Nicholas Nugent facts for kids
Nicholas Nugent (born around 1525, died 1582) was an important judge in Ireland long ago. He worked for the government but was later accused of treason (being disloyal to the ruler) and was hanged. Before this sad end, he had a very successful career. He held important jobs like Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer, and even Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. However, his career was ruined when his nephew, William Nugent, started a rebellion, and Nicholas was accused of helping him.
Early Life and Career
Nicholas Nugent was born between 1525 and 1530. Like many judges in Ireland at that time, he came from an important Anglo-Irish family in an area called the Pale. His father, Sir Christopher Nugent, passed away in 1531. Nicholas's mother, Marian St Lawrence, later married two more times, including to John Parker, who was also a senior judge.
Nicholas married Janet Plunket. Her father, Sir John Plunket, was the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Nicholas and Janet had one son named Richard. Nicholas also became the guardian of his stepdaughter, who was also named Janet. This younger Janet was very wealthy. Nicholas decided she should marry his nephew, William. The marriage happened, but only after William caused a stir by taking her without permission.
Nicholas began studying law at Lincoln's Inn in 1558. Another future judge, Sir Robert Dillon, was there at the same time. They became enemies early on. In 1560, they were even told by the school to stop fighting! Nicholas also had a fight with another student, John Talbot, who attacked him with a sword.
His career faced another challenge when he joined a protest against a tax called the cess. Many landowners didn't like this tax, which was set by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney. Nicholas was suspended from his job twice in 1577–78 and even put in prison. But he got his job back after he agreed to follow the rules. This protest didn't make people doubt his loyalty much, because many other important lawyers also disagreed with the tax. Even the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Sir William Gerard, thought the tax might be a bad idea. Gerard thought highly of Nicholas and recommended him for the Chief Justice job in 1580. But just over a year later, his nephews' actions led to his downfall.
Both of his nephews were suspected of not being loyal to Elizabeth I. One nephew, Lord Delvin, later died in prison. The other, William, was eventually pardoned, but it was too late to save Nicholas. Both nephews were thought to be helping the rebellion led by James Eustace, 3rd Viscount Baltinglass. When William was not included in a general pardon after the rebellion, he started fighting. Nicholas's old enemy, Sir Robert Dillon, who had wanted the Chief Justice job himself, went to London. He convinced the Queen's government to suspend Nicholas from his job and put him on trial for being a suspected traitor. People in Ireland thought Dillon did this out of jealousy.
Trial and Execution
The Lord Deputy, Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, saw his job as mainly a military one. Because of this, Nicholas Nugent's trial for treason was handled in a very unusual way. Some historians say it looked like "martial law" (military rule). The trial happened in Trim, not Dublin, supposedly for convenience. Lord Grey chose a special group of judges to help him. This group included Sir Robert Dillon, his cousin Lucas Dillon, and Richard Segrave, who had taken Nicholas's old job. These men were chosen because they knew Nicholas personally, which is very different from how judges are chosen today. However, Nicholas did get a trial by jury like normal.
At that time, the law usually needed two witnesses to prove treason. But at Nicholas's trial, only one person, John Cusack, said that Nicholas knew about and encouraged William's rebellion. Nicholas, like others accused of treason in Ireland back then, was not allowed to have a lawyer. But since he was a very skilled lawyer himself, this might not have been as hard for him as for someone else. He defended himself with great energy. He accused Robert Dillon of paying Cusack to lie (commit perjury). It seems much of the trial was spent with Dillon defending himself against these accusations. To make the evidence stronger, Lord Grey claimed that Nicholas had privately admitted his guilt to a royal clerk.
Whether the judges had already decided Nicholas was guilty or not, they seemed to have little doubt about what the jury should decide. Later reports said the jury wanted to find Nicholas not guilty. But the judges worked very hard to make them convict him.
Nicholas was found guilty, along with another person named Edward Cusack. He was hanged in Trim on April 13, 1582. There were claims that the jury was forced by the judges, which was probably true. Historians say that until the 1670s, it was common for judges to pressure a jury to find the "right" verdict (meaning guilty). Also, the jury would have known that the government could punish them if they found someone innocent when there was strong evidence of guilt.
Aftermath
A story quickly spread that Robert Dillon said at the hanging: "Friend Nugent, I am even with you now for coming between me and my place." This meant Dillon was happy to get back at Nicholas for taking the Chief Justice job he wanted. Historians doubt if he really said this, but the fact that the story was told shows how much unease the case caused. Another reason for concern was that Edward Cusack, who was found guilty with Nicholas, was later fully pardoned. Many people saw this as a quiet admission that Nicholas might have been innocent. Also, Nicholas's lands, which had been taken by the government, were later given back to his son Richard.
A few years later, the Lord Deputy of Ireland suggested that only English judges should be appointed in Ireland. He thought Irish-born judges made decisions based too much on family or local loyalties. Roger Wilbraham, who became Solicitor General for Ireland soon after the trial, thought Robert Dillon's actions at Nicholas's trial were shameful. However, he argued that those who served the Queen well should not be punished too harshly for anything less than a very serious crime. Sir Robert's cousin Lucas Dillon did not face serious punishment for his part in Nicholas's death. This was mainly because the Queen had always liked him, and she soon brought him back into her favor.
Legacy
Historians say that Nicholas Nugent's fate was unique. Two other judges were executed in London in 1660 for treason against Charles I. But Nicholas was the only time the government in Ireland executed one of its own judges.
It's hard to say for sure if Nicholas was truly guilty of treason, or even of a lesser crime called misprison of treason (knowing about treason but not reporting it). The verdict made many people uneasy because the evidence was weak and the judges seemed biased. The Queen's government had rewarded Nicholas well, so it's hard to see why he would want to rebel. However, he and his nephew William were close. It's possible he knew about William's plans. Even if he didn't approve, this could still make him guilty of misprision of treason. But many people at the time strongly believed he was completely innocent.
