Christopher Sibthorpe

Sir Christopher Sibthorpe (died 1632) was an English-born lawyer who had a distinguished career in Ireland as a judge and politician, and was also a religious writer of some note.

[4] Christopher matriculated from the University of Cambridge and entered the Middle Temple in 1584, but was expelled in 1588 for "unorthodox" i.e. Puritan, beliefs.

[5] This was probably an unfair judgement, as his move to Ireland was apparently not his own choice, but was due to the Crown's desire to make use of his services, which they valued highly.

[2] He was sent to Ulster as a judge of assize almost every year and acquired a great knowledge of the political workings of the province.

[2] He was frequently asked to arbitrate in disputes between settlers and the original inhabitants of the province during the Plantation of Ulster.

[5] His attitude to Catholic barristers like Everard (whose admission to the Inns he opposed) remained uncompromising, especially where they managed to evade taking the Oath of Supremacy, "which they so greatly dislike and refuse" as he noted,[5] and he continued to oppose the admission of Catholics to the Irish Bar.

[3] The John Sibthorpe who is listed as a member of the King's Inns in 1622 was no doubt a relative of Christopher and Robert, possibly a brother of Lucy.