Diocese of Down and Dromore
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Down and Dromore (also known as the United Dioceses of Down and Dromore)is a diocese
of the Church of Ireland
in the north east of Ireland
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
of Armagh
. The geographical remit of the diocese covers half of the City of Belfast
to the east of the River Lagan
and the part of County Armagh
east of the River Bann
.
, the Church of England
was established by the state as the established church. Later, by decree of the Irish Parliament, a similar new body became the State Church
in the Kingdom of Ireland
. It assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. They were obliged to find alternative premises and to conduct their services in secret. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism
. On the death of Archbishop Trench of Tuam in 1839, the Province
of Tuam was united to the Armagh. Over the centuries, numerous dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. Until 1944, the dioceses of Down and Dromore were part of the United Dioceses of Down, Connor and Dromore. In 1944, the Diocese of Connor
gained a separate existence under its own bishop. It is for this reason that the united diocese has three cathedral
s.
A third cathedral, St Anne's, Belfast, is shared with the Diocese of Connor
.
The Diocese is the second largest of the Church of Ireland in terms of church population, with around 91,000 people and more than one hundred serving ordained Clergy
. It is divided up into 79 parishes, with a total of 115 churches.
, each of the two dioceses with in has its own set of officers.
Bishops of Down and Connor
Bishops of Down, Connor and Dromore
Bishops of Down and Dromore
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of 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...
in the north east of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
. The geographical remit of the diocese covers half of the City of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to the east of the River Lagan
River Lagan
The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The River Lagan forms much of the border between County Antrim and County Down. It rises as a tiny fast...
and the part of County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
east of the River Bann
River Bann
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland, the total length being 80 miles . The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh...
.
Overview and history
When the Church in England broke communion with the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman 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...
, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
was established by the state as the established church. Later, by decree of the Irish Parliament, a similar new body became the State Church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. It assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. They were obliged to find alternative premises and to conduct their services in secret. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
. On the death of Archbishop Trench of Tuam in 1839, the Province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Tuam was united to the Armagh. Over the centuries, numerous dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. Until 1944, the dioceses of Down and Dromore were part of the United Dioceses of Down, Connor and Dromore. In 1944, the Diocese of Connor
Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Connor is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland.-Overview and history:Christianity has been present in Connor Diocese for over 1500 years. Tradition holds that St. Patrick herded sheep on Slemish, in the heart of the Diocese, when first brought to Ireland as a slave...
gained a separate existence under its own bishop. It is for this reason that the united diocese has three cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s.
Cathedrals
- Holy Trinity Cathedral, DownpatrickDownpatrickDownpatrick 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...
- Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer, DromoreDromore, County DownDromore is a small market town in the Banbridge District of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is south-west of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast – Dublin road. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 4,968 people....
.
A third cathedral, St Anne's, Belfast, is shared with the Diocese of Connor
Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Connor is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland.-Overview and history:Christianity has been present in Connor Diocese for over 1500 years. Tradition holds that St. Patrick herded sheep on Slemish, in the heart of the Diocese, when first brought to Ireland as a slave...
.
The Diocese is the second largest of the Church of Ireland in terms of church population, with around 91,000 people and more than one hundred serving ordained Clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
. It is divided up into 79 parishes, with a total of 115 churches.
List of Bishops
Although the United Diocese works under one Bishop, the Rt Revd Harold MillerHarold Miller
Harold Syndey 'Dusty' Miller was an English footballer who played between the wars.An inside-forward, Miller's first professional club were Charlton Athletic, whom he joined from amateurs St Albans City. Miller made 20 appearances for Charlton, scoring 11 times. He won a solitary cap for England,...
, each of the two dioceses with in has its own set of officers.
Bishops of Down and Connor
- Eugene Magennis (1542–1559/63)
- James MacCawell (1565–1567)
- John Merriman (1569–1571)
- Hugh Allen (1572–1582)
- (See vacant, 1582–1593)
- Edward Edgeworth (1593–1595)
- John Charden (1596–1601)
- Roben Humpston (1602–1607)
- John Todd (1607–1612)
- James Dundas (1612)
- Robert Echlin (1613–1635)
- Henry LeslieHenry Leslie (bishop)Henry Leslie was a Scottishman who became the Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Connor from 1635 to 1661 and briefly Bishop of Meath from January to April 1661.-Life:...
(1635–1661) - Jeremy TaylorJeremy TaylorJeremy Taylor was a clergyman in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression and was often presented as a model of prose writing...
(1661–1667) - Roger BoyleRoger Boyle (bishop)Roger Boyle was an Irish Protestant churchman, Bishop of Down and Connor and Bishop of Clogher.-Life:He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he was elected a fellow. On the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 he became tutor to Lord Paulet, in whose family he remained until the...
(1667–1672)
- Thomas Hacket (1672–1694)
- Samuel Foley (1694–1695)
- Edward Walkington (1695–1699)
- Edward Smyth (1699–1720)
- Francis Hutchinson (1721–1739)
- Carew Reynell (1739–1743)
- John Ryder (1743–1752)
- John Whitcombe (1752)
- Robert Downes (1752–1753)
- Arthur Smyth (1753–1765)
- James Traill (1765–1783)
- William Dickson (1784–1804)
- Nathaniel Alexander (1804–1823)
- Richard MantRichard Mant-Life:He was born at Southampton and educated at Winchester College and at Trinity College, Oxford.He was elected fellow of Oriel in 1798, and afterwards took orders, holding a curacy at Southampton in 1802...
(1823–1842)
Bishops of Down, Connor and Dromore
- Richard MantRichard Mant-Life:He was born at Southampton and educated at Winchester College and at Trinity College, Oxford.He was elected fellow of Oriel in 1798, and afterwards took orders, holding a curacy at Southampton in 1802...
(1842–1848) - Robert Bent KnoxRobert Bent KnoxRobert Bent Knox DD LLD was the Church of Ireland Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore from 1849 to 1886, and then Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1886 until his death.-Early life:...
(1849–1886) - William ReevesWilliam ReevesWilliam "Bill" Reeves is a pioneer in the field of computer graphics. He was the technical director who worked with John Lasseter on the animation breakthrough shorts: Luxo Jr and The Adventures of André and Wally B.....
(1886–1892) - Thomas James Welland (1892–1907)
- John Baptist CrozierJohn Baptist CrozierJohn Baptist Crozier MRIA was Archbishop of Armagh of the Church of Ireland and Primate of All Ireland .-Early life:John Baptist Crozier, eldest son of the Reverend Baptist Barton Crozier and Catherine Mary Crozier née Bolland, Rockview, Ballyhaise was born in the townland of Knockfad on 8 April...
(1907–1911)
- Charles Frederick D'Arcy (1911–1919)
- Charles T. P. GriersonCharles Thornton Primrose GriersonCharles Thornton Primrose Grierson was an eminent Irish clergyman in the first third of the 20th century Ordained in 1881, he began his career with a curacy at Kells, after which he was Rector of Stradbally and then Seapatrick, County Down...
(1919–1934) - John Frederick McNeice (1934–1942)
- Charles King IrwinCharles King IrwinCharles King Irwin was an eminent Irish clergyman in the middle third of the 20th century.Born on 30 March 1874 into an eminent ecclesiastical family, he was ordained in 1898 and began his career with a curacy at Brantry, after which he was Vicar of Derrynoose and then Middletown...
(1942–1944)
Bishops of Down and Dromore
- William Shaw Kerr (1945–1955)
- Frederick Julian Mitchell (1955–1969)
- George Alderson Quin (1970–1980)
- Robert "Robin" EamesRobin EamesRobin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
(1980–1986) - Gordon McMullan (1986–1997)
- Harold Creeth MillerHarold Miller (bishop)Harold Creeth Miller is the current bishop of the Diocese of Down and Dromore in the Church of Ireland. Coming from a Methodist background, he was elected bishop in 1997 and is considered to represent an evangelical position within the Church....
(1997–present)
See also
- List of Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom and Ireland
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor
- Roman Catholic Diocese of DromoreRoman Catholic Diocese of DromoreThe Diocese of Dromore is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. The present Bishop is the Most Reverend John McAreavey who was enthroned in 1999....