Richard Talbot (Irish judge)

[1] Richard's mother, like his wife, belonged to the Burnell family, who were Lords of the Manor of Balgriffin and Castleknock, and had a long tradition of judicial service.

[1] This meant that among his other duties, he was responsible for the upkeep, maintenance, and supply of pure water in the River Dodder, which flowed through his lands.

[2]In 1560 Elizabeth imposed the Oath of Supremacy on her Irish office holders, requiring them to recognise her as Head of the Church of Ireland.

Nugent was a hot-tempered and quarrelsome man who had been notorious for brawling in his student days; his loyalty to the English Crown was deeply suspect, and he was eventually executed for treason, a unique fate for an Irish judge.

It may be that Castle Chamber, which was generally regarded as being much less effective than its English counterpart, was reluctant to penalise men of such high social standing, whatever their alleged misdeeds.