William Downes, 1st Baron Downes

Who was William Downes, 1st Baron Downes?

William Downes, 1st Baron Downes PC was one of the leading Irish judges of his time.

Downes was the only son of Robert Downes of Donnybrook and his wife Elizabeth Twigge; he was a grandson of Dive Downes, Bishop of Cork and Ross. He graduated from the University of Dublin, was called to the Bar in 1776 and was elected a member of the Irish House of Commons for Donegal Borough in 1790. He was appointed a judge of the Court of King's Bench in 1792; on the murder of Lord Kilwarden in 1803, Downes succeeded him as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland.

Downes was regarded as "the acknowledged father of the law"; according to Elrington Ball, after the murder of Kilwarden it was generally agreed that only Downes was fit to succeed him. He was one of the few judges whom Daniel O'Connell could not intimidate: at the trial of John Magee for seditious libel in 1813, O'Connell's conduct of the defence was so intemperate that someone said he should have been prevented from speaking; Downes said drily that he regretted not having prevented O'Connell from practicing.