Hugh de Burgh (English: /dəˈbɜːr/ də-BUR; died 1352) was an Irish lawyer, Crown official and judge who held the offices of Lord Treasurer of Ireland (1340–44 and 1349–52) and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer (1337–39 and 1344–51),[1] and was praised for his good service to the English Crown and pardoned of accusations of maladministration.
[1] Her mother, Maud of Lancaster, who was a second cousin to King Edward III, used her considerable influence at Court on Hugh's behalf.
[2] Despite the later complaints about his misconduct, he was a professional lawyer and, as such, better qualified for appointment to the Bench than some of his colleagues: the Barons of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) in that era were often accused of being deficient in their knowledge of the law.
[1][5] In 1347, he was accused of misconduct, and a commission of oyer and terminer, headed by Thomas de Dent, the Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, was set up to inquire into his "oppression".
In 1348, de Burgh went to England to plead his case; presumably, he made a convincing defence of his actions, since he received a royal pardon for any transgressions he had committed.