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Walter de la Haye
Sir Walter de la Haye or de Haye (died after 1309) was an English-born statesman and judge in Ireland of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, who served for many years as Sheriff of County Waterford and as Chief Escheator of Ireland, and briefly as Justiciar of Ireland.
He was a man of great ambition, with a passion for acquiring land, but he was also a conscientious official who was held in high regard by the English Crown, which protected him from accusations of corruption. He was also accused of unduly high-handed behaviour as Escheator, in particular taking property into the King's hands for insufficient cause. He became a substantial landowner in two Irish counties. He had children, but his descendants seem to have died out within a couple of generations.
He first appeared in Ireland in 1271–2 as an attorney, who acted for one of the justices of the English Royal Courts, and was later appointed custodian of the Archdiocese of Dublin. The whole of his career was spent in Ireland.
He became High Sheriff of County Waterford in 1272 and served in that office until 1284, receiving several official commendations for his diligence in performing his duties, He was knighted in 1281 or 1282. He was invited to attend the coronation of King Edward I in 1274. He became Constable of Dungarvan Castle in County Waterford and also Constable of King John's Castle, Limerick. He became a landed proprietor in Ireland: he was granted the manor and castle of Kilmeadan, County Waterford by the Justiciar of Ireland, Robert d'Ufford, in 1285. He was made custodian of the city of Waterford, in return for an annual payment to the Crown. He also acquired an estate at Knocktopher, County Kilkenny, in the early 1290s, through marriage to the widowed Alice Le Bret.
He became Chief Escheator of Ireland in 1285, with special authority to negotiate with the Gaelic clans within his bailiwick. He also had more mundane tasks, such as the inquisition he held at New Ross in 1292 into the hotly disputed question of the ownership of a cargo of wine on the merchant ship The Alice of Harwich. He was clearly diligent in performing his role as Escheator, if somewhat slow: at least two cases he dealt with were still at hearing in 1307, only a few years before his death. As Escheator, though rarely accused of corruption, he was accused of acting in ignorance of the truth, as in the la Rochelle case, and of being too willing to take lands into the King's hands, without regard to the rights of others.
His possession of substantial landed estates in Counties Waterford and Kilkenny, and his increasingly central role in Government, led to a clash with the le Poer family, whose power in the south-east of Ireland was growing steadily. The conflict led him to arrest and imprison the principal troublemaker of the family, Robert le Poer, on an unspecified charge. It may well have been the le Poers, aided by the Bishop of Emly, William de Clifford, who brought charges of corruption and "oppression" (the latter was a rather vague concept) against Haye in connection with his office of Escheator. The charges principally turned on his alleged harsh treatment of Crown tenants, whom he was accused of crippling financially with exorbitant rents. These were linked to similar but more credible charges against the Treasurer of Ireland, Nicholas de Clere (or Nicholas le Clerk) and his brother William, who had also quarrelled with Bishop de Clifford.
Haye went to England in 1290 to answer the charges against him and was completely exonerated. King Edward made clear his high regard for Haye, and his belief that as Escheator he had acted in the best interests of the Crown, especially in the matter of Crown rents. Edward did tactfully suggest that Haye should spend less time sending lengthy and time-consuming reports about Irish affairs back to England.
The unfortunate Nicholas de Clere, on the other hand, was arrested on similar charges of corruption, and spent his last years in prison, having failed to have proven his innocence to the King's satisfaction, and unable to pay off his massive debts to the Crown. De Clere's brother William was also imprisoned briefly, but later restored to royal favour.
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Walter de la Haye
Sir Walter de la Haye or de Haye (died after 1309) was an English-born statesman and judge in Ireland of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, who served for many years as Sheriff of County Waterford and as Chief Escheator of Ireland, and briefly as Justiciar of Ireland.
He was a man of great ambition, with a passion for acquiring land, but he was also a conscientious official who was held in high regard by the English Crown, which protected him from accusations of corruption. He was also accused of unduly high-handed behaviour as Escheator, in particular taking property into the King's hands for insufficient cause. He became a substantial landowner in two Irish counties. He had children, but his descendants seem to have died out within a couple of generations.
He first appeared in Ireland in 1271–2 as an attorney, who acted for one of the justices of the English Royal Courts, and was later appointed custodian of the Archdiocese of Dublin. The whole of his career was spent in Ireland.
He became High Sheriff of County Waterford in 1272 and served in that office until 1284, receiving several official commendations for his diligence in performing his duties, He was knighted in 1281 or 1282. He was invited to attend the coronation of King Edward I in 1274. He became Constable of Dungarvan Castle in County Waterford and also Constable of King John's Castle, Limerick. He became a landed proprietor in Ireland: he was granted the manor and castle of Kilmeadan, County Waterford by the Justiciar of Ireland, Robert d'Ufford, in 1285. He was made custodian of the city of Waterford, in return for an annual payment to the Crown. He also acquired an estate at Knocktopher, County Kilkenny, in the early 1290s, through marriage to the widowed Alice Le Bret.
He became Chief Escheator of Ireland in 1285, with special authority to negotiate with the Gaelic clans within his bailiwick. He also had more mundane tasks, such as the inquisition he held at New Ross in 1292 into the hotly disputed question of the ownership of a cargo of wine on the merchant ship The Alice of Harwich. He was clearly diligent in performing his role as Escheator, if somewhat slow: at least two cases he dealt with were still at hearing in 1307, only a few years before his death. As Escheator, though rarely accused of corruption, he was accused of acting in ignorance of the truth, as in the la Rochelle case, and of being too willing to take lands into the King's hands, without regard to the rights of others.
His possession of substantial landed estates in Counties Waterford and Kilkenny, and his increasingly central role in Government, led to a clash with the le Poer family, whose power in the south-east of Ireland was growing steadily. The conflict led him to arrest and imprison the principal troublemaker of the family, Robert le Poer, on an unspecified charge. It may well have been the le Poers, aided by the Bishop of Emly, William de Clifford, who brought charges of corruption and "oppression" (the latter was a rather vague concept) against Haye in connection with his office of Escheator. The charges principally turned on his alleged harsh treatment of Crown tenants, whom he was accused of crippling financially with exorbitant rents. These were linked to similar but more credible charges against the Treasurer of Ireland, Nicholas de Clere (or Nicholas le Clerk) and his brother William, who had also quarrelled with Bishop de Clifford.
Haye went to England in 1290 to answer the charges against him and was completely exonerated. King Edward made clear his high regard for Haye, and his belief that as Escheator he had acted in the best interests of the Crown, especially in the matter of Crown rents. Edward did tactfully suggest that Haye should spend less time sending lengthy and time-consuming reports about Irish affairs back to England.
The unfortunate Nicholas de Clere, on the other hand, was arrested on similar charges of corruption, and spent his last years in prison, having failed to have proven his innocence to the King's satisfaction, and unable to pay off his massive debts to the Crown. De Clere's brother William was also imprisoned briefly, but later restored to royal favour.
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