Anthony Foster

Prior to his appointment to the Bench, he represented the family constituency of Dunleer in the Irish House of Commons from 1738 to 1761 and subsequently County Louth from 1761 to 1767.

As a member of Parliament he worked hard to promote the interests of the manufacturers of Irish linen;[3] there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of his belief in this cause (it fits well with his known interest in the improvement of agriculture), although Elrington Ball rather cynically notes that his support for the linen manufacturers brought him rich rewards, including a gold box.

As an orator (which was a much-prized skill among the Irish public figures of his time) he was badly thought of, being described as "slow, sleepy and charmless".

[4] He built an impressive country seat, Collon House, which was much added to by his eldest son and heir, John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel.

Foster was not regarded as the most outstanding lawyer on the Irish Bench in his lifetime, but it has been argued that he was its most gifted member overall, with his wide-ranging interests in law, politics, trade and agriculture.