Walter Wellesley
Encyclopedia
Walter Wellesley was a sixteenth-century Irish cleric and judge. He was Prior of Great Connell Priory
, Bishop of Kildare
1529-39, and Master of the Rolls in Ireland
.
and Ismay, daughter of Sir Thomas Plunkett. His brother Garrett ( died 1538 ) was ancestor of the Duke of Wellington
.
Walter was educated at the University of Oxford
, and was said to be one of the outstanding scholars of his time. He became an Augustinian friar, and before 1520 became prior of their house at Great Connell near Newbridge, County Kildare
. For the rest of his life he showed great concern for the welfare of the priory.
, but the choice was rejected by the Pope. In 1520 the Earl of Surrey
, the Lord Deputy of Ireland
suggested him for Bishop of Cork
, but Wellesley himself rejected the proposal when told he could not remain Prior of Great Connell. Finally in 1529 he became Bishop of KIldare, on condition he could also retain the priory. He was Master of the Rolls 1521-2.
. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, his great concern was to save Great Connell. In 1537 he asked for it to be exempt from confiscation on the grounds that it was part of the Diocese of Kildare. His famous plea to Thomas Cromwell that " no brother is elected unless he be of the English nation" should not be taken as anti-Irish prejudice, since monasteries within the Pale
were not permitted to admit Irish monks, and he may simply have been stressing that Great Connell observed the rules strictly.
Wellesley's influence with the King was enough to ensure the survival of Great Connell for a few years, but two years after his death the last Prior surrendered it. The lands were granted to Nicholas White and the priory allowed to fall into ruins.
.
Great Connell Priory
Great Connell Priory is a former Augustinian monastery dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint David, situated on the eastern side of the River Liffey, in the Barony of Connell just to the south-east of the town of Newbridge, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland....
, Bishop of 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...
1529-39, and Master of the Rolls in Ireland
Master of the Rolls in Ireland
The office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland originated in the office of the keeper of the Rolls in the Irish Chancery and became an office granted by letters patent in 1333. It was abolished in 1924....
.
Background and early career
He was born about 1470, second son of Sir William Wellesley (c.1443-1502) of Dangan, County MeathMeath
Meath may refer to:*County Meath, Republic of Ireland**Kingdom of Mide, medieval precursor of the county**Meath , in UK and Irish parliaments**Meath GAA, including the intercounty football and hurling teams**Diocese of Meath...
and Ismay, daughter of Sir Thomas Plunkett. His brother Garrett ( died 1538 ) was ancestor of the Duke of Wellington
Duke of Wellington
The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and...
.
Walter was educated at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and was said to be one of the outstanding scholars of his time. He became an Augustinian friar, and before 1520 became prior of their house at Great Connell near Newbridge, County Kildare
Newbridge, County Kildare
The earliest known mention of Newbridge was by traveller and bookseller John Dunton in 1698, though he does not refer to any settlement other than at Ballymany....
. For the rest of his life he showed great concern for the welfare of the priory.
Bishop
Walter " had a singular mind" towards the maintenance of English rule, and had the trust of Henry VIII. Henry proposed him as Bishop of LimerickBishop of Limerick
The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of...
, but the choice was rejected by the Pope. In 1520 the Earl of Surrey
Earl of Surrey
The Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England, and has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, a close companion of William the Conqueror...
, the Lord Deputy of Ireland
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and later the Kingdom of Ireland...
suggested him for Bishop of 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...
, but Wellesley himself rejected the proposal when told he could not remain Prior of Great Connell. Finally in 1529 he became Bishop of KIldare, on condition he could also retain the priory. He was Master of the Rolls 1521-2.
Suppression of Great Connell
Though he had the trust of the Crown, Wellesley is not thought to have had any enthusiasm for the ReformationReformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, his great concern was to save Great Connell. In 1537 he asked for it to be exempt from confiscation on the grounds that it was part of the Diocese of Kildare. His famous plea to Thomas Cromwell that " no brother is elected unless he be of the English nation" should not be taken as anti-Irish prejudice, since monasteries within the Pale
The Pale
The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
were not permitted to admit Irish monks, and he may simply have been stressing that Great Connell observed the rules strictly.
Wellesley's influence with the King was enough to ensure the survival of Great Connell for a few years, but two years after his death the last Prior surrendered it. The lands were granted to Nicholas White and the priory allowed to fall into ruins.
Death and memorials
Wellesley died in October 1539 and was buried in Great Connell where an impressive effigy to him was erected. After the dissolution of the priory the tomb was lost and was finally rediscovered by the Kildare Archaeological Society in 1971. The restored tomb is now in Kildare CathedralKildare Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St. Brigid, Kildare is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kildare, County Kildare in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.-History:...
.