page_title: John Parker (Irish judge)
section_title: Dispute with  the Earl of Sussex
hierarchical_section_title: John Parker (Irish judge) / Dispute with  the Earl of Sussex
context_page_description: John Parker was an English-born merchant, politician and judge in Tudor Ireland. He held the offices of Constable of Dublin Castle and Master of the Rolls in Ireland; to obtain the latter office was a notable achievement for a man who began his career as a cloth-maker and had no legal qualifications which would fit him for judicial office. He also sat in the Irish House of Commons in the Parliament of 1560. As a politician he was noted for leading the opposition to the Earl of Sussex, the Lord Deputy of Ireland.
context_section_description: Parker's  later  years were overshadowed by his  bitter quarrel with the  Lord Deputy, Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex. Initial relations between the two men  seem to have been friendly enough: Parker entertained Sussex at  Holmpatrick Abbey soon after the latter's arrival in Ireland, and they went together on an expedition against Shane O'Neill the next year. By 1562 however their mutual hostility was a major factor in Irish politics. Sussex's policies, particularly his levying of taxes, had aroused much opposition in the Pale (i.e. the four eastern counties  which were under secure English rule).   Parker,   despite being English himself, emerged as one of the leaders  of  "the gentlemen of the Pale"   and used his judicial authority to declare that Sussex had exceeded his legal powers. Sussex in turn accused Parker of disloyalty to the Queen and of being the  author of a scurrilous book vilifying him.
  Another source of contention was religion: Sussex, who had originally been  appointed  Lord Deputy by the devoutly  Catholic Queen Mary I, was   a very lukewarm Protestant: his first  royal commission  from Mary had included an injunction to suppress all  Irish  heretics and Lollards, and Parker,  as an extreme Protestant  reformer, had been obliged to seek a royal pardon for  his recusancy. After the accession of Elizabeth I, with the  Protestant reformers once more  dominant, Parker in turn accused Sussex of a lack of religious zeal.
  Parker's    complaints against Sussex eventually caused the Queen to set up a Commission of Inquiry; the Commissioners were Sir Thomas Wroth and Sir Nicholas Arnold. Both of the Commissioners  were like Parker  strong Protestants,  but  unlike Parker they were  not entirely  unsympathetic to Sussex. The result of the inquiry was Sussex' recall to England, which he had been pressing for himself. Sussex developed a deep grievance against Arnold  and later tried to impeach  him, but  without success.  The Commissioners praised Parker for his religious zeal: whether this might have led to further career  advancement is unknown, since he died the same year.
caption: Thomas Radclyffe, Earl of Sussex: Parker became  his chief enemy in Irish politics
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