Winchester.
[It may be added, that much information respecting both Roger
Outlawe and the trial of Alice Kyteler would be found in the
interesting volume published by the Camden society in 1842,
under the editorship of Mr. Wright, entitled _Proceedings
against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for Sorcery in 1324_.]
Your correspondent H. T. ELLACOMBE asks who this Roger Outlawe was, and
expresses his surprise that a prior of a religious house should "sit as
_locum tenens_ of a judge in a law court."
But the words "tenens locum Johannis Darcy le cosyn justiciarii
Hiberniæ" do not imply that Outlawe sat as _locum tenens_ of a judge in
a law court. For this Sir John Darcy was Lord Justice, or Lord
Lieutenant (as we would now say), of Ireland, and Roger Outlawe was his
_locum tenens_.
Nothing, however, was more common at that period than for ecclesiastics
to be judges in law courts; and it happens that this very Roger was Lord
Chancellor of Ireland in 1321 to 1325, and again, 1326--1330: again,
1333: again (a fourth time), 1335: and a fifth time in 1339: for even
then, as now, we were cursed in Ireland by perpetual changes of
administration and of law officers, so that we have scarcely had any
uniform practice, and our respect for law has been proportionally small.
Sir John Darcy was Lord Justice, or Lord Lieutenant, in 1322, in 1324,
in 1328 (in which year Roger Outlawe was his _locum tenens_ during his
absence), in 1322, and on to 1340.
Roger Outlawe was Lord Justice, either in his own right or as _locum
tenens_ for others, in 1328, 1330, and 1340, in which last year he died
in office. His death is thus recorded in Clyn's _Annals_ (edited by Dean
Butler for the Irish Archæological Society), p. 29.:
"Item die Martis, in crastino beatæ Agathæ virginis, obiit
frater Rogerus Outlawe, prior hospitalis in Hibernia, apud Any,
tunc locum justiciarii tenens: et etiam Cancellarius Domini
Regis, trium simul functus officio. Vir prudens et graciosus,
qui multas possessiones, ecclesias, et redditus ordini suo
adquisivit sua industria, et regis Angliæ gratia speciali et
licentia."
To this day, in the absence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, _Lords
Justices_ are appointed.