Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The Anglican Archbishop of Armagh is the ecclesiastical head of the Church of Ireland
, the metropolitan of the Province of Armagh and the diocesan bishop
of the Diocese of Armagh
.
The diocese traces its history to Saint Patrick
in the 5th century, who founded the See
, and his current successor is the Most Reverend Alan Harper
who was enthroned at St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh
on the 16th March 2007. Like his counterpart, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, he bears the title Primate of All Ireland.
and some other religious edifices round about, and fixed on this place for his metropolitan see. In Irish times, the primacy of Armagh was questioned only by the great southern centre of the Irish Church, at Cashel. Another note-worthy incumbent was St. Malachy O'Morgair
(1134–37), who suffered many tribulations in trying to effect a reformation in the diocese. St. Malachy is honoured as the patron saint of the diocese. When the English kings got a footing in the country, they began to intervene in the election of bishops. The English kings also began to claim possession of the temporalities of the sees during vacancies and to insist on the newly elected bishops suing them humbly for their restitution.
, George Dowdall
, a zealous supporter of the king, had been elevated into the See of Armagh by that monarch, but on the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer
in the reign of Edward VI
, he left the kingdom in disgust. Thereupon the king in 1552, appointed Hugh Goodacre
to the see. In the beginning of the reign of Mary I
, Dowdall was again appointed to the see on account of the great zeal he had shown against Protestantism. He survived his consecration only three months. Adam Loftus
(1563–67), from whom the Church of Ireland hierarchy derive their orders, was consecrated by Hugh Curwin, Archbishop of Dublin
.
(1625–56), whose most important works were "Veterum Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge", published in 1632, and "Brittanicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates", which appeared in 1639. He left his valuable library, comprising several thousand printed books and manuscripts, to Trinity College, Dublin
, and his complete works were published by that institution in twenty-four volumes. His judgment against toleration of Roman Catholics, i.e. "to consent that they may freely exercise their religion and profess their faith and doctrine is a grievous sin", was a signal for the renewal of persecution and led to the Rising of the Irish Catholics
in 1641.
John Bramhall
(1660–63), another learned divine, succeeded Ussher. His works on polemic and other subjects have been published in four folio volumes. Narcissus Marsh
(1702–13), another learned prelate, built the noble library of St. Sepulchre's in Dublin, which bears his name, filled it with a valuable collection of theological and Oriental works and liberally endowed it for the support of a librarian and deputy. Richard Robinson
(1765–94), raised Armagh by his munificence from extreme decay to a state of opulence and embellished it with various useful public institutions. He built an episcopal headquarters, a public library, an infirmary, and an observatory.
Lord John George Beresford (1822–62) was also distinguished by his munificence. He restored Armagh Cathedral and is said to have spent £280,000 in acts of public benevolence. On his successor, Marcus Gervais Beresford
(1862–65), fell a large portion of the task of providing for the future organization and sustentation of the Church of Ireland, which was disestablished from 1 January 1871. Prior to the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh was entitled to sit in the House of Lords
as a Lord Spiritual
, along with the other Archbishops in rotation.
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...
, the metropolitan of the Province of Armagh and the diocesan bishop
Diocesan bishop
A diocesan bishop — in general — is a bishop in charge of a diocese. These are to be distinguished from suffragan bishops, assistant bishops, coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops, metropolitans, and primates....
of the Diocese of Armagh
Diocese of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Armagh is the Metropolitan head of the Ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The province is one of two such provinces of the Church of Ireland in the island of Ireland...
.
The diocese traces its history to Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
in the 5th century, who founded 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...
, and his current successor is the Most Reverend Alan Harper
Alan Harper (archbishop)
Alan Edwin Thomas Harper, OBE is the Church of Ireland's Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. He assumed office on 2 February 2007 and was ceremonially enthroned on 16 March 2007. He is the first English-born Irish primate since the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869...
who was enthroned at St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in 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...
on the 16th March 2007. Like his counterpart, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, he bears the title Primate of All Ireland.
History
Saint Patrick, having received some grants of land from the chieftain Daire, on the hill called Ard-Macha (the Height of Macha), built a stone church on the summit and a monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
and some other religious edifices round about, and fixed on this place for his metropolitan see. In Irish times, the primacy of Armagh was questioned only by the great southern centre of the Irish Church, at Cashel. Another note-worthy incumbent was St. Malachy O'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...
(1134–37), who suffered many tribulations in trying to effect a reformation in the diocese. St. Malachy is honoured as the patron saint of the diocese. When the English kings got a footing in the country, they began to intervene in the election of bishops. The English kings also began to claim possession of the temporalities of the sees during vacancies and to insist on the newly elected bishops suing them humbly for their restitution.
Irish Reformation
During the reign of Henry VIIIHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, George Dowdall
George Dowdall
George Dowdall was twice Archbishop of Armagh.He was appointed Primate of All Ireland by Henry VIII in 1543 to succeed George Cromer. However, this was not recognised by the Pope, who had earlier replaced Cromer with Robert Wauchope...
, a zealous supporter of the king, had been elevated into the See of Armagh by that monarch, but on the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
in the reign of Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, he left the kingdom in disgust. Thereupon the king in 1552, appointed Hugh Goodacre
Hugh Goodacre
Hugh Goodacre was an English Protestant clergyman, briefly Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland.-Life:He was vicar of Shalfleet, Isle of Wight, and chaplain to John Ponet, Bishop of Winchester...
to the see. In the beginning of the reign of Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, Dowdall was again appointed to the see on account of the great zeal he had shown against Protestantism. He survived his consecration only three months. Adam Loftus
Adam Loftus (Archbishop)
thumb|right|200px|Archbishop Adam LoftusAdam Loftus was Archbishop of Armagh, and later Dublin, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1581. He was also the first Provost of Trinity College, Dublin.-Early life:...
(1563–67), from whom the Church of Ireland hierarchy derive their orders, was consecrated by Hugh Curwin, Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough in the Church of Ireland...
.
Later primates
A most learned primate was James UssherJames Ussher
James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...
(1625–56), whose most important works were "Veterum Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge", published in 1632, and "Brittanicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates", which appeared in 1639. He left his valuable library, comprising several thousand printed books and manuscripts, to Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, and his complete works were published by that institution in twenty-four volumes. His judgment against toleration of Roman Catholics, i.e. "to consent that they may freely exercise their religion and profess their faith and doctrine is a grievous sin", was a signal for the renewal of persecution and led to the Rising of the Irish Catholics
Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
in 1641.
John Bramhall
John Bramhall
John Bramhall was an Archbishop of Armagh, and an Anglican theologian and apologist. He was a noted controversialist who doggedly defended the English Church from both Puritan and Roman Catholic accusations, as well as the materialism of Thomas Hobbes.-Early life:Bramhall was born in Pontefract,...
(1660–63), another learned divine, succeeded Ussher. His works on polemic and other subjects have been published in four folio volumes. Narcissus Marsh
Narcissus Marsh
Narcissus Marsh was an English clergyman who was successively Church of Ireland Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, Archbishop of Cashel, Archbishop of Dublin and Archbishop of Armagh....
(1702–13), another learned prelate, built the noble library of St. Sepulchre's in Dublin, which bears his name, filled it with a valuable collection of theological and Oriental works and liberally endowed it for the support of a librarian and deputy. Richard Robinson
Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby
Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby was an Irish ecclesiastic.Robinson came to Ireland as chaplain to the Duke of Dorset in 1751. He was translated from the See of Kildare to the Archbishopric of Armagh in 1765....
(1765–94), raised Armagh by his munificence from extreme decay to a state of opulence and embellished it with various useful public institutions. He built an episcopal headquarters, a public library, an infirmary, and an observatory.
Lord John George Beresford (1822–62) was also distinguished by his munificence. He restored Armagh Cathedral and is said to have spent £280,000 in acts of public benevolence. On his successor, Marcus Gervais Beresford
Marcus Gervais Beresford
Marcus Gervais Beresford DD, DCL, PC was the Church of Ireland Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh from 1854 to 1862 and Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1862 until his death.-Early life:...
(1862–65), fell a large portion of the task of providing for the future organization and sustentation of the Church of Ireland, which was disestablished from 1 January 1871. Prior to the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh was entitled to sit in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Lord Spiritual
Lords Spiritual
The Lords Spiritual of the United Kingdom, also called Spiritual Peers, are the 26 bishops of the established Church of England who serve in the House of Lords along with the Lords Temporal. The Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, is not represented by spiritual peers...
, along with the other Archbishops in rotation.
List of archbishops
The following is a basic list of the Church of Ireland archbishops of Armagh.- George CromerGeorge CromerGeorge Cromer was Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland in the reign of Henry VIII of England, from 1521/2.Caught up in Henry's reformation of the Church of England, he was deprived of his see, Armagh...
(1521–1543) - George DowdallGeorge DowdallGeorge Dowdall was twice Archbishop of Armagh.He was appointed Primate of All Ireland by Henry VIII in 1543 to succeed George Cromer. However, this was not recognised by the Pope, who had earlier replaced Cromer with Robert Wauchope...
(1543–1552) - Hugh GoodacreHugh GoodacreHugh Goodacre was an English Protestant clergyman, briefly Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland.-Life:He was vicar of Shalfleet, Isle of Wight, and chaplain to John Ponet, Bishop of Winchester...
(1552–1553) - George DowdallGeorge DowdallGeorge Dowdall was twice Archbishop of Armagh.He was appointed Primate of All Ireland by Henry VIII in 1543 to succeed George Cromer. However, this was not recognised by the Pope, who had earlier replaced Cromer with Robert Wauchope...
(again) (1553–1558) - See vacant (1558–1562)
- Adam Loftus (1562–1567)
- Thomas LancasterThomas LancasterThomas Lancaster was an English Protestant clergyman, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh from 1568.-Life:He was perhaps a native of Cumberland, probably educated at Oxford. In July 1549 he was consecrated Bishop of Kildare by George Browne, Archbishop of Dublin...
(1568–1584) - John Long (1584–1589)
- John Garvey (1589–1595)
- Henry UssherHenry UssherHenry Ussher was an Irish Protestant churchman, a founder of Trinity College, Dublin and Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh.-Life:...
(1595–1613) - Christopher Hampton (1613–1625)
- James UssherJames UssherJames Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...
(1625–1656) - See vacant (1656–1661)
- John BramhallJohn BramhallJohn Bramhall was an Archbishop of Armagh, and an Anglican theologian and apologist. He was a noted controversialist who doggedly defended the English Church from both Puritan and Roman Catholic accusations, as well as the materialism of Thomas Hobbes.-Early life:Bramhall was born in Pontefract,...
(1660–1663) - James MargetsonJames MargetsonJames Margetson was an English churchman, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh from 1663.-Life:He was a native of Drighlington in Yorkshire. He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, and returned after ordination to Yorkshire, where he attracted the notice of Thomas Wentworth, then Lord...
(1663–1678) - Michael Boyle (1679–1702)
- Narcissus MarshNarcissus MarshNarcissus Marsh was an English clergyman who was successively Church of Ireland Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, Archbishop of Cashel, Archbishop of Dublin and Archbishop of Armagh....
(1703–1713) - Thomas Lindsay (1713–1724)
- Hugh BoulterHugh BoulterHugh Boulter was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, the Primate of All Ireland, from 1724 until his death. He also served as the chaplain to George I from 1719.-Background and education:...
(1724–1742)
- John HoadlyJohn HoadlyJohn Hoadly was an Anglican divine in the Church of Ireland. He served as Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin from 1727 to 1730 and as Archbishop of Dublin from 1730 to 1742 and Archbishop of Armagh from 1742 until his death.-References:...
(1742–1746) - George Stone (1747–1764)
- Richard Robinson (later The Lord Rokeby)Richard Robinson, 1st Baron RokebyRichard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby was an Irish ecclesiastic.Robinson came to Ireland as chaplain to the Duke of Dorset in 1751. He was translated from the See of Kildare to the Archbishopric of Armagh in 1765....
(1765–1794) - William NewcomeWilliam NewcomeWilliam Newcome was an Englishman and cleric of the Church of Ireland who was appointed to the bishoprics of Dromore , Ossory , Waterford and Lismore , and lastly to the Primatial See of Armagh .-Life:...
(1795–1800) - The Hon William Stuart (1800–1822)
- Lord John Beresford (1822–1862)
- Marcus Beresford (1862–1885)
- Robert Knox (1886–1893)
- Robert GreggRobert GreggThe Most Rev Robert Samuel Gregg MA, DD was a 19th century Anglican Archbishop. Born in 1834 and educated at Trinity College, Dublin he was ordained in 1857. He was Curate at Rathcooney then Rector of Christ Church Belfast. When his father became Bishop of Cork he became his Domestic Chaplain...
(1893–1896) - William AlexanderWilliam Alexander (bishop)William Alexander was an Irish cleric in the Church of Ireland.-Life:He was born in Derry on the 13 April 1824, the third child of Rev Robert Alexander. He was educated at Tonbridge School and Brasenose College, Oxford....
(1896–1911) - John Crozier (1911–1920)
- Charles D'ArcyCharles D'ArcyCharles Frederick D'Arcy was a Church of Ireland clergyman, from 1903 Bishop of Clogher, in 1907 translated to become Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin and then Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, briefly Archbishop of Dublin, and finally from 1920 until his death Archbishop of Armagh...
(1920–1938) - Godfrey DayGodfrey DayThe Most Rev John Godfrey Fitzmaurice Day MA, DD was a 20th century Anglican Archbishop.Born into an ecclesiastical family on 12 May 1874 and educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, he was ordained in 1897. a Missionary for the Cambridge Mission to Delhi until 1909 when he became Vicar of St...
(1938–1938) - John Gregg (1939–1959)
- James McCannJames McCann (bishop)The Most Rev James McCann MA, PhD, DD, LlD was a 20th century Anglican Bishop. Born in Grantham on 31 October 1897 and educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Queen’s University, Belfast and Trinity College, Dublin he was ordained in 1920. He held curacies at Ballymena,...
(1959–1969) - George Simms (1969–1980)
- John Armstrong (1980–1986)
- 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:...
(1986–2006) - Alan Harper (2007–present)