Thomas Shorthalls

Thomas Shortalls, or Shorthals (c.1370–1445) was an Irish municipal official and judge of the fifteenth century.

He was probably born in Kilkenny city, where the Shorthalls were a leading local family, but seems to have spent most of his adult life in Dublin. Robert Shorthalls, who was High Sheriff of County Kilkenny in 1421, was probably a relative. Robert, like Thomas, seems to have been a Crown servant of some importance: in 1425 the Privy Council ordered that he be paid 100 shillings for his services in the "wars and treaties".

Thomas is first heard of as clerk to the city of Dublin, and then became Sheriff of Dublin City (the title then was Bailiff) in 1406. He served two further terms as Sheriff, in 1414 and 1424. In 1410 "for his services" the English Crown granted him an allowance of 28 shillings a year for the next seven years to be paid out of the fee farm rents of Dublin. Clynton is known to have spent his later career as Collector of Customs for Dublin and Drogheda.

He was a member of the Privy Council of Ireland and was present at an important Council meeting in August 1442 where very serious accusations were made against the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Richard Wogan, who was accordingly deemed to have vacated office, and was replaced by Sir Richard FitzEustace.

He apparently retired in 1443, when John Gough became second Baron of the Exchequer, and died two years later.