Bishop of Meath
Encyclopedia
The Bishop of Meath is an 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 takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath
Kingdom of Mide
Mide , spelt Midhe in modern Irish and anglicised as Meath, was a medieval kingdom in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Its name means "middle", denoting the fact that lay in the middle of Ireland....

. 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 remains as a separate title, but 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 has been united with another bishopric.

History

Until the early twelfth century, the Kingdom of Meath had been divided into eight small monastic episcopal 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...

s, which were located at Clonard
Clonard, County Meath
Clonard is a small village in County Meath, Ireland. It lies on the R148 regional road between the towns of Kinnegad and Enfield. This road was the main road between Dublin and Galway until the construction of the M4 motorway - it is still used by traffic avoiding the toll on the M4.It is notable...

, Duleek
Duleek
Duleek is a town in County Meath, Ireland, close to the Louth border.Duleek takes is name from the Irish word daimh liag, meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianan’s Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Duleek today...

, Kells
Kells, County Meath
Kells is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. In recent years Kells has grown greatly with many Dublin commuters moving to the town....

, Trim
Trim, County Meath
Trim is the traditional county town of County Meath in Ireland, although the county town is now Navan. The town was recorded in the 2006 census to have a population of 6,870....

, Ardbraccan
Ardbraccan
Ardbraccan is an ancient place of Christian worship in County Meath, Ireland. It is the location of the former residence of the Roman Catholic, then, after the Reformation, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath. It is located approximately 30 miles from Dublin.-Origins:Ardbraccan originated as a...

, Dunshaughlin
Dunshaughlin
-History:It is named after Saint Seachnall, who established a church there in the 5th century.Máel Seachlainn was ancestor to the principal family of Brega, Ó Maoilsheachlainn, is descended...

, Slane
Slane
Slane is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 and the N51 . In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area...

, and Fore
Fore, County Westmeath
Fore is a village, next to the old Benedictine Abbey ruin of Fore Abbey, situated to the north of Lough Lene in County Westmeath, in Ireland....

. By the time of 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...

, held in 1111, the last five had been united to the see of Clonard. Duleek was still recognized as a separate bishopric at the Synod of Kells, held in 1152, but disappeared not long after that date. The see of Kells was ruled together with Tirbrunensis (later Kilmore
Bishop of Kilmore
The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore in County Cavan, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:...

) in the second half of the twelfth century, but after 1211 Kells was incorporated into the diocese of Meath
Diocese of Meath
The Diocese of Meath is an Irish diocese which took its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it still exists as a separate diocese, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other dioceses.-History:...

.

During the twelfth century, the bishops of Clonard were frequently called the "bishop of Meath" or "bishop of the men of Meath". Bishop Simon Rochfort
Simon Rochfort
-Life:He was the first Englishman who held the see of Meath, to which he was consecrated in 1194.He was one of the judges appointed by Pope Innocent III in the suit for possession of the body of Hugh de Lacy, 5th Baron Lacy and first lord of Meath, between the monks of Bective in Meath and the...

 transferred his seat from Clonard
Clonard, County Meath
Clonard is a small village in County Meath, Ireland. It lies on the R148 regional road between the towns of Kinnegad and Enfield. This road was the main road between Dublin and Galway until the construction of the M4 motorway - it is still used by traffic avoiding the toll on the M4.It is notable...

 to Trim
Trim, County Meath
Trim is the traditional county town of County Meath in Ireland, although the county town is now Navan. The town was recorded in the 2006 census to have a population of 6,870....

 in 1202 and the title "bishop of Meath" became the normal style.

Following 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....

, there are two parallel apostolic succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...

s. 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...

, the bishopric of Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century, although inferior in status to the Abbot of Clonmacnoise until the reformation of the...

 became part of Meath in 1569. In 1976, the bishoprics of Meath and 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...

 were combined to become the united bishopric of Meath and Kildare.

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...

, Meath is still a separate title. The Roman Catholic bishop's seat is located at Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar
Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar
Christ the King Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is situated near the centre of Mullingar next to the Royal Canal, and overlooks the local Garda Síochána station on College Street....

. The current bishop is the Most Reverend Michael Smith
Michael Smith (Bishop)
Michael Smith is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Meath, Ireland.- Career :He was born in Oldcastle, County Meath, the son of Julia Tuite and ? Smith. Having studied for the priesthood at the Irish College in Rome, he was ordained a priest for the diocese on 9 March 1963. Continuing his studies in...

, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath
Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath
The Diocese of Meath is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh...

, who succeeded to the title on 16 May 1990.

Bishops of Clonard

List of Bishops of Clonard
From Until Incumbent Notes
bef.1096 1117 Máel Muire Ua Dúnáin Consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...

 a monastic bishop at Clonard Abbey
Clonard Abbey
Clonard Abbey was an early medieval monastery situated on the River Boyne, just beside the traditional boundary line of the northern and southern halves of Ireland in modern County Meath...

 before 1096; became the first 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 Clonard when the diocese was established in 1111; died in office 24 December 1117
1133 1140 Eochaid Ua Cellaig Became bishop before 11 November 1133; styled as the bishop of the men of Meath; died in office; also known as Eochaid O'Kelly
bef.1152 1173 Étrú Ua Miadacháin Present at the Synod of Kells in 1152; died in office; also known as Eleuzerius
bef.1177 1191 Echthigern Mac Máel Chiaráin Became bishop before March 1177; at first styled himself bishop of Cluain-irairt (Clonard), but subsequently adopted the title bishop of Meath; died in office; also known as Eugenius
1192 1224 Simon Rochfort Elected in 1192; died before August 1224
After the Episcopal 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 transferred from Clonard
Clonard, County Meath
Clonard is a small village in County Meath, Ireland. It lies on the R148 regