Richard Segrave facts for kids
Richard Segrave (born around 1540, died 1598) was an important Irish judge. He is mostly remembered for being involved in the trial of another judge, Nicholas Nugent. Nugent was the only Irish judge ever found guilty of a serious crime against the government that had appointed him.
Early Life and Family
Richard Segrave was the son of Patrick Segrave, who led a well-known landowning family from Killegland, which is now Ashbourne, County Meath. His mother was Joan Beg. An earlier Richard Sydgrave, who was a top judge in Ireland in the 1400s, was one of his ancestors.
Richard was still young when his father passed away in 1552. He later went to Gray's Inn in 1560, which was a famous place in London where people studied to become lawyers.
The Trial of Nicholas Nugent
In 1578, Richard Segrave became a judge in the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). This happened after Nicholas Nugent, another important judge, was temporarily removed from his job.
A few years later, in 1582, Nicholas Nugent was back in his position. However, he was then accused of being involved in a rebellion led by his nephew, William Nugent. Richard Segrave was one of three judges chosen to oversee a special trial for Nicholas Nugent in Trim, County Meath.
This trial caused a lot of concern at the time. People worried because the government did not bring forward two witnesses, which was usually required for such serious trials. There were also concerns that some of the judges, especially Sir Robert Dillon, were not fair because they had a long-standing disagreement with Nugent.
It's not known if Richard Segrave personally disliked Nugent. However, Segrave had gained his judicial position when Nugent was first removed from office. Also, Segrave was close to Robert Dillon; in fact, Segrave's son later married Dillon's daughter. At that time, judges were sometimes chosen for trials because they knew the people involved, which is very different from how judges are expected to be completely fair and unbiased today. Some people also believed that the jury was pressured to find Nugent guilty, which was sometimes common in serious trials back then.
Nicholas Nugent was found guilty. This whole event caused such a stir that the government in Dublin later thought about only having English-born judges in Irish courts. They wondered if Irish judges could always be fair.
Later Life
Richard Segrave passed away in 1598 and was buried in Ashbourne. He was married twice and had a son named Patrick Segrave. Patrick also became a judge, like his father, but he was later removed from his position.
