John Chevir
John Chevir was an Irish judge and politician of the fifteenth century. He held the offices of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland and Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and was also one of the first recorded Speakers of the Irish House of Commons.
He was born in Kilkenny, a younger son of John Chevir senior, justice of the peace for County Kilkenny. He was the brother of William Chevir who also had a successful, if somewhat turbulent career: William held office as a judge of the Court of King's Bench, Deputy Treasurer of Ireland and Deputy to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
John was studying law at Lincoln's Inn in 1442. A few years afterwards he was acting as legal adviser to James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde, in London. He returned to Ireland before 1450. John and his brother were strong supporters of the Earl of Ormonde's faction, which was one of the two main parties in Irish politics in the 1430s and 1440s. He was appointed Master of the Rolls in 1450; this was then a less important office than it became later, its duties being
administrative rather than judicial. It was clearly a part-time office since he was returned to the Irish House of Commons at the same time and was one of its first known Speakers. The Parliament of 1463 passed an Act restoring to him the mill and watercourse at Esker; this was probably the manor of Esker near Lucan, Dublin, a Crown property which was often leased to public servants for their lifetime. In 1468 he was appointed joint Lord Chief Justice with Sir Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket and became the sole Chief Justice in 1471. He remained in office until his death in 1474. He left part of his estate to his successor in office, Philip Bermingham, who was probably a relation by marriage.
He married Anne Bermingham, who outlived him. Given his unusual surname (which is thought to be the original form of Cheever it is likely that they were the parents of John Chevir, a merchant of Dublin, who in 1479 was one of those permitted by Edward IV to build a chantry at the Church of St. Nicholas Without, Dublin.
