Barnaby Skurloke or Skurlog facts for kids

Barnaby Skurloke (born around 1520, died about 1587) was an important lawyer in Ireland during the mid-1500s. He held a very important job called the Attorney General for Ireland. He was the first person to be called by that exact title. For a short time, he was also the temporary top judge, known as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Later in his life, he started to disagree with the government's rules and was even put in prison because of it.

Who Was Barnaby Skurloke?

Barnaby Skurloke came from Bective, County Meath, in Ireland. His family name, Skurloke, is an old version of the name Sherlock. The Skurlock family originally came from Wales. Some of them moved to Ireland with a famous knight named Strongbow in the 1170s. The Skurlocks in Ireland mostly lived in an area called Meath. They even gave their name to a place called Skurlockstown! We don't know much about Barnaby's parents. However, a leader named Sir Henry Sidney said in 1577 that Barnaby's father and grandfather had bought a lot of land. His father was probably the Barnabas Skurlock who received land in Meath in 1529.

Barnaby's Career as a Lawyer

Barnaby went to a famous law school in England called Lincoln's Inn. After finishing his studies, he came back to Ireland to work as a lawyer. In 1554, Queen Mary I made him the Attorney General for Ireland. This was a very important job, as he was the government's chief lawyer. He was the first person in Ireland to use this specific title.

When Elizabeth I became Queen, Barnaby was given the job of Attorney General again. He also worked for a short time as the top judge, the Lord Chief Justice, until a permanent person was chosen. However, he was soon removed from both of these important jobs. People later said he was dismissed because he wasn't doing his job well and was sharing government secrets he shouldn't have. Some people think that losing these jobs made him upset and led him to later oppose the government.

By 1560, the government, especially the leader of Ireland, Lord Deputy Sussex, thought Barnaby was a troublemaker. Barnaby often spoke out against a special tax called cess. This tax was collected to pay for soldiers in a part of Ireland called the Pale. Even though he opposed this tax, Barnaby was still respected by many. Sir Henry Sidney, who was often against Barnaby, said that Barnaby had become very rich while he was Attorney General.

Despite his disagreements with the cess tax, Barnaby was still seen as a valuable lawyer. In 1564, he was part of a group that helped enforce special military rules in Meath. In 1567, he was involved in renewing the lease for the King's Inn, which was a place where lawyers worked and studied. In 1576, the top judge of Ireland, Sir William Gerard, said Barnaby was one of the most experienced lawyers in the country. He was even called "one of the Queen's learned counsel," meaning he was one of the Queen's trusted legal advisors. Around this time, Barnaby became quite ill and was described as "aged and sickly." At 56 years old, he was considered quite old for that time.

Barnaby's Family

Barnaby Skurloke married the daughter of another important judge, Sir John Plunket. They had at least two sons. One son was named Oliver, who owned the Skurlockstown manor. The other son was Walter, who became the Attorney General for a region called Connaught from 1601 to 1613. There was another Barnaby Scurlock who gave up his land in 1622 and then got it back. This person was probably the grandson of the older Barnaby.

What Was Barnaby Like?

People described Barnaby Skurloke as "learned, modest and discreet." This means he was smart, humble, and careful in his actions. However, his enemy, Lord Deputy Sidney, admitted that Barnaby had "credit and influence," meaning he was respected and had power. But Sidney also called him a man who had grown "old and crafty," and someone who spoke "undutiful speech," meaning he sometimes spoke disrespectfully to authority.