William Sparke

Sir William Sparke (died 1623) was an English-born judge in Ireland, whose memorial can still be seen in St. Audoen's Church, Dublin.

[4] He was an extra justice,[5] appointed to help clear the large backlog of work which had built up (King's Bench was normally the busiest of the Irish Royal Courts, though the Crown generally regarded the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) as more important), and in the hope that, unlike some of his colleagues, he would be willing to go on assize[5] (in the event he proved a diligent assize judge and won praise for his erudition and good service to the Crown).

[4] He attended several sessions of the Parliament of Ireland of 1613–15, to act as legal adviser to the Irish House of Lords, as was customary for High Court judges at the time (Sir John Elliott, Baron of the Exchequer, attended these sessions in the same capacity).

[1] It was Mary who erected the memorial to William, which can still be seen in the North Nave of St Audoen's Church, Cornmarket, Dublin.

[1] The memorial features a pediment and Corinthian columns; Mary is shown kneeling beside William.