The united dioceses of Down and Connor present many themes of special
interest to the student of the ecclesiastical history of our island,
and have engaged more than any other diocese of Ireland the attention
of Irish antiquarians. Suffice it to mention the learned work of Dr.
Reeves, entitled _Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, etc._, published
in 1847, and presented by the author to the Irish Archaeological
Society. Nevertheless, even in this favoured see, the succession of
bishops, as published by Ware and Harris, and subsequently adopted,
with few variations, by Reeves and Cotton, abounds with errors and
anachronisms; and hence, that the reader may learn to receive with
caution the statements even of our most esteemed antiquarians when
they are unsupported by ancient records, we propose to present a more
accurate list of the bishops of this see, from the arrival of the
English, down to the close of Elizabeth's reign.
When De Courcy invaded Ulster in 1177, he found the Diocese of
Dundalethglas, _i.e._ Down, governed by a Bishop Malachias, who was
third in succession from the great St. Malachy. This Bishop subsequently
accompanied De Courcy into England, and was instrumental in the donations
made by that nobleman to the Abbey of St. Werburga in Chester, and to
other religious houses. He died in 1201.
Ralph, Abbot first of Kinloss and afterwards of Melross, in Scotland,
was chosen his successor, and was confirmed by Cardinal John de Salerno,
legate of Pope Innocent III. in 1202. Having governed this see for
eleven years, he had for his successor, in 1213, Bishop Thomas, during
whose episcopate many donations were made by Hugh de Lacy to the
monastery of Dundalethglas. Matthew Paris records some facts connected
with this prelate, and especially his having held an ordination in
the great monastery of St. Alban's; he also consecrated there three
churchyards, and dedicated an altar to St. Leonard. He died in 1242.
A contest then arose between the abbeys of Down and Bangor as to which
belonged the right of electing the bishop of the see. The Abbot of
Bangor claimed it as an ancient privilege of that great monastery,
whilst on the other hand the Benedictine Monks of Dundalethglas put
forward their claim, as constituting the chapter of the Cathedral
Church. Rome referred the question to the decision of the Archbishop of
Armagh, who, with his suffragans, in 1243, pronounced judgment in favour
of the abbey of Down, and this sentence was ratified by Pope Innocent
IV., on the 3rd of the Nones of March, 1243/4--(Theiner, _Monumen.
Vat._, page 42).
Randal (in Latin Ranulfis) was then appointed bishop of this see. He
died in 1253, and the chapter of Down chose, without delay, a successor
in the person of Thomas Liddell, who is styled in the brief of his
appointment _Rector Ecclesiae del Rathlonge, Carnotensis_ (a mistake
for Connorensis) _Dioecesis_. King Henry III. refused to sanction this
election, and nominated Reginald, Archdeacon of Down, to the vacant see.
The chapter could not be induced to ratify this nomination; nevertheless,
the king issued a writ, commanding the Archbishop of Armagh to
consecrate Reginald, who took possession of the see in 1258. The chapter
appealed to the tribunal of the successors of St. Peter, and after a
long and tedious examination of the whole controversy, judgment was
given by Pope Clement IV., in 1265, declaring that Dr. Liddell was the
canonically elected bishop, and that the appointment of Reginald had
been from the beginning null and void. Reginald submitted with alacrity
to the decree of Rome, and was soon after appointed to the Diocese of
Cloyne. The Holy See, moreover, was pleased to confirm all the parochial
appointments which Reginald had made during the period of his disputed
appointment, adding only the clause, that the clergy thus appointed by
him should otherwise be free from all canonical impediments, and capable
of discharging the functions confided to them. The brief of Pope Clement
IV. granting this favour is dated from Perugia, the 30th April, 1265,
and begins: "Tuae devotionis promeretur affectus, ut petitionibus tuis,
quantum cum Deo possumus, favorabiliter annuamus"--(_Mon. Vat._, page
96). Two months later the bull sanctioning the appointment of Dr.
Liddell to the See of Down, was published with due solemnity in Viterbo,
where the Pontiff then resided. It begins with the statement of the
controversy which had deprived that diocese of a chief pastor for so
many years, and terminates with the hope that "eadem Dunensis Ecclesia
per tune circumspectionis industriam salubria in spiritualibus et
temporelibus suscipiat incrementa"--(_Ibid._, page 101). Thus, then,
the name of Reginald, which stands so prominent in the lists of Ware,
Reeves, and Cotton, must be cancelled from the canonical order of
episcopal succession in the See of Down.
