Luke Netterville

Who is Luke Netterville?

Luke Netterville was an Irish judge. He was father of the statesman Richard Netterville and grandfather of the 1st Viscount Netterville.

He was born in County Meath, son of John Netterville of Dowth and Alison St Lawrence, daughter of Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth. His family had a long association with the law: the first recorded member of the family in Ireland was Nicholas de Netterville, who was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1301. John's cousin and brother-in-law Thomas Netterville was a judge of the Court of King's Bench, and after John's death his widow remarried another judge, Sir Patrick Whyte.

In 1555 Netterville as owner of Dowth was involved in litigation with another High Court judge, Mr. Justice Kerdiff. In 1558 he served on a commission to inquire into the lands held by Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare. The following year he was appointed second justice of the Court of KIng's Bench. In 1560 he sat on a commission to inquire into martial law in Meath, but died the same year.

Some years after his death the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney described Luke in disparaging terms: "but second justice of one of the Benches.. of mean family..born to nothing." " This however was in the course of an attempt to destroy the career of Luke's son Richard, one of Sidney's bitterest enemies, and there is no reason to think his low opinion of Luke was widely shared.