John Giffard, or Gyffard (died after 1396) was an English-born lawyer and cleric in Ireland in the late fourteenth century, who served briefly as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.
He was appointed Keeper of the Writs in the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland),[1] which was then based in Carlow, and held the position until 1391 when he was replaced by Thomas Gower.
In 1383 Giffard spent more than two months in County Down administering the Court's business, and was awarded an extra payment of 40 shillings.
[4] He was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) in 1396 but Elrington Ball tells us that he was removed from office a few days later, for unknown reasons.
It is unclear whether he had any connection with the Irish branch of the ancient Giffard family of Devon, who acquired the title Earl of Halsbury.