Thomas Plunket (Chief Justice)
Sir Thomas Plunket (c.1440–1519) was a wealthy Irish landowner, lawyer and judge in fifteenth-century and early sixteenth-century Ireland. He held office as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. After the change of monarchy in 1485 his loyalty to the new Tudor dynasty was deeply suspect, and he was involved in two attempts to put a pretender on the English throne. On each occasion he was disgraced, fined and removed from office; yet he had sufficient influence to ensure his return to favour and high office.
He is principally remembered as the builder of the impressive Dunsoghly Castle, at Finglas, which still exists. He should not be confused with his uncle, Sir Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket.
He was born in County Meath, the only son of Sir Robert Plunket, who served briefly as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1447, and his wife Genet Finglas. Sir Robert was the fourth of the seven sons of Sir Christopher Plunket, who married the Cusack heiress and was created 1st Baron Killeen in about 1426. Thomas was "bred to the law": his uncle Thomas was also Lord Chief Justice, and his family produced six senior judges over four generations.
By 1480 Thomas had become a very wealthy man. He held extensive lands in County Dublin at Castleknock, Cabra and Finglas. It has been suggested that his father began the building of the main family residence, Dunsoghly Castle at Finglas, but the weight of the evidence points to Thomas as the sole builder. Dunsoghly today is one of the few fifteenth-century Irish castles to remain intact, and the only one whose original timber roof survives.
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