Arthur Corye

Arthur Corye (died 1597) was an Irish barrister who held office as Serjeant-at-law (Ireland) from 1594 until his death.

Our one personal glimpse of him is contained in a letter from the Privy Council of Ireland to Sir Robert Cecil after his death. The letter makes it clear that Corye had been so incompetent in prosecuting cases on behalf of the English Crown, especially in revenue and exchequer matters, that the Treasury of Ireland had suffered severely from his neglect of duty.

As so often under the Tudor dynasty, the Council's remedy was the appointment of an English lawyer to replace him. The letter notes that the Solicitor-General for Ireland, Roger Wilbraham, who was English by birth, was the only Law Officer who did his work competently; he was praised as one who "hath taken more care and pains than all the rest". While the Crown on some occasions complied with such requests, Corye was replaced instead by another Irish lawyer, Edward Loftus.

Sources

• Hart, A. R. History of the King's Serjeants at law in Ireland Four Courts Dublin 2000
• Smyth, Constantine Joseph Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland Butterworths London 1838