Marmaduke Coghill

Marmaduke Coghill (1673–1738) was a member of Parliament for Dublin University, judge of the Prerogative Court and Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. Biography Coghill was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of John Coghill of Knaresborough, Yorkshire, judge of the prerogative court and one of the masters in chancery. His mother was the daughter of Tobias Cramer, of Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny. Two elder sisters and a younger brother, James, survived infancy. He spent his childhood in Dublin. He occupied a prominent place in the life of Dublin, and was remarkable for his early display of ability. At the age of 14, he entered Trinity College Dublin; at the age of 18 he graduated as a bachelor of laws; at the age of 19 he was returned to parliament; and at the age of 26 he became judge of the prerogative court. In Parliament, from 1692 to 1713 he was a representative of the borough of Armagh, and from 1713 to his death, in 1739, a representative of Dublin University. He was politically close to William Conolly, speaker of the Irish House of Commons, who died in 1729. Upon Conolly's death, he succeeded him as a commissioner of the revenue. Over the following years, he played a prominent role in parliament, particularly in financial matters. He also built up a close relationship with John Perceval, the British Prime Minister's chief advisor on Irish affairs.