William Tankerville Chamberlain
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William Tankerville Chamberlain (25 June 1751 – 12 May 1802) was an Irish judge of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He was highly praised by his contemporaries for his ability and integrity, but his reputation has suffered as a result of his conduct as a judge at the trial for treason of William Orr, which is widely regarded as a grave miscarriage of justice.
Wife and children
Chamberlain was born in Dublin, the son of Michael Chamberlain, counsellor-at-law, and his wife Deborah Roberts, an heiress who was described as "charming and accomplished". He attended St. Bees School in West Cumbria, matriculated from the Trinity College Dublin in 1769 and took his degree of Bachelor of Arts there in 1774.[1] He entered the Middle Temple in 1775 and was called to the Bar in 1779.[2]
He married Lucy Boyd, eldest daughter of Higatt Boyd of Rosslare House, Rosslare Harbour, and his wife Amy Phillips, and had at least six children:
- Higatt, who died in infancy,
- Michael, an army officer.
- William junior (died 1821).
- Charles, a diplomat who spent part of his career in South America and part in Spain. Charles had an only son, the third William Tankerville Chamberlain (1824–1842), who joined the Army but died in India, aged only 18.[3] Charles died in 1845: his last will and testament is in the National Archives.[4]
- Amy (died 1849), who married in 1807 the Reverend Crinus Irwin, Archdeacon of Ossory, by whom she had two sons, John Lewis and Lewis Chamberlain (a Captain in the Royal Scots Fusiliers), and four daughters, including Lucy, Elizabeth and the younger Amy (died 1852), who married her cousin Tankerville Chamberlain, counsellor-at-law.[5] Several of her children are buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery.
- Sophia, who married Henry Archer.[6]
He lived mainly at Churchtown, Dublin.
Career
To advance his career Chamberlain joined the well-known political club, the Order of St. Patrick or the Screw, whose members called themselves The Monks of the Screw. He sat in the Irish House of Commons as member for Clonmines, but though he was noted for his wit and talent, he did not have much reputation as a politician.[2]
He was appointed a justice of the Court of Common Pleas in 1793 and was transferred to the Court of King's Bench the following year. He sat on the Special Commission to deal with the Rebellion of 1798.
Last years
His health was poor: he called himself "a martyr to the gout".[2] He died in 1802, aged only 51. He was buried in St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street. His widow moved to England: she died at Bath in 1831.