Christopher Palles
UCD Library Special Collections holds the Christopher Palles Collection.
The Collection
- The Christopher Palles Collection consists of books and journals of a legal nature from the 17th to early 20th century.
- The collection is most useful for the study of Irish legal history for this period.
- It was donated to UCD by William Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, in 1921 and formed the basis of UCD’s Law Library at that time.
- Items in the collection published before 1850 can be accessed in Special Collections.
- Enquire at the Information Desk on Level 2 of the James Joyce Library for items published after 1850.
Biographical History
- Christopher Palles (1831-1920) was born in Dublin and was a renowned Irish judge.
- He was educated in Clongowes and Trinity and later in the King’s Inns Dublin and Gray’s Inn London. He was called to the bar in 1853.
- In 1872 he was appointed by Gladstone as Solicitor General for Ireland and later that year to the post of Attorney General in Ireland.
- Palles was interested in politics and supported the Liberal Party. He contested a by-election in 1872 against a Home Rule candidate and a Conservative which split the Catholic vote and resulted in a win for the Conservatives.
- He was regarded as controversial due to his support for the Home Rule Party and his failure to support Cardinal Cullen in his denunciation of non denominational universities.
- In 1874 he was appointed the senior judicial post of Chief Baron of the Exchequer Division.
- He was on the bench for forty-two years and was regarded a judge of the highest standard.
- In 1909 Palles was involved in the establishment of the National University of Ireland and UCD.
- He retired from the bench in 1916 at the age of 85 and died in Dublin in 1920.
Access and Use
- The material in this collection is available by appointment to students, teaching staff, and independent researchers. We also welcome interested members of the public.
- Please contact us at (opens in a new window)special.collections@ucd.ie for further information. To book an appointment (opens in a new window)click here.
More Information
Find material in the collection:
- Use (opens in a new window)The Library Catalogue to key in Palles
- When you get a results screen select Special Collections from Location option in the left panel
Consult Delany, V.H.T. (1960) Christopher Palles, Dublin: Figgis, shelved on Level 2 at 340.092/PAL/D
Find information on Christopher Palles in the (opens in a new window)Dictionary of Irish Biography (UCD only).
Find information on Christopher Palles in the (opens in a new window)Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (UCD only).