to be attracted by this handsome edifice, which stands in the quiet retirement of somewhat neglected grounds… In its stately hall, in which generations of distinguished lawyers have eaten their way to the Irish Bar, the dinners, which are thought to form such an essential part of a barrister’s education, are still served with accustomed solemnity by footmen attired in the picturesque livery of the Society.”
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