Sir Thomas Judkin-Fitzgerald, 1st Bt facts for kids
Sir Thomas Judkin-Fitzgerald, 1st Baronet (born 1754; died Cork, 24 September 1810) was an important Anglo-Irish lawyer and a local official. He served as the High Sheriff of Tipperary. In this role, Judkin-Fitzgerald helped to stop the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in his area. He was known for being very strict in how he handled the rebellion.
Early Life and Family
Thomas Fitzgerald was born with the name Thomas Fitzgerald. His father, Robert, had changed his last name to Fitzgerald. Thomas also adopted the name Judkin from his mother's family. His mother was Frances Fitzgerald, whose maiden name was Judkin. Thomas became a lawyer in the county of Tipperary.
His older brother was Colonel Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald. He was a member of Parliament. He served in both the old Parliament of Ireland and the new Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Role in the 1798 Rebellion
Someone who met Judkin-Fitzgerald later in his life described him. They said he was a very strong man. They also noted he was usually gentle but could be very forceful when needed.
Judkin-Fitzgerald was asked to become the High Sheriff of Tipperary in 1798. A High Sheriff was a key official responsible for law and order in a county. He was a loyal supporter of the government. He could speak both Irish and English. His main job was to prevent a rebellion in his county. There were rumors that France might invade Ireland.
He did stop the rebellion, but he used very harsh methods. Sometimes, his accusations were not very strong. Because of this, several people later sued him. One person was a French teacher named Wright from Clonmel. Wright was treated very severely. He later won a lawsuit against Judkin-Fitzgerald for five hundred pounds. Judkin-Fitzgerald had accused Wright partly because of a short letter in French. This letter was found to be harmless when translated.
After special meetings, the Parliament passed a law to protect Judkin-Fitzgerald. This law was called an indemnity act. It meant he could not be sued for his actions during the rebellion. There was a lot of debate and criticism about this law. Despite the criticism, he received a pension. On August 5, 1801, he was also given a special title, a baronetcy. This title meant he was a "Sir."
Family and Later Life
Judkin-Fitzgerald married Elizabeth Capel. They had three sons together. His eldest son, John Judkin-Fitzgerald (1787-1860), inherited his father's baronetcy. John also served as High Sheriff of Tipperary in 1819. He was also the mayor of Cashel. John died in a shipwreck involving the PS Nimrod.
His younger sons were Joseph Capel Judkin-Fitzgerald (1789-1840) and Robert Uniacke Judkin-Fitzgerald (1792-1812). Robert was an officer in the 32nd Regiment. He died during the Battle of Salamanca.
