Alan Brodrick, 1st Viscount Midleton facts for kids

Alan Brodrick around 1717

Alan Brodrick, 1st Viscount Midleton (born around 1656 – died August 29, 1728) was a very important Irish lawyer and politician. He was part of the Whig party. He served in the Parliament of Ireland from 1692 to 1715. Later, he was in the British House of Commons from 1717 to 1728. Alan Brodrick was also the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. He even became the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, which was a very high legal position. He was known for being very smart, but also quite hot-tempered. Some people said even the famous writer Jonathan Swift was a bit scared of him!

Early Life and Family

Alan Brodrick was the second son of Sir St John Brodrick. His family lived near Midleton in County Cork, Ireland. His mother was Alice Clayton. Alan's father had received a lot of land during a time called the Protectorate. This meant their family had a lot to lose if land ownership changed in Ireland. Many Roman Catholics had lost their land and wanted it back.

Alan studied at Magdalen College at Oxford University. He also trained to be a lawyer at the Middle Temple in London. He became a lawyer in England in 1678.

During the Glorious Revolution, Alan Brodrick and his family had to leave Ireland. They were declared enemies by King James II in Ireland. While living in England, Brodrick strongly argued for Ireland to be quickly taken back by the new King, William III.

His Career in Law and Politics

In 1690, Brodrick returned to Dublin. He was given a legal job called Third Serjeant. He also became the main judge for the city of Cork. He lost his Serjeant job in 1692. The reason given was that there was no work for him. Brodrick complained a lot, but he privately agreed the job wasn't really needed.

Brodrick was a strong supporter of the Whig party. He believed in the changes brought by the Glorious Revolution. However, he often disagreed with the government's policies in Ireland. He thought they were too easy on those who supported King James II. Despite this, Brodrick often held important government jobs in Ireland. He hoped to lead the Parliament of Ireland for the English government.

He represented Cork City in the Irish Parliament from 1692 to 1710. He spoke out against government policies. But then, a new Whig leader, Lord Capell, decided to appoint him Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1695. Brodrick supported laws that were strict against Catholics. At the same time, he also wanted the Irish Parliament to have more power.

Becoming Speaker of the Irish Parliament

Brodrick became the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons on September 21, 1703. He then supported ideas that criticized the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Because of this, he lost his job as Solicitor-General in 1704. He saw his replacement, Sir Richard Levinge, 1st Baronet, as an enemy. Even though Levinge was a calm person and wanted to be friends.

Brodrick became Attorney-General for Ireland from 1707 to 1709. He then became Chief Justice of Ireland from 1710 to 1711. He was replaced as Speaker on May 19, 1710. But he became Speaker again in the next Parliament from November 25, 1713, to August 1, 1714. During this time, he also represented County Cork. In 1713, he bought a large estate in England called Peper Harrow in Surrey.

In 1714, he was made Lord Chancellor of Ireland. In 1715, he was given a noble title in Ireland, becoming the 1st Baron Brodrick. This meant he left his seat in the Irish House of Commons. He continued in the Irish Parliament as a peer (a noble). In 1717, he was given an even higher title, becoming the 1st Viscount Midleton.

The Sherlock v Annesley Case

One of the most famous legal cases during Midleton's time as Lord Chancellor was Sherlock v Annesley. This case seemed like a simple argument between two cousins about land in Kildare. But it brought up a very important question: Which parliament, the Irish or the British, had the final say in legal appeals from Ireland?

The two cousins ended up with different orders from the two parliaments. Each order said one of them had the right to the land. When the judges of the Irish Court of Exchequer followed the order from the British Parliament, the Irish Parliament put them in prison! Midleton, even though he was hot-tempered, tried to calm things down. He advised against imprisoning the judges.

Putting the judges in prison was a big mistake. The British Parliament reacted by passing a law called the Dependency of Ireland on Great Britain Act 1719. This law, known as the "Sixth of George I," did two things. It took away the right to appeal to the Irish House of Lords. It also said that the British Parliament had the right to make laws for Ireland. This law greatly reduced the independence of the Irish Parliament until 1782.

In the British Parliament

Midleton had a rivalry with William Conolly, who became Speaker after him. They both wanted to be the most important person in Irish politics. To make his position stronger, Midleton decided to join the British House of Commons. He was elected without opposition as a Member of Parliament for Midhurst in 1717.

He first supported Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland. But they fell out in 1719 over a law about noble titles. Midleton opposed this law. He was then ignored until Sunderland died in 1722. Midleton was re-elected for Midhurst in 1722. He became a strong supporter of the government in the House of Commons. He was even invited to private dinners with Sir Robert Walpole, a very powerful politician. He spoke for the government in 1722. He also got back his job as one of the Lord Justices (Ireland), who governed Ireland when the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was away.

Wood's Halfpence

In 1723, Midleton returned to Ireland. There, he became involved in a long argument about a special permission (a patent). This patent allowed a man named William Wood to make £108,000 worth of copper coins for Ireland. The Duchess of Kendal, who was King George I's main mistress, had sold this patent to Wood. Midleton was against this coinage.

The new coins, called "Wood's Halfpence," became very unpopular in Ireland. The Church of Ireland leaders opposed them. The famous writer Jonathan Swift also attacked them in his "Drapier Letters." Even though the patent was eventually cancelled, Midleton was so upset that he resigned as Lord Chancellor in 1725. He then joined the opposition in the Irish Parliament.

Midleton left behind a lot of bad feelings. The Irish nobles blamed him for losing their powers under the "Sixth of George I" law. They did not blame their own mistake of imprisoning the judges. Midleton was re-elected as an MP for Midhurst in 1727.

Later Years

Midleton led the opposition in the next session of the Irish Parliament. But then he let others take the lead. In his writings, he said he was very disappointed. He felt he had lost to another rival, Adam Montgomery.

Alan Brodrick died on August 29, 1728.

Family

Lord Midleton was married three times. His first wife was Catherine Barry. They had a son named St John Brodrick, who died before his father. His second wife was Lucy Courthorpe. They had his second son and heir, Alan, who became the 2nd Viscount Midleton. They also had another son and a daughter. His third wife was Anne Hill. She was the widow of Michael Hill. They did not have any children together.

Personality

Everyone who knew Midleton agreed he was very talented and smart. But he was also known for being arrogant, hot-tempered, and speaking very strongly. Even his closest friends said he was "too passionate." Jonathan Swift, who was not always gentle himself, called Midleton "as violent as a tiger".