Gerald Aylmer was a judge in the 1500s. Aylmer originally from Lyons, Kildare was a supporter of the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. Made chief justice of the king’s  bench in 1535 he became the principal agent of Thomas Cromwell, chief minister of Henry VIII. In that role Aylmer assisted in the defeat of Silken Thomas revolt and the dissolution of the monasteries. The monasteries of Ireland were abolished and their lands confiscated as a result of the Reformation.  Aylmer gained  confiscated lands in Meath as a result of the confiscations. The lands of the Franciscan Friary of Drogheda were acquired by Aylmer in 1543. Following the death of Henry VIII Aylmer continued to hold the position of chief justice under Edward and Mary. A military leader Aylmer fought against the Geraldines, the O’Neills, the O’Connors and the Kavanaghs. After the battle of Bellahoe in 1539 he was knighted and granted lands at Dollardstown, Co. Meath. The Aylmer family settled at Balrath. Aylmer died in 1559.