In 1679 the Chief Justiceship of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) became vacant. This occurred at the height of the Popish Plot, which created an uncontrollable atmosphere of anti-Catholic hysteria. At this time several Irish judges had open Roman Catholic sympathies, despite the practice of that faith being (in theory) a bar to public office. Booth, who had been brought up by his Puritan stepfather, who closely supervised his education, had a reputation as an extreme Protestant, while also staunchly loyal to the Stuart dynasty, and it was probably for that reason that Charles II appointed him Lord Chief Justice, despite objections from James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who thought that Booth was far too inclined to Puritanism. Charles in more tranquil and tolerant times had previously held the same view, firmly rejecting Booth for the same office in 1673, due to his "spirit of Presbyterianism or indifference". Ormonde also pointed out that Booth was almost incapacitated by gout and other illnesses, and rarely sat in Court. Ormonde's objections on the second point were fully justified, since Booth died in the early spring of 1681, after little more than a year in office. He was buried at Salford. He left a large fortune and substantial estates in both England and Ireland. Personal life Booth married firstly Mary Potts, daughter of Spencer Potts of Chalgrave, Bedfordshire, who died in 1660 giving birth to their only son Benjamin, who died in 1663. He remarried Susanna Oxenden, daughter of Sir Henry Oxenden, 1st Baronet of Deane in Kent and his second wife Elizabeth Meredith of Leeds Abbey. Susanna died in 1669: they had four daughters. Of their daughters Ann married her distant cousin the Right Reverend Robert Booth, Dean of Bristol, and was the mother of the celebrated actor Barton Booth. Her sister Susannah married Sir John Feilding, a grandson of the Earl of Desmond, and secretary to the Governor of Jamaica, and had issue. Another daughter Elizabeth married John Braithwaite. His principal residence was at Oxmantown, on present-day Church Street, adjacent to the King's Inns: it was rated for the hearth tax on ten hearths, making it one of the largest houses in the city. In 1664 he petitioned for a right of way through the Inns garden: " that he might come a nearer way, privately into the house". Belvedere, his house at Drumcondra,