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Robert Luttrell
Chancellor of Ireland
Founder of Luttrellstown?
Ancestor of the Irish Luttrells?
b. ____ d. 1249
In possession of land, at his death, in Castleknock (same area as Clonsilla & Luttrellstown)
Presumed by many researchers to be a
"natural" son or brother of Geoffrey Luttrell*
1226 Treasurer of St. Patrick's Cathedral
1234 - 1244 Treasurer of Ireland
1244 - 1246 Chancellor of Ireland
(Chancellor – highest judicial officer, keeper of the great seal. . . .)
1228 - Dec 13 The King gives full authority to Robert Luttrell, treasurer of St. Patrick's, Dublin, and his clerk, for the responsibilities of the vacant Archbishopric of Dublin. He is given authority and possession of all the wealth of the church.
Dec. 13. 1651. The K commits to Robert Luterel, treasurer of St. Patrick's, Dublin, and Godfrey de Elm, derk, the custody during pleasure of
the vacant archbishopric of Dublin. Mandate to Richard de Burgh to give them seisin of the lands, goods, and chattels of the see.
Westminster. [Close, IS Hen. Ill, m. 18.]
1229 - Jan 14 The King guarantees the authority he has placed in Robert Luttrell and his clerk by indemnifying all who have contracted with them as custodians of the Church's property, for the farming rights to all lands of the church
Jan. 14. 1665. The K. grants that all those who have, during vacancy, taken lands of the archbishopric of Dublin to sow, shall have their portions according to the agreements made between them and Robert Luterel and Godfrey de Elm', custodians of the see. The K. has undertaken that they shall be indemnified.
Windsor. [Pat,
13 Hm. III., m. 10.]
1234-1235 - Ralph Bishop of Chichester, the K.'s chancellor, having committed the execution of his office in Ireland to Robert Luteral, treasurer of St. Patrick's, Dublin, and it being necessary that the latter take share in the K.'s counsels and business, the K. commands Luke Archbishop of Dublin, that in the presence of the justiciary and treasurer he take from Robert an oath to be faithful to the E. and his chancellor, and not to reveal their counsels.
1237 - Aug 22 Robert Luttrell is sent to Nottingham to deliver "Irish treasure".
1237 - Aug. 22. 2402. Mandate to the bailiffs of John Earl of Lincoln, constable of Chester, to cause Geoflfrey de Turville, Robert Luterell, and Hugh
de Legh' to have safe conduct to Nottingham in conveying Insh treasure to the K. Woodstock. [Liberate, 21 Hen. Ill,, m. 3.]
I wonder if Robert visited with Geoffrey Luttrell's English family while there???
https://archive.org/stream/calendardocumen00sweegoog/calendardocumen00sweegoog_djvu.txt
from Sweetman’s Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland
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In 1232 first chancery of Ireland is recognized in patent or close rolls. At the time the office was granted to the Chancellor of England who executed the duties by deputy. . . . Three names of men from earlier years have been found on lists as Chancellors of Ireland but. . .as late as 1215, it may be inferred that no office of Chancellor had been established in Ireland. After the chancery of Ireland is granted to the chancellor of England in 1232 the office of the chancellor of Ireland was executed by the deputy to the chancellor of England.
Ralph de Neville was the chancellor of England in 1232 to whom the chancery of Ireland was committed. Geoffrey de Turville was the first deputy, also appointed in the autumn of 1232. Ball describes him as a “highly trained and able man.” He was also appointed archdeacon of Dublin and bishop of Ossory. In civilian life he was appointed chamberlain of the exchequer and treasurer of Ireland besides deputy Chancellor. “But Robert Luttrell, who succeeded him on his promotion to the office of treasurer in 1234, was not his equal, although he enjoyed the title for a time of chancellor, and he owed probably to his kinship to one of John’s favourites, the founder of the English and Irish houses of Luttrell, his advancement which in the church did not proceed further than to minor dignities.” After two years enjoyment of the title of chancellor, Robert Luttrell was replaced in 1246 by the chancery reformer, Geoffrey de Wulward, a clerk in full orders, who had for many years held office in the chancery of England and had been chosen on more than one occasion to attend the king on his visits to France”.
The Judges in Ireland, 1221-1921 By Francis Elrington Ball
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Apparently, Robert Luttrell was acting in the capacity of Chancellor of Ireland prior to 1244,
as the deputy to Bishop Ralph Neville, Chancellor of England
The Irish chancery was the office of the ‘great seal of the king used in Ireland’. It was a younger institution, being an outgrowth of the English invasion of Ireland that began in the late 1160s. The formal existence of a royal chancery in Ireland can be dated to 1232, when the chancellor of England, Bishop Ralph Neville of Chichester—famous as the man whose palace in London gave
Chancery Lane its name—was granted the chancery of Ireland for life.
Neville performed his duties in Ireland by proxy through one Robert Luttrell, who was continued as chancellor of Ireland on Neville’s death in 1244. Thenceforth, the Irish chancery existed as a discrete institution.
https://chancery.tcd.ie/content/irish-chancery-rolls
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Robert Luttrell had rights to farm, and collect the profits from, land in Castleknock.
"Archbishop Alan tells us that under Archbishop Luke, Richard Gnouessale, Archdeacon of Glendalough held the prebend of Castleknock. We know, in fact, that he was Archdeacon in 1226 and had ceased to be Archdeacon before 1238. Hence we conclude that there was a prebend of Castleknock about 1230. But the prebend did not include the whole of the tithes of the parish. For between 1219 and 1223 the Convent of Malvern granted half of the tithes to the economy of St Patrick's. Moreover this concession was not to take effect till
after the death of Robert Lutterell, the farmer of the convent. Lutterell died shortly before August 1249,
and in that month the instrument of confirmation was sealed by Archbishop Luke.
http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/cathedral_chapter.htm
Ball, in (3) Part VI, "Parish of Castleknock", confirms that Robert Luttrell, treasurer of St. Patrick's Cathedral is the
Robert Luttrell referred to in the information above.
Castleknock included Luttrellstown and Clonsilla (3) F E Ball, "Parish of Clonsilla"
A Robert Luttrell became Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1236 and held this powerful position for ten years. He was also treasurer of
St Patrick's Cathedral and married into the Plunkett family. This was the start of numerous marriage alliances with wealthy
Norman families that resulted in substantial land acquisitions. (17)
(Excerpt from Candle in the Window by Jim Lacey)
Both F E Ball and Maxwell Lyte verify the above from Lacey, except for the "married into the Plunkett family" claim.
Lacey shows no source material for this statement in his book. In the early fifteenth century Genet Luttrell married Walter Plunkett of Bewley. Genet was the daughter of John Luttrell and sister of Robert Luttrell who died in 1437.
* Is this Robert Luttrell a son or brother of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell?
Geoffrey died in 1216 after having purchased the marriage of the second daughter of Hugh de Tuit. It is not known for whom the bride was intended nor her age at the time.
Geoffrey owned property and was in the service of Earl John (King in 1199) in 1194. He married Frethesant Paynell in 1203 and acquired a large estate in Hooton Paynell, Lincolnshire (near Nottingham), England.
This Robert was not the son of Geoffrey and Frethesant.
Geoffrey is first documented to have come to Ireland, on a mission for King John, in 1204. However, he very likely could have, without a historical recording, have accompanied John, Lord of Ireland, Earl of Mortain, to Killaloe, County Clare (Thomond) in 1197 when "Conor, son of Donaldmore, turned against his brother Murchad, King of Thomond, and brought the English into his territory." (23)
If Robert were to have been born in 1205 he would have been 21 when he served as a Treasurer for St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin in 1226.
(Geoffrey often performed similar financial duties - Treasurer, paymaster, etc.- as emissary for King John.)
Robert would have been 10 years old in 1215 when Geoffrey purchased the marriage of the 2nd daughter of Hugh de Tuit. This is probably not unusual as the Tuits were a notable family in Meath/Westmeath. Their ancestor, Richard de Tuit, accompanied Strongbow (Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke) to Ireland in 1172 and was Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1210 at his death.
The age that an Irish son of Geoffrey would be in 1226, as Treasurer of St Patrick's Cathedral, seems to me to be too young for that significant position. A younger brother of Geoffrey, groomed by Geoffrey and known by the King, seems a somewhat more plausible candidate for this Robert. But, of course this is only speculation as there is no documentary evidence of the relationship.
Robert Luttrell, does seem to be the founder of the Luttrellstown Luttrells. He is in possession of land in Castleknock at his death and later Luttrells are recorded to be in possession of the same land, in the area of Clonsilla and Luttrellstown. Sir Geoffrey apparently did not have this land. The only recorded land in Ireland he obtained from the King, and still possessed at his death, was in Thomond in 1215.
After his death, all Sir Geoffrey's land in Ireland was given, by the king (Henry III) to Philip Marc, as well as the guardianship and marriage to his children of Geoffrey's English son and Irish daughter (may refer to the second daughter of Hugh de Tuit whom Geoffrey had obtained guardianship as there is no reference to Geoffrey having a child born in Ireland).
(see "Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, King John and The Sheriff of Nottingham" on the home page or Ireland page).
One other consideration for the possible relationship of Robert and Geoffrey Luttrell. . .
It is known that Geoffrey spent many years in Ireland, and more specifically in Thomond,
where he was awarded a huge, extremely valuable tract of woodlands by King John.
If he had established an Irish family it would not have been uncommon.
and, if that family had a young son that Geoffrey "adopted". . . ?
Was Robert Luttrell an "adopted" son of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell?
Geoffrey may have provided him an education and taught him his trade - record-keeping, accounting, govt. work, politics. . . .
He would not have been a legal heir of Geoffrey's and not subject to being taken under the guardianship of Philip Marc at Geoffrey's death.
Robert Luttrell, being an adopted son of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell could explain his lofty positions in Irish government, and
why he wasn't given titles or advancement in the church like the previous Chancellor, because his father and mother were not wed.
Geoffrey Luttrell, just prior to his death, in Ireland arranged for the marriage of a male to the daughter of Hugh de Tuit" F E Ball
Was this to insure that his "natural" or "adopted" son would enjoy the status of a noble, Irish family?
Robert Luttrell being an adopted son of Geoffrey could also explain why so many present day Luttrells have "Irish Type III" dna
which is known to have originated in Thomond.
Just a thought.
Glenn Luttrell
