William Meade (Irish judge)

William Meade (died after 1611) was an Irish lawyer and judge of the Elizabethan era who held office as Recorder of Cork. He was a popular but controversial public figure who was accused, with good reason, of leading an abortive revolt against the English Crown in 1603: as a result he was tried for treason but acquitted. Soon afterwards he fled from Ireland and died in exile in Italy.

The Meade family, who were originally called Meagh or Miagh, had by the late sixteenth century become one of the most influential families in the city of Cork, and were prominent in both law and politics. John Meade, an earlier Recorder of Cork, was the ancestor of the Meade Baronets; William apparently belonged to another branch of the same family, although little seems to be known of his parents.

William is first heard of in London studying law at the Middle Temple in 1580. His open adherence to the Roman Catholic faith, at a time when religious tensions between England and the Catholic powers, in particular France and Spain, were rising, brought him to the attention of the authorities. Together with a number of other Irish students, he was arrested and interrogated, and his chambers were searched for seditious materials. This caused something of a panic among other Irish law students in London: those of them who like Meade inclined to the Roman Catholic faith felt it wiser to absent themselves from their studies for a time.

Presumably William was able to convince the Crown of his loyalty, since he was called to the Bar and returned to practice in Cork. When he was appointed Recorder of Cork he must, to have qualified for the office, have sworn the usual oath acknowledging Elizabeth I as Head of the Church of Ireland.

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