In 1276 Dr. Liddell was summoned to his eternal reward, and had for
his successor, the same year, Nicholas, who, from being Prior of the
Monastery of Down and treasurer of Ulster, was elected bishop by the
chapter, and confirmed by Rome. During his episcopate a controversy
was carried on, as to the rights of the Archbishop of Armagh whilst
performing the visitation of his suffragan sees. Pope Nicholas III., in
1279, commissioned the Bishop of Clonfert to examine into the various
allegations which had been made, and authorised him to cite the
Archbishop to Rome, should it be discovered that the visitation of the
see had been uncanonically performed. From this letter of the Holy
Father it incidentally results that the Archbishop of Armagh had the
privilege not only of personally making the visitation of the suffragan
episcopal sees, but also, "should any necessity so demand", of deputing
a simple clergyman to make similar visitation in particular churches or
districts of such sees--(_Mon. Vatic._, pag. 121).
Dr. Nicholas died in 1304. His successor was Thomas Kittel, pastor of
Lesmoghan, who received possession of the temporalities of the see on
the 1st of July, 1305, and died in 1313. The chapter of St. Patrick's,
according to their no-longer disputed privilege, made choice of Thomas
Bright, prior of the cathedral, who received consecration at the hands
of Roland De Jorse, Archbishop of Armagh, in 1314. He was, in 1322,
nominated by the Holy See to inquire into the various accusations which
had been made against the Primate by the English government and others.
He died in 1327, and was buried in his own cathedral of St. Patrick.
Reeves commemorates as his successor John of Baliconingham, rector
of Arwhyn, and there is no doubt that this prelate was chosen by the
English king, and held for some time possession of the temporalities of
the see. However, he never was Bishop of Down. Ralph, or Rodulfus, of
Kilmessan, in the diocese of Meath, a Franciscan friar, was appointed
by Pope John XXII. on the 12th of December, 1328, and consecrated in
Avignon by Bertram, the Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum. Even the English
government made no opposition, and he received the temporalities of the
see on the 1st of April, 1329. The above pastor of Arwhyn was, however,
promoted by the same pontiff to the See of Cork, and when, towards the
close of 1329, both bishops petitioned the Holy Father to be allowed to
exchange their sees, a letter was addressed from Rome to the Archbishop
of Armagh, dated the Nones of January, 1330, empowering him to grant
this favour to these bishops, should they persist in desiring it, and
should he deem it beneficial to their respective sees--(_Mon. Vatican._,
pag. 249). Stephen Segrave then held the primatial see, and he seems to
have judged such an exchange of dioceses inopportune or unnecessary, and
hence Bishop Rodulfus continued to hold the See of Down till his death
in 1353.
In the first year of Pope Innocent VI. (1353) it was represented that
the See of Down was vacant by the death of Rodulfus: "dicta Ecclesia per
obitum Rodulphi, qui in partibus illis, Praedecessore nostro vivente,
debitum naturae persolvit"; and hence Gregory, provost of Killala, was
appointed bishop on the 29th January, 1353, and was consecrated at
Avignon by Cardinal Peter, Bishop of Palestrina. The infirm Bishop
Rodulfus, however, was not yet deceased, and Gregory was immediately
promoted to some titular bishopric. When Rodulfus finally passed to a
better world, in August, 1353, the clergy and chapter of Down petitioned
to have Richard Calf, who was prior of the monastery, advanced to the
vacant see. This petition was readily granted, and the appointment of
Dr. Richard was registered on the 2nd of the Nones of December, the same
year. A few days later he was consecrated in Avignon, by order of his
Holiness, and on the 23rd of December the following beautiful letter was
addressed to him by the Holy Father:
"Pridem Dunensi Ecclesia Pastoris solatio destituta, Nos ad
personam tuam claris virtutum titulis insignitam nostrae mentis
aciem dirigentes, te de fratrum nostrorum consilio eidem Ecclesiae
in Episcopum praefecimus et pastorem, curam et administrationem
ipsius Ecclesiae tibi in spiritualibus et temporalibus plenarie
committendo prout in litteris nostris inde confectis plenius
continetur. Cum autem postmodum per ven. fratrem nostrum Petrum
Episcopum Bottentonensem tibi fecerimus apud Sedem Apostolicam
munus consecrationis impendi, fraternitati tuae per apostolica
scripta mandamus, quatenus apostolicae sedis beneplacitis te
conformans, ad praedictam Ecclesiam cum nostrae benedictionis
gratia te personaliter conferens, sic te in administratione ipsius,
diligenter et sollicite gerere studeas, ut utilis administratoris
industriae non immerito gaudeat se commissam, ac famae laudabilis
tuae odor ex tuis probabiliter actibus latius diffundatur, et
praeter aeternae retributions praemium nostrae benevolentiae gratiam
et favorem exinde uberius consequaris"--(_Mon. Vatic._, p. 306).
Dr. Richard governed the diocese till his death in 1365. His successor,
the Archdeacon William, hold the see only three years, and died in
August, 1368. Ware and subsequent writers commemorate John Logan as the
next bishop. However, the bull of appointment of Richard, prior of the
Benedictine monastery of Down, which is dated 19th February, 1369,
styles him the immediate successor of William, and thus leaves no
room for Dr. Logan. The chapter was unanimous in presenting the name
of Richard to the Holy Father, and the proofs which were added "de
religionis zelo, litterarumque scientia", rendered delay unnecessary in
appointing him to the vacant see--(_Mon. Vatic._, p. 332). He ruled the
diocese till his death on the 16th of May, 1386. _Joannes Rossensis_,
from being prior of the monastery, was next elected by the chapter, and
confirmed by the Holy See. He died six years after his consecration, and
had for his successor John Dougan, who, in 1394, was translated to this
see, not from _Derry_, as Ware imagined, but from the diocese of the
Isle of Man, the Latin name for which see, _i.e._ _Sodorensis_, led the
learned author into this error. The Archives of Rome preserve several
documents connected with this prelate, some of which were published
by my esteemed friend Professor Munch, in his learned notes to the
_Chronicle of Man_, edited for the Royal University of Christiania, in
1860. The first letter which we find regarding him is a brief of Urban
V., dated January 23rd, 1367, which commences: "Probitatis et virtutum
merita super quibus apud nos fidedignorum commendaris testimonio,
nos inducunt ut tibi reddamur ad gratiam liberales". It subsequently
addresses Dr. Dougan as _Pastor of Camelyn_, in the Diocese of Down, and
appoints him Archdeacon of the see, the former Archdeacon, _William_,
having been elevated to the episcopacy early in the preceding year. The
office of Archdeacon of Down is further described as having attached to
it the care of souls, and as usually conferred on persons not belonging
to the cathedral chapter. Its annual revenue, too, is described as not
exceeding forty marks. Soon after, we find this Archdeacon appointed
Apostolic Nuncio for Ireland, and on 13th March, 1369, the privilege was
granted to him of choosing as his confessor any member of the secular
or regular clergy. The brief according this privilege thus begins:
"Benigno sunt tibi illa concedenda favore per quae sicut pie desideras
conscientiae pacem et salutem animae, Deo propitio consequi merearis.
Hinc est quod nos tuis devotis supplicationibus inclinati tibi Apostolica
auctoritate indulgemus ut quamdiu nostri et Ecclesiae Romanae servitiis
institeris aliquem idoneum et discretum in tuum possis eligere
confessorem, etc." (Dat. Romae ap. S. Petrum, 3º ld. Martii, Pontif.
N. an. septimo).
The Bull appointing John Dougan, Archdeacon of Down, to the See of Man,
is dated November 6th, 1374, and addressed to "Joanni electo Sodorensi".
It mentions as a chief motive for this appointment, that the clergy and
people of Man had earnestly solicited it: "pro quo etiam dilecti filii,
clerus civitatis et Dioecesis Sodorensis per eorum patentes litteras
nobis super hoc humiliter supplicarunt". The Cardinal who consecrated
Dr. Dougan was the celebrated Simon de Langham, who held successively
the posts of Prior and Abbot of Westminster, Bishop of London and of
Ely, Chancellor of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Priest
of S. Prassede, and at the time of which we speak was Cardinal Bishop
of Palestrina. Of our prelate, it is recorded in the _Chronicle of Man_
that he was elected Bishop on the feast of Corpus Christi, was confirmed
by the Pope on the feast of St. Leonard, and was consecrated on St.
Catherine's Day. When returning to his diocese he was arrested and
thrown into prison in the city of Boulogne, and only after several
months was liberated on the payment of a fine of five hundred marks.
The motive of this imprisonment has not been recorded. It was probably
in connection with his office of papal Nuncio, for he continued, even
when Bishop of Man, to exercise the duties of Nuncio of the Holy See for
Ireland--(_Mon. Vatican._ pag. 365: _Munch_, loc. cit. pag. 31). In 1395
Dr. Dougan was, by Bull of Pope Boniface III., translated to Down. He
received many favours from King Henry IV., and on the 16th of September,
1405, we find a commission addressed to him (published by Rymer),
authorizing him and Jenico d'Artois to negociate a peace between the
Irish northern chieftains and the "Lord of the Isles". Dr. Dougan died
in 1412.
The next Bishop of Down was John Sely, who had hitherto been a
Benedictine monk, and prior of the Cathedral of St. Patrick. He governed
this diocese from 1413 to 1441, when it was united to the See of Connor.
The bishops of both sees had more than once represented to the king and
to the Holy See the inadequacy of their respective revenues to support
with due decorum the episcopal dignity. On the 29th of July, 1438, a
royal decree was published permitting these bishops to sue in Rome
for a union of their sees: it states as the motive for granting this
permission that both sees, "uti fidedigna relatione suscepimus, adeo
tenues sunt et exiles ut ipsarum neutra in suis fructibus et proventibus
decentiae sufficiat Episcopali". Pope Eugene IV. lent a willing ear
to the petition of the Bishops, and no sooner had the Bishop of Down
resigned his see than John, Bishop of Connor, was by a special brief
constituted at the same time Bishop of Down, and in the following year a
papal constitution was published, instituting a real and perpetual union
of both sees. Many controversies subsequently arose, especially in
regard to the temporalities of the See of Down; Bishop John, however,
continued in undisturbed possession of the united dioceses till his
death, in 1450, and his successors have ever since retained the title
of Bishops of Down and Connor.
The chapter of the united dioceses elected Robert Rochfort to fill
the vacant see. He was also strongly recommended to the Holy Father by
Primate Mey, who, writing to Pope Nicholas V., on 10th of April, 1451,
mentions among his other good qualities that he was "lingua Anglicana et
Hibernicâ facundus". Pope Nicholas, however, had already chosen another
pastor for that fold, and Richard Wolsey, of the order of St. Dominick,
was appointed Bishop of Down and Connor by brief of 21st June, 1451.
In this brief the See is described as vacated by the demise of "Thomas,
last Bishop of the canonically united Dioceses of Down and Connor". It
is added that the new bishop, Dr. Wolsey, was a professed member of the
order of St. Dominick, remarkable for his zeal, and prudence, and other
virtues--(_De Burgo_, pag. 474). He held the see for more than five
years, and had for his successor Thomas, prior of St. Catherine's,
Waterford, who was consecrated by Archbishop Mey on the 31st of May,
1456. His Episcopate lasted for thirteen years, and we find a letter of
Paul II. addressed to him on the 16th of April, 1469, empowering him
to grant to the friars observant of St. Francis some houses which had
been abandoned by the conventual branch of the Franciscan order. This
beautiful letter thus begins: "Inter caeteros ordines in agro dominico
plantatos sacrum ordinem beati Francisci gerentes in visceribus
caritatis, ad ea ex pastorali officio nobis Divina dispensatione
commisso libenter intendimus, per quae ordo ipse ad laudem Dei et
exaltationem fidei Catholicae ubilibet reflorescat"--(_Mon. Vatic._,
page 461).
He was succeeded by _Thadeus_, who was consecrated at Rome, in the
Church of St. Mary _Supra Minervam_, on the 10th of September, 1469.
His death is registered in the year 1486, and his successor, _Tiberius_,
during along and eventful episcopate, governed this see till his death
in 1519. Ware, indeed, supposed that his episcopate continued till
_circa an._ 1526; but Reeves discovered an ancient record which describes
the see as vacant by our bishop's death in 1519--(_Ec. Antiq._, page 160).
The historians of the Augustinian order mention a Bishop Thadeus, who
seems to have succeeded in 1520, and held the see till 1526. Robert
Blyth, a Benedictine and abbot of the monastery of Thorney, in
Cambridgeshire, received this diocese _in commendam_ by royal privilege
in 1526. Dr. Cromer, Archbishop of Armagh, refused to give his sanction
to this commendatory jurisdiction, and appointed to various benefices of
Down and Connor, assigning as his motive the absence of the bishop, "in
remotis agentis sine licentia summi Pontificis aut Metropolitani sui".
Dr. Blyth, however, continued to administer the diocese till 1540, when
he resigned this charge, and had for his successor Eugene Magennis, who
was proclaimed in consistory Bishop of Down and Connor in 1541. This
Bishop submitted his Bulls to the crown in 1542, and hence was admitted
not only to the temporalities of the see, but received in addition other
ecclesiastical benefices. On May 9th, 1543, a further writ of pardon was
issued in his favour (see _Morrin_, i. 91); but in all these acts of
submission no mention is made of the royal supremacy. The position of
his see rendered his submission in temporals too important to the crown
to introduce any such embittering clause, and, in fact, the northern
chieftains who submitted at the same time were exempted from all reference
to religion when professing their allegiance to the government. At all
events, no doubt can be entertained of the orthodoxy of this prelate,
and in addition to the proofs adduced by other writers, we may mention
the consistorial record for the appointment of his successor, in which
the see is described as vacant, not by the apostacy or deposition, but
simply as is usual in regard of the Catholic bishops, _per obitum
Eugenii Magnissae_.
The precise date of Dr. Eugene's death cannot be fixed with certainty.
There is a petition addressed from Carrickfergus to the crown, printed
by Shirley (page 132), which is generally supposed to fix the see as
vacant in 1563. This petition, however, merely sets forth the desire
that, "for the better establishment and countenance of the religion of
the Gospel", her Majesty might prefer "some worthy learned man to the
Bishopric of Down, a goodly benefice, within the Pale ... who might with
special severity establish order in the Church". No mention is made of
the death of Dr. Eugene, or of the vacancy of the see; and the desire of
the petitioners to have a Protestant bishop, without mentioning such a
vacancy, seems to us rather to be a proof that the orthodox bishop was
still living. However, the petition bears no date, and Shirley merely
marks it as, "_supposed date, 1563_", under which heading he includes
the first month of 1564.
Miler M'Grath, the next bishop, was appointed in consistory of 12th
Oct., 1565: "Referente Eminentissimo Cardinali Simonetta, Ecclesiae
Dunensi et Connorensi vacanti per obitum Eugenii Magnissae, praefectus
fuit fr. Milerius Macra eodem loco Dunii oriundus professus ord. S.
Francisci conventualium Presbyter", etc. The appointment of M'Grath had
been earnestly opposed by the holy Primate Dr. Creagh, as he himself
attests in his depositions made in the Tower of London. Indeed the only
recommendation which seems to have been made was from the northern
princes, many of whom solicited his appointment to the see, because he
was foster-brother of their cherished chieftain, Shane O'Neill. This
relationship between O'Neill and M'Grath is expressly mentioned in a
Vatican paper, and is the sole key to many documents of the period which
hitherto have been an enigma to our ecclesiastical historians. Though
M'Grath after a few years embraced a schismatical connection with the
Elizabethan government, Rome, through respect for his family, and in
hopes that reflection would bring him back from his iniquitous course to
the path of truth, delayed sentence of deposition against him till the
close of 1578/9. We make this statement on the authority of a Vatican
list of Irish sees, drawn up in 1579 or 1580, which expressly describes
the See of Down as vacant, "per depositionem Milerii ab hac sancta Sede
factam anno praeterito".
Donatus O'Gallagher was appointed his successor, being translated
from the See of Killala to Down, in the first months of 1580. In less
than two years he was summoned to his eternal crown, and on 27th of
April, 1582, we find the following entry in the consistorial record:
"Cardinalis Senonensis proposuit Ecclesiam Dunensem et Connorensem
vacantem per obitum, de persona Cornelii O'Duibenid ord. min. de
observantia, praesentis in curia". Much might be said of the merits
of this great bishop. Whilst as yet a simple religious, he displayed
an ardent zeal for the conversion of souls to God. When consecrated
bishop, this ardour was increased an hundredfold. More than once he
was subjected to the hardships of imprisonment; nevertheless, he lived
to witness the triumph of the Irish Church over all the efforts of
Elizabeth, and having handed down to more youthful pastors the sacred
deposit of faith, his life of devotedness and charity merited for him
the martyr's crown, which he happily attained on the 11th of February,
1612.
We must now give a glance at the claims of those whom the Established
Church reveres as its first fathers in this ancient see. It suffices
merely to state their claims, to discern whether they are to be reckoned
amongst the true shepherds of the flock, or amongst those wolves whose
mission it is to rend and scatter the sacred fold of Christ.
On the 6th of January, 1565, instructions were sent to the Lord Justice
of Ireland to advance James MacCaghwell to the bishopric of Down. It
was, however, too perilous an experiment for a nominee of Elizabeth to
appear as bishop within the territory of Shane O'Neill; and hence we
find Loftus of Armagh, and Brady of Meath, petitioning Sir William
Cecil, on 16th May, 1565, to have MacCaghwell provided with some
other see, since "he durst not travel to Down through fear of bodily
harm"--(Shirley, pag. 192).
For this reason it was not deemed expedient to have MacCaghwell
consecrated for the See of Down, and as Dr. Mant, the late Protestant
occupant of the see informs us, John Merriman was its first Protestant
bishop (vol. i., pag. 296). He was chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, and in
1568 was consecrated by Lancaster of Armagh, in St. Patrick's, Dublin.
As there was already a canonically appointed bishop holding the See
of Down, no doubt can be entertained as to the true nature of Dr.
Merriman's mission. He died in 1572, and Queen Elizabeth wrote to the
Lord Deputy Sydney, on 6th November, 1572, commanding him "_to prefer
one Brown, if he knew no better, to these sees_"--(Harris' Ware, pag.
205). Hugh Allen, however, a colonist of the Ards, was the individual
selected by the Lord Deputy, and in the month of November, 1573, he was
constituted successor of Dr. Merriman. The canonical bishop, however,
still held the see, and Dr. Allen must again be stigmatized as an
intruder. On his translation to Ferns, in 1582, the crown did not even
attempt to nominate a Protestant bishop till the year 1593; and Dr.
Mant adds that this vacancy shows "a neglect on the part of the
government rather to be lamented than explained".
Thus, then, Dr. O'Deveny was not only the canonically appointed bishop,
but was for ten years in possession of his see, and engaged in feeding
there the flock of Christ, when Edward Edgeworth was nominated by
Elizabeth, in 1593, Bishop of Down and Connor. This dignitary, indeed,
seems never to have even seen his see; other crown nominees, however,
soon followed in rapid succession--John Charldon, in 1596; Robert
Humston, in 1602; and John Todd, in 1606, who, as Ware informs us, was,
in 1611, deposed for his public immorality and other crimes, and "soon
after died in prison in London, of poison, which he had prepared for
himself"--(Harris' Ware, pag. 207). The true pastor, Dr. O'Deveny, was
all this time at his perilous post, in season and out of season, ruling,
by divine authority, the spiritual fold assigned to his charge; and
whilst the Protestant nominee was so unhappily terminating his earthly
career, the faithful shepherd was in the very same year laying down his
life for his flock. We will conclude this hurried sketch with the words
of the Four Masters when commemorating the death of this holy bishop:
"There was not a Christian in the land of Ireland whose heart did not
shudder within him at the terror of the martyrdom which this chaste wise
divine, and perfect and truly meek righteous man suffered for the reward
of his soul. The faithful of Dublin contended with each other to see
which of them should have one of his limbs; and not only of his limbs,
but they had fine linen in readiness to prevent his blood from falling
to the ground, for they were convinced that he was one of the holy
martyrs of the Lord"--(iii. p. 2,371).