he was born in arklow, county wicklow. he was appointed king's serjeant, as the office of serjeant-at-law was then known, in 1298. he appears to have been diligent in arguing pleas on behalf of the english crown: in 1301 he appeared for the crown at the assizes in county louth, and in the same year he was acting for the crown in each of the royal courts in dublin. in 1309 he made the first of several official complaints against the maladministration of geoffrey de morton, a corrupt and unpopular local government official and former mayor of dublin. an inquiry was held into the allegations, but it ended inconclusively.