180:. The Chancellor took a serious view of the matter and ordered Power to appear personally before him to account for his conduct, in language calculated to cause Power the maximum embarrassment. Power strongly objected to the order, saying that it was beneath his dignity to answer to another judge, particularly one who though technically senior to him in rank had not even been called to the Bar when Power became a judge (the two men had already clashed at the FitzGerald trial in 1786, where the Chancellor had been
120:, but his manner was notably eccentric. His speeches in Parliament were often so emotional and so badly phrased that they provoked derisive laughter from his critics. His theatrical manner led the wits to nickname him "Don Riccardo". He was described as "morose, very learned, rich and ostentatious". He became second Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer in 1772.
151:
His highly successful career came to a tragic end in 1794, due to his alleged misconduct as
Accountant-General of the Court of Chancery, a post to which he had been appointed in 1763, and which he continued to hold after he became a judge. This office entitled him to have personal charge of all funds
171:
on the sum due to him. The sum was estimated at £3000, a small fortune at the time. Power declined to pay the interest, saying that the claimant was only entitled to the principal, and that as
Accountant, he was entitled to retain the interest. The claimant appealed to the
196:). The fear of professional disgrace, which would inevitably be followed by his removal from the Bench, is believed to have preyed on his mind to the point where he became mentally unstable. A wild rumour went round the town that he had tried but failed to
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225:. FitzGibbon was accused by his enemies of driving Power to the fatal act, but the Chancellor's friends insisted that there was strong evidence that Power had acted improperly, and that he was the author of his own downfall.
184:). The Chancellor was inflexible and gave Power just five days to appear before him. Rumours began to circulate that Power had accumulated his considerable fortune by improperly retaining other funds in a similar fashion.
143:(as was Brecknock), although Power had some doubts about the conduct of the prosecution's case, and clashed in open Court with counsel for the prosecution, John Fitzgibbon, thereby making a powerful enemy for the future.
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the Lord
Chancellor. The story seems to have no foundation in fact, but the fact that it was told at all is an indication of the state of Power's mental health at the end of his life. He was found drowned in the
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Power had always been eccentric (his opponents in the House of
Commons had accused him of talking in the House like a "Bedlamite" i.e. a
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in about 1733, one of the three sons of John Power of
Barretstown and Elizabeth Congreve, daughter of the Reverend John Congreve of
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Baratariana- a select collection of fugitive political pieces, published during the administration of Lord
Townshend in Ireland
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221:, which was forbidden to those who wilfully took their own lives). No contemporary doubted that it was actually a case of
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He was an excellent and careful judge. Probably the most notable trial he presided at was of the eccentric landowner
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53:. In his role as Accountant-General, he was accused of illegally enriching himself, and the resulting charge of
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Whether by honest means or not, he had acquired a large fortune, which passed to his nephew. He never married.
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50:
139:, Patrick Randall McDonnell, with whom he had a long-standing quarrel. FitzGerald was found guilty and
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A lengthy lawsuit having concluded concerning the administration of the property of the widowed
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Members of the
Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Monaghan constituencies
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Members of the
Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Galway constituencies
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recorded a verdict of accidental death (thus entitling him to a
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from 1768 to 1772. He was a highly intelligent man and an able
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from 1767 to 1772, and was then appointed a Baron of the
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lodged in the Court of
Chancery in pending lawsuits.
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209:early in 1794: legend had it that he carried an
37:of the late eighteenth century. He sat in the
213:on his last journey to keep himself dry. The
77:and Rebecca Jones, and granddaughter of the
167:of Court, the successful party claimed the
108:He entered the House of Commons as MP for
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257:Cambridge Dictionary of Irish Biography
255:Geoghegan, Patrick M. "Power, Richard"
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157:Anna Eliza Brydges, Duchess of Chandos
361:Irish politicians who died by suicide
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238:The Annual Register for the Year 1794
57:led to his death by suicide in 1794.
16:Irish politician, barrister and judge
97:in 1768. He was granted an honorary
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127:, who, together with his law agent
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178:John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare
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381:Politicians from County Tipperary
29:–1794) was an Irish politician,
356:Suicides by drowning in England
244:The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921
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1:
351:Barons of the Irish Exchequer
331:Lawyers from County Tipperary
23:
326:Members of the Middle Temple
81:army officer and politician
43:Court of Exchequer (Ireland)
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182:counsel for the prosecution
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131:, was charged in 1786 with
112:in 1767, and sat as MP for
89:in 1752, was called to the
51:Court of Chancery (Ireland)
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174:Lord Chancellor of Ireland
366:18th-century Irish judges
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125:George Robert FitzGerald
45:. He was also Usher and
252:3rd Edition Dublin 1797
246:London John Murray 1926
39:Irish House of Commons
336:Irish King's Counsel
163:and had been made a
133:conspiracy to murder
103:University of Dublin
341:Irish MPs 1769–1776
242:Ball, F. Elrington
47:Accountant-General
129:Timothy Brecknock
85:. He entered the
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219:Christian burial
99:doctorate of law
67:County Tipperary
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83:Oliver Jones MP
75:County Kilkenny
65:He was born in
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20:Richard Power
309:Ball p.162-3
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203:River Liffey
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93:in 1757 and
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346:1794 deaths
118:pamphleteer
79:Cromwellian
27: 1732
320:Categories
297:Ball p.227
288:Ball p.217
159:, who was
55:corruption
207:Irishtown
105:in 1769.
95:took silk
91:Irish Bar
31:barrister
211:umbrella
169:interest
147:Disgrace
137:attorney
110:Monaghan
71:Kilmacow
232:Sources
223:suicide
215:inquest
194:lunatic
188:Suicide
101:by the
49:of the
198:murder
161:insane
141:hanged
61:Career
263:Notes
35:judge
165:ward
114:Tuam
33:and
205:at
135:an
322::
302:^
271:^
176:,
73:,
24:c.
22:(
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