Christopher Barnewall

He is remembered for building Turvey House, where he sheltered the future Catholic martyr Edmund Campion, for his impressive tomb in Lusk Church, and for the eulogy to him in Holinshed's Chronicles, which was written by his son-in-law Richard Stanyhurst.

He was the effective leader of the Anglo-Irish landowners of the Pale, who were opposed to the Court party, which supported the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney.

[3] Barnewall assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition, concentrating his assault on the composition of the House, which he alleged had been "packed" with Crown supporters; in particular he objected to the presence of certain English members who represented boroughs where they did not live, and which in many cases they had never even visited.

He brought a legal challenge to the validity of the House's composition, but although the judges ruled in his favour on two technical points, he was not successful in excluding the absentee members, and Sidney was able to get his program of legislation through Parliament without serious difficulty.

James Stanyhurst was also involved in sheltering Campion, which suggests that despite their sharp political rivalry, he and Barnewall were prepared to cooperate on certain issues.

His widow Marion, who remarried Sir Lucas Dillon, commissioned an impressive tomb for her "first and loving husband", dated 1589, which still exists.

Holinshed's Chronicles[7] contains a remarkable tribute to Barnewall; the warmly personal tone is explained by the fact that it was written by Richard Stanyhurst, who knew Barnewall all his life and married his daughter Janet: the lantern and light as well of his house as of that part of Ireland where he dwelt, who being sufficiently well furnished with the knowledge of the Latin tongue as of the common law of England, was zealously bent on the reformation of his country; a deep and a wise gentleman, spare of speech and therewithal pithy, wholly addicted to gravity....very upright in dealing, measuring all his affairs with the safety of conscience, as true as steel....fast to his friend, stout in a good quarrel, a great householder....of nature mild, rather choosing to pleasure where he might harm than harm where he might pleasure.Barnewall married Marion Sherle, daughter of Patrick Sherle of Shallon, County Meath; she inherited the estate of Shallon from her brother John.