John Povey

Sir John Povey (1621–1679) was an English-born judge who had a highly successful career in Ireland, holding office as a Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland during the years 1673–9.

He was born at Woodseaves, Market Drayton, Shropshire, eldest son of John Povey. Thomas Povey, the friend of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, who features often in Pepys' Diary, was his cousin. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, and matriculated in 1636. He entered Gray's Inn in 1638 and was called to the Bar in 1645.

He is first heard of in Ireland in 1658, as counsel to Sir John Barrington, 3rd Baronet, who although he was a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, had refused to sit as one of the judges of Charles I. Povey then went on the Munster circuit, did well at the Irish Bar, and brought his family to live in Ireland. He lived at Nicholas St. in Dublin, and later bought Powerstown House, Mulhuddart.

After the Restoration of Charles II, Povey continued to prosper: James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland thought well of him, while his cousin Thomas was now Treasurer to the future James II. He sat in the Irish House of Commons as member for Swords and was a Commissioner of Revenue Appeals. He was appointed third Baron of the Exchequer in 1663. One of his more notable decisions was to allow the indictment of several persons for abetting murders during the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

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