John Challoner

John Challoner MP (c. 1520-1581) was the first Secretary of State for Ireland, appointed by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1560. As well an being an important English administrator in Dublin Castle, he had sat at different times as a Member of Parliament in both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Ireland.

Background

John Challoner was born around 1520 to Margaret Myddleton and Roger Challoner (c. 1490-1550), who came from the Brythonic Challoner family of northern Wales. Roger Challoner was a London silk merchant who lived at St Mary-at-Hill Street, Billingsgate. A courtier, Roger was also a Gentleman-Usher of the Privy Chamber to King Henry VIII of England, a Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer, and a Freeman of the City of London through his membership of the Worshipful Company of Mercers; it is recorded that he obtained the fishing rights of Galway City in 1538. Roger died in 1550 and was buried in the main body of the Church of St Dunstan-in-the-East. One of Roger's sons, Sir Thomas Chaloner, settled in Guisborough, northern England, while his two remaining sons, John and Francis Challoner, settled in Ireland.

John Challoner was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1541 and had begun a career by 1547 in the English-ruled outpost of Calais, on mainland France, as an auditor. This was a turbulent time in the history of Calais, which was retaken by the French in 1558. It seems that Challoner held his office in Calais throughout much of this period, but was not always resident.

He is is believed to have been a Member of Parliament in the Parliament of England in 1555, possibly for the constituency of Calais.

Career in Ireland

The first reference to John Challoner in Irish records appears in 1551 when he was granted Lambay Island off the coast of Dublin. A condition of the lease was that he build a town for fishermen and a fortification on the island to defend against pirates. It was described in the 1830s as 'a curious old polygonal residence, with battlements and spike holes': it lay just to the south of the 19th-century Edwin Lutyens designed residence, but was completely demolished in 1837. Challoner appears to have spent the early 1550s moving between Dublin, London, and Calais before settling permanently in Dublin.

He was the Mayor of Dublin between 1556 and 1557. During his time in office, the native Gaelic Kavanagh clan of Carlow raided Dublin, the seat of English rule in Ireland. Challoner armed a civic militia in defence of Dublin with "several pieces of ordnance and a hundred and fifty fire arms" which he had imported at his own expense from Spain. He was reputedly offered a knighthood by the Lord Deputy, the Earl of Sussex in recognition, but turned it down, saying: "No my Lord, it will be more to my credit and my posterity's to have it said that John Challoner served the Queen upon occasion, than to say that Sir John Challoner did it." The Kavanaghs and their supporters were driven out of Dublin and captured at Powerscourt Castle, after which they were brought back to Dublin and 74 were executed. He seems to have remained an Alderman on Dublin Corporation up until the time of his death.

He was elected a Member of Parliament in Ireland for Dungarvan for the legislative session which convened on 12th January 1560.

In 1560 Challoner was appointed as the English Crown's Secretary of State for Ireland by Queen Elizabeth, an office which was later incorporated into the office of Chief Secretary for Ireland until its abolition in 1922. As Secretary, Challoner's role also included that of Keeper of the Royal Signet and membership of the Privy Council of Ireland. In 1563, he wrote to his English counterpart Lord Burghley asking to be relieved of the office in favour of his own brother Francis, as he wanted to concentrate on developing silver and gold mining on Lambay; but he stayed on until his death in 1581 when he was replaced by Sir Geoffrey Fenton. He had applied to become Irish Master of the Rolls in 1564, and despite making it to a final shortlist of four candidates, was beaten to the post by Henry Draycott.

Mining is known to have occupied a great deal of Challoner's attention. In addition to attempting to mine on Lambay Island, he also tried to expand his interests in mines in Castleknock, Clonmines, and Clontarf. It is not known how succesful he was in these enterprises, but progress at Lambay was retarded by a lack of wood for smelting: attempts to ship wood from Cumberland to Lambay for that purpose fell through. In 1563, French pirates raided Lambay Island taking all they could of John Challoner's fortune, worth some £300. Ultimately, despite an annual salary of £50 as Secretary of State (including an additional 10s. a day while on the Queen's business), his heir found he had left debts of over £1000.

It has been argued that during Challoner's time as Secretary of State he did not become an independent and powerful Secretary, like Lord Burghley did in England, failing to fulfil the office's more political potential. Lord Deputy Sussex may have initially nominated Challoner to the office because of his experience as an auditor in Calais, as Sussex particularly burdened Challoner with the collection of the Cess tax, restricting Challoner's opportunity influencing for the Irish Privy Council. Likewise, during Sir Henry Sidney's tenure as Lord Deputy, Sidney's own personal secretaries (especially Edward Waterhouse) assumed control over affairs of state which should have come under Challoner's remit as Secretary of State.

Family

John Challoner was married to a woman by the name of Elizabeth (who had died by 1585) and they had one son, Thomas Challoner. Thomas Challoner was married to Rose Ussher, the great-granddaughter of the Catholic martyr Blessed Margaret Ball, and was very likely the same Thomas Challoner who was killed in Connacht during a 1589 uprising by the Mac William Íochtar Burkes. Thomas had two two sons with Rose Ussher (who died 1624), John and Luke Challoner.

Sir Thomas Chaloner (1521-1565), John's brother, was a noted Elizabeth ambassador and statesman who gave rise to the Chaloners of Guisborough. His descendants include: Sir Thomas Chaloner (1559-1615), tutor to Henry, Prince of Wales; Thomas Chaloner (1595-1661) and James Chaloner (1602-1660), regicides of King Charles I of England in 1649; Sir William Chaloner, 1st Baronet (1587-1641); Richard Chaloner, 3rd Baron Gisborough (1927-present); and also Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (1982-present).

John Challoner's other brother Francis had three sons: Nicholas, Robert and Luke Challoner. Nicholas and Luke died without male issue, and it is unclear whether Robert's children were male or female. Dr. Luke Challoner was one of the three founding fellows of Trinity College, Dublin in 1592, and Pro-Chancellor of the College between 1612 and his death in 1613. Luke Challoner was the father-in-law of Archbishop James Ussher, Primate of All Ireland, and would give his name to the small graveyard in the grounds of Trinity College where he is buried, Challoner's Corner.