Bishop of Down - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Bishop of Down was a separate episcopal

Episcopal polity

Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...

title which took its name after County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. The see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

was in the town of Downpatrick

Downpatrick

Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...

where the bishop's seat (Cathedra

Cathedra

A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...

) was located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity

Down Cathedral

Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:...

.

The title is now united with other bishoprics. In the Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

it is held by the Bishop of Down and Dromore

Bishop of Down and Dromore

The Bishop of Down and Dromore is the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Down and Dromore in the Province of Armagh. The diocese is situated in the north east of Ireland, which includes all of County Down, about half of the city of Belfast, and some parts of County Armagh east of the...

, and in the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

it is held by the Bishop of Down and Connor

Bishop of Down and Connor

The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick and the village of Connor in Northern Ireland...

History

The diocese of Down was one of the twenty-four dioceses established at the Synod of Rathbreasail

Synod of Rathbreasail

The Synod of Ráth Breasail took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church...

in 1111 and comprised roughly the eastern half of County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

. For a brief period in the early 12th-century, Down was united with the see

Episcopal See

of Connor

Bishop of Connor

The Bishop of Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Connor in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by the Church of Ireland, but in the Roman Catholic Church it has been united with another bishopric....

under Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair (Saint Malachy

Saint Malachy

Saint Malachy was the Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and a vision of the identity of the last 112 Popes...

), who also became Archbishop of Armagh

Archbishop of Armagh

The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...

.

On 29 July 1439, plans for a permanent union of the sees of Down and Connor

Bishop of Connor

were submitted to King Henry VI of England

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

for his sanction. Exactly twelve months later, 29 July 1439, Pope Eugene IV

Pope Eugene IV

Pope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city...

issued a papal bull

Papal bull

A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....

stating that Down and Connor were to be united on the death or resignation of either bishop. On 29 May 1441, Archbishop Prene of Armagh sent a letter to Pope Eugene IV in which he writes about the crimes and excesses of Bishop John Sely of Down, one of which was that Sely was living openly with Lettice Thomas, a married woman, at Kilclief Castle

Kilclief Castle

Kilclief Castle is a tower-house castle beside Strangford Lough and 2.5 miles south of the village of Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland. Kilclief is a hamlet of historical value on the Strangford to Ardglass road. This kind of tower-house is sometimes called the gatehouse type, because...

. Following receiving the letter, the pope deprived Bishop Sely of the see of Down at some date before November 1442, and thereby effecting the union of the two dioceses. John Fossade, who had been bishop of Connor

Bishop of Connor

since 1431, became the bishop of the united see of Down and Connor

Bishop of Down and Connor

The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick and the village of Connor in Northern Ireland...

in late 1442. However, there was strong local opposition to the union, and Archbishop Prene's register shows that he also was for a time opposed to the union. There were three more bishops of Down were appointed before the two sees finally united.

After the Reformation

English Reformation

The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

, Down and Connor had parallel episcopal successions. In the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

, Down remains united with Connor to the present today. But in the Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

, they united further with Dromore

Bishop of Dromore

The Bishop of Dromore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the market town of Dromore in County Down, Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church the title still continues as a separate bishopric, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The...

in 1842 to form the bishopric of Down, Connor and Dromore

Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore

The Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Down, Connor and Dromore; comprising all County Down and County Antrim, including the city of Belfast.-History:...

. They continued until 1945 when they were separated into the bishopric of Down and Dromore

Bishop of Down and Dromore

and the bishopric of Connor

Bishop of Connor

List of Bishops of Down

Bishops of Down
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
unknown	1117	Máel Muire	Styled "bishop of Dundalethglass" (the original name of Downpatrick); died in office
unknown	1123	Óengus Ua Gormáin	Died in office
1124	1148	Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair Saint Malachy Saint Malachy was the Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and a vision of the identity of the last 112 Popes...	Became bishop of Down and Connor Bishop of Connor The Bishop of Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Connor in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by the Church of Ireland, but in the Roman Catholic Church it has been united with another bishopric.... in 1124, and Archbishop of Armagh Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland... in 1132; he resigned Armagh and Connor in 1136, but retained Down until his death on 2 November 1148; also known as Saint Malachy or Malachias I
bef.1152	1175	Máel Ísu mac in Chléirig Chuirr	Present at the Synod of Kells in March 1152; died in office; also known as Malachias II
1175		Gilla Domangairt Mac Cormaic	Styled "Bishop of Ullagh"; also recorded as Gelasius or Gilladomail McCormic
1175		Amláin	Died in office
c. 1176	1202	Echmílid	Resigned before 1202; died 1204; also known as Echmílid mac Máel Martain or Malachias III
c.1202	c.1212	Radulfus, O.Cist.	Formerly Abbot of Melrose Abbot of Melrose The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose in the Borders region of Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1136 on the patronage of David I , King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire... 1194-1202; appointed bishop circa 1202; died in office
1213/24	1242	Thomas	Became bishop before 1224, possibly as earlier as 1213; appears to have acted as a suffragan to the Bishop of Ely Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
1251	1257	Randulphus	Became bishop before May 1251; attended a synod at Bangor in 1251; died before November 1257
1258	1265	Reginaldus	Formerly Archdeacon of Down; elected bishop before April 1258; received possession of the temporalities Temporalities Temporalities are the secular properties and possessions of the Christian Church. It is most often used to describe those properties that were used to support a bishop or other religious person or establishment. Its opposite description would be the spiritualities.In the Middle Ages, the... and consecrated after October 1258; translated to Cloyne Bishop of Cloyne The Bishop of Cloyne is an episcopal title which takes its name after the small town of Cloyne in County Cork, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it is a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.... 13 April 1265
1265	1277	Thomas Lydel	Elected before April 1258, but was rejected by the king Henry III of England Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready... ; elected again 1265 and consecrated after 5 July 1265; acted as a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Lincoln Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :... 1270; died before February 1277; also known as Thomas Liddel
1277	1305	Nicholas le Blund, O.S.B.	Formerly Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... of Down Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:... ; elected before 19 March and received possession of the temporalities after 29 March 1277; died before 28 March 1305
1305	1314	Thomas Ketel	Elected before 18 August and received possession of the temporalities after 18 August 1305; died circa 20 March 1314
1314	1327	Thomas Bright, O.S.B.	Formerly Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... of Down Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:... ; elected after 20 March 1314; died in office
1328		(John of Baliconingham)	Elected before 4 August 1328 and received possession of the temporalities on that date, however, the election was annulled by the pope, and was translated to Cork Bishop of Cork The Bishop of Cork was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the city of Cork in southern Ireland. The title is now united with other bishoprics... sometime before January 1329; also known as John of Ballyconingham
1329	1353	Ralph of Kilmessan	Appointed 12 December 1328 and received possession of the temporalities 1 April 1329; died August 1353
1353	1354	Gregory	Provost Provost (religion) A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary... of Killala Killala Killala is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West , which contains numerous ancient forts.- History :... ; appointed 29 January 1353 and was consecrated at Avignon Avignon Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the... ; annulled 31 May 1354 and restored to his provostship at Killala
1353	1365	Richard Calf I	Formerly Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... of Down Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:... ; appointed 4 December and consecrated before 23 December 1353; received possession of the temporalities 6 March 1354; died 16 October 1365
1365	1366	Robert of Aketon	Elected 18 November 1365, but did not get possession of the see; resigned before February 1366 and was appointed to Kildare Bishop of Kildare The Bishop of Kildare was an episcopal title which took its name after the town of Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. The title is no longer in use by any of the main Christian churches having been united with other bishoprics. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title has been merged with that of... 2 May 1366
1367	1368	William White, O.S.A.	Formerly Prior of Conall; appointed before December 1366 and received possession of the temporalities 30 June 1367; died circa 10 August 1368
1369	1386	Richard Calf II, O.S.B.	Formerly Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... of Down Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:... ; appointed 19 February and received possession of the temporalities 28 April 1369; died 16 May 1386
1386	1394	John Ross, O.S.B.	Formerly Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... of Down Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:... ; appointed before 8 November 1386 and received possession of the temporalities 14 March 1368; died before September 1394
1394	1413	John Dongan John Dongan John Dongan [Donegan, Donnegan, Donkan, Duncan] was a medieval Manx prelate. After holding the position of Archdeacon of Down, he held three successive bishoprics, Mann and the Isles , then the see of Derry and then, lastly, Down.He resigned his last bishopric in 1413, and died afterwards at an...	Translated from Derry Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:... 16 September 1394; received possession of the temporalities 26 July 1395; resigned before 28 July 1413
1413	1442	John Sely	Formerly Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... of Down Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:... ; appointed 28 July 1413; deprived sometime before November 1442; died before 26 April 1445; also known as John Cely
In 1442, the sees of Down and Connor Bishop of Connor The Bishop of Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Connor in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by the Church of Ireland, but in the Roman Catholic Church it has been united with another bishopric.... were united by Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city... , and John Fossade, who had been bishop of Connor Bishop of Connor The Bishop of Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Connor in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by the Church of Ireland, but in the Roman Catholic Church it has been united with another bishopric.... since 1431, became bishop of the united see of Down and Connor Bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick and the village of Connor in Northern Ireland... . However, due to strong opposition three more bishops of Down were appointed
1445		(Ralph Alderle, O.S.A.)	Appointed 26 April 1445, but did not get possession of the see
1447	1451	Thomas Pollard, O.Carth.	Appointed 21 June and consecrated 27 August 1447; died before June 1451
1451	1453	Richard Wolsey, O.P.	Appointed 21 June 1451; acted as a suffragan bishop in the dioceses of Lichfield Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England... 1452, Worcester Anglican Diocese of Worcester The Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.The diocese was founded in around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury at Worcester to minister to the kingdom of the Hwicce, one of the many Anglo Saxon petty-kingdoms of that time... 1465-79, and Hereford Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England; and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales.... 1479; resigned the see of Down before August 1453; died after 1479
On 24 August 1453, Thomas Knight was appointed Bishop of Down and Connor Bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick and the village of Connor in Northern Ireland... , finally uniting the two sees.

History

List of Bishops of Down

See also