‘Badge of servitude’? The Irish at England's inns of court

Abstract

Abstract:From 1542 until 1885 any person wishing to practise at the Irish bar was obliged by law first to attend an inn of court in London. The unionist Edward Carson is said to have described the requirement as ‘one of the badges of servitude of the Irish nation’. This paper offers an overview of the long relationship between the four English inns of court and Ireland, charting its impact by reference to the number and types of persons attending them and highlighting individuals who were admitted there. The paper contextualises the related role of King's Inns, Dublin, as well as the political developments that formed a backdrop to the presence of Irish people at the inns of court in London. Given the prominent role of lawyers in Irish political life, the requirement had an impact well beyond the legal sphere.