Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Netterville, Richard
NETTERVILLE, RICHARD (1545?–1607), Irish lawyer, born about 1545, was the second son of Lucas Netterville of Dowth, co. Meath, second justice of the court of king's bench, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Luttrell, of Luttrellston, co. Dublin. With two others he was sent in 1576 by the lords of the Pale, adjoining Dublin, on a mission to Queen Elizabeth to seek redress from a burden imposed by Sir Henry Sidney, lord-deputy of Ireland, who in a letter to the queen on the occasion of his deputation, gave the following account of Netterville: ‘Netterville is the younger sonne of a meane Family and second Justice of one of the Benches borne to nothinge and yet onelye by your Majestyes Bountye Iyveth in better countenaunce than ever his father did or his elder brother dothe: and notwithstandinge that all he hath he holdeth of your Highnes in Effecte yet is he (your sacred Majestye not offended with so bad a Terme as his Lewdnes deserveth) as sedicious a Varlett and as great an Impugner of English Governement as any this Land bearethe and calls for severe dealing with.’ He and his companions were, as a result of the lord-deputy's letter, arrested and imprisoned for impugning the queen's right to levy cess independently of the parliament or grand council, but, on giving security, were released in August 1577, on account of the plague in the Fleet Prison, and before the close of the year they were pardoned. The cess, the abolition of which was the object of Netterville's mission, was reduced in amount.
In 1585 he was returned to parliament as M.P. for Dublin county. He died on 5 Sept. 1607, and was buried at Donabate, co. Dublin.
He was married to Alison, daughter of Sir John Plunket of Dunsoghly, chief justice of the queen's bench for Ireland, but had no issue. His heir, Nicholas, son of his elder brother John, was father of Sir John Netterville, second viscount Netterville [q. v.]
[Lodge's Peerage, ed. Archdall, iv. 204–6; Oliver Burke's Lives of the Lord Chancellors of Ireland.]