Robert Dillon

Sir Robert Dillon ( – 1579) of Newtown near Trim was an Irish judge of the Tudor era. He served as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas for more than twenty years, despite repeated calls for his removal on the grounds of age and ill health. Birth and origins Robert was born at the end of the 15th century, the third son of Sir James Dillon of Riverstown, County Meath, and his wife Elizabeth Bathe. His father was Baron of the Court of Exchequer. His mother was a daughter of Bartholomew Bathe of Dollardstown Castle, Athy, County Kildare. Robert was "bred to the law": Sir Bartholomew Dillon, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, was his elder brother. This Robert Dillon must not be confused with Bartholomew's grandson Sir Robert Dillon (died 1597), who became Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas a year after his grand-uncle's death. The confusion is understandable since their judicial careers overlapped to a large degree, and as Kenny (1992) points out the records of the King's Inns for the relevant period do not always make it clear which Robert Dillon is being referred to.