Robert Dillon

Sir Robert Dillon of Riverston ( – 1597) was an Irish lawyer, judge, and politician. He came from a family with a distinguished record of judicial service. He pursued a successful career as a judge, which was, however, dogged by accusations of corruption and other serious wrongdoing, of which the worst was that he had falsely condemned Nicholas Nugent, another judge and rival, to death. Sir Robert Dillon, the subject of this article, must not be confused with an earlier Sir Robert Dillon of Newtown (c. 1500 – 1579), his grand-uncle, who was also Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. Birth and origins Dillon was born about 1540, probably at Riverston, County Meath, the eldest son of Thomas Dillon and his wife, Anne Luttrell. His father was the eldest son of Sir Bartholomew Dillon, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. His father's family comprised many holders of judicial offices and was well-connected. The Dillons were Old English and descended from Sir Henry Dillon who came to Ireland with Prince John in 1185. His mother was a daughter of Sir Thomas Luttrell, who was Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.