Constantine Phipps (Lord Chancellor of Ireland) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Constantine Phipps
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
In office 1710–1714
Personal details
Born	1656 Reading, Berkshire
Died	1723
Alma mater	St. John's College, Oxford
Occupation	lawyer

Sir Constantine Henry Phipps (1656–1723) was an English lawyer who became the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. This was a very important job, like being the chief judge and legal advisor. His time in office was full of political disagreements, and many people wanted him removed. His family later became important nobles, known as the Earls of Mulgrave and Marquesses of Normanby. His cousin, Sir William Phips, was a famous Governor of Massachusetts.

Growing Up and Becoming a Lawyer

Constantine Phipps was born in Reading, England, in 1656. He was the third son of Francis Phipps and Anne Sharpe. Even though his family said they were "gentry" (a high social class), they didn't have much money. Constantine was lucky to get a free education at Reading School.

His uncle, James, moved to Maine in America. James's children, including William (who later became the Governor of Massachusetts), were born there. Constantine was very smart and won a scholarship to St. John's College, Oxford in 1672.

After college, he studied law at Gray's Inn in 1678 and became a lawyer in 1684. He was a very talented lawyer. In politics, he was a strong supporter of the Tory party. He was also thought to be a Jacobite, meaning he supported the old royal family (the Stuarts) instead of the current King. This made his career harder.

He became known for handling important political trials. For example, he helped defend Sir John Fenwick in 1696. Fenwick was accused of being part of a plot against King William III. Later, in 1710, Phipps became famous for defending Henry Sacheverell. Sacheverell was a preacher accused of giving an angry sermon. Phipps's good work in this case made Queen Anne notice him and like him.

Becoming Lord Chancellor of Ireland

In 1710, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Richard Freeman, sadly died. Queen Anne chose Constantine Phipps to take his place. Phipps arrived in Ireland in December and quickly got caught up in the many political arguments happening in Dublin.

He was also made a Lord Justice of Ireland, sharing power with Richard Ingoldsby. This meant he was a key part of the government in Dublin. As a strong Tory, he tried to fill local councils with people who shared his political views. This caused big problems in Dublin. A Whig (the opposing political party) was elected as Lord Mayor of Dublin, but the government refused to accept him. For two years, Dublin had no proper leader.

Unpopular Decisions

Phipps made other choices that made him unpopular. For example, there was a play called Tamerlane that people usually performed on November 5th. This date celebrated King William III's arrival in England in 1688. In 1712, the government ordered that a certain part of the play, which was seen as too political, be left out.

A young man named Dudley Moore went on stage to read the missing part anyway. A fight broke out, and Moore was charged with causing a riot. Many people thought this was an overreaction. The case was about to be dropped when Phipps gave a speech to the Dublin city council. He talked about the disorder in the city and mentioned Moore's case. People thought he was trying to influence the trial.

Another incident involved Edward Lloyd, a bookseller. Lloyd published a book about the "Old Pretender" (who was a Jacobite leader). Lloyd was charged with publishing something that could cause rebellion. But Phipps stepped in and stopped the case. He did this because Lloyd was poor and seemed to have published the book just to make money, not for political reasons. However, many people saw this as more proof that Phipps was secretly helping the Jacobites.

Phipps also tried to stop the yearly parade around the statue of King William III in College Green. He thought it caused too much trouble. These actions made him even more disliked. In 1713, there was a rumor that the new leader of Ireland, the Duke of Shrewsbury, would only take the job if Phipps was fired.

Facing Opposition

In the 1713 election, Phipps tried to make sure the Tories won most seats. But the new House of Commons was very much against him. He was also blamed for a riot during the Dublin election. By 1714, he was at the center of every debate.

The House of Commons asked the Queen to remove him from his job. But the House of Lords supported him, saying he was loyal to the Queen and the Church. When Queen Anne died in August 1714, the problem was solved. The new King, George I, simply fired all of Queen Anne's judges in Ireland, including Phipps.

Later Life

After being dismissed, Phipps was mostly left alone. His last years were peaceful. In 1715, he spoke at the trial of George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton, who was accused of treason during a rebellion. However, the judge told him off for speaking without permission.

In 1723, he helped defend Francis Atterbury, a Bishop accused of treason. But Phipps died shortly after, on October 9th, at Middle Temple. He was buried in White Waltham in Berkshire, England. A sculptor named William Palmer created a monument for him.

Family Life

Constantine Phipps married Catherine Sawyer. Her grandfather, Sir Robert Sawyer, was a very important lawyer who worked for King Charles II. He was also the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Constantine and Catherine had eleven children, but many of them died young. Their son, William, and daughter, Catherine, survived. Catherine married Colonel Henry Ingoldsby, who was a Member of Parliament for Limerick.

William Phipps married Lady Catherine, who was the granddaughter of King James II. Their son was Constantine Phipps, 1st Baron Mulgrave. Later generations of their family became the Earls of Mulgrave and Marquesses of Normanby. One of his descendants, also named Constantine Phipps, became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1835 to 1839. Unlike his ancestor, he was very popular with the Irish people.

What People Thought of Him

It's hard to decide what kind of person Constantine Phipps was. People disagreed about him when he was alive, and historians still do. Some historians thought he was foolish and self-important. They believed his strong political views caused problems and stopped the government in Dublin from working.

However, other historians praised Phipps. They said he was a talented and fair man who truly tried to calm political and religious fights in Ireland. He was a very good lawyer and wanted to make legal cases cheaper and faster. Some even think this made other lawyers dislike him!

While he sometimes made poor political choices, he truly believed in his ideas. His beliefs were not more extreme than many people at the time. The fact that he stayed as Lord Chancellor for four difficult years, even with two different leaders against him, shows he had some political skill. He was partly to blame for the problems in Dublin's government, but he wasn't entirely responsible. He had friends, too, and important writers like Jonathan Swift and George Berkeley spoke well of him.