Robert Gardiner (Chief Justice)

[1] He was the son of William Gardiner, a substantial yeoman farmer who held lands at Hartest and Shimpling in Suffolk, and his wife Alice, widow of a Mr Ling.

[2] There is reason to think that his practice was not particularly large: Chief Justice Wray, in recommending him for promotion to the Irish Bench, admitted that he "was not so much occupied as diverse others of smaller learning".

[1] Queen Elizabeth, who despite their occasional quarrels, had great trust in Gardiner, sent him to Ireland as Lord Chief Justice in 1586 with exceptional powers to review the operation of the Courts of Common Law.

His appointment was strongly endorsed by Sir Christopher Wray, his counterpart as English Lord Chief Justice, who described him as "learned, wise, of good discretion and courage".

[1] Irish politics at the time was dominated by the feud between the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, and his opponents, who were led by Adam Loftus, the Archbishop of Dublin.

In addition, his judicial duties were so heavy- for a time he was effectively in charge of three of the four Irish High Courts- that in 1592 Sir William FitzWilliam, the Lord Deputy, while refusing to allow him to retire, as he was too "wise, prudent and useful" to be spared, voiced concerns about the burden he was carrying.

[2] He resolved to live a peaceful private existence, but his public career was by no means over, since the new King James I found him as dependable a royal servant as Queen Elizabeth had.

His three children by Anne all died young; most of his estate passed to a grandnephew, Gardiner Webb, who lived until 1674, having married a daughter of Sir Martin Stuteville of Dalham Hall.

[1] Francis Bacon thought highly of Gardiner, urging one of his successors as Lord Chief Justice to follow the example of his "constancy and integrity".