Richard Netterville facts for kids

Richard Netterville (born around 1540, died 1607) was an important Irish lawyer and politician. He lived during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for being brave enough to disagree with the government, especially about taxes. Because of this, he was put in prison several times.

Early Life and Education

Richard was born in a place called Dowth in County Meath, Ireland. He was the second son of Luke Netterville, who was a judge. His mother was Margaret Luttrell. The Netterville family had owned land in County Meath for a very long time, even before the year 1280.

Richard's father died in 1560. Since both his father and grandfather were judges, and Richard was a younger son who needed to earn a living, becoming a lawyer was a clear choice for him. He studied law in London at the Inns of Court in 1561–1562. While there, he and other Irish law students wrote a book about problems with how the government ruled a part of Ireland called the Pale. By 1564, he had returned to Ireland to start his law career.

Challenging the Government

Netterville was not afraid to speak up against the government's leaders, even after being imprisoned. He often disagreed with the Queen's representative in Ireland, called the Lord Deputy.

The Parliament of 1585

Richard Netterville continued to challenge the government, especially the new Lord Deputy, Sir John Perrot. Perrot had big plans to change the laws in Ireland during the 1585 Irish Parliament. Netterville was chosen to be a member of the Irish House of Commons for County Dublin. He became one of the main leaders who opposed Perrot's plans.

Netterville and his group stopped Perrot's ideas at every chance they got. They even asked to see Perrot's financial records, which made Perrot very angry. Perrot complained that it was like giving an account to children. In return, Perrot had Netterville and some of his friends put in prison. However, Perrot still could not get his law changes approved by Parliament.

Family Life

Richard Netterville was married to Alison (also called Alice) Plunket. Her father was Sir John Plunket, who was a very important judge called the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Richard and Alison did not have any children. After Richard died, his property went to his nephew, Nicholas Netterville, 1st Viscount Netterville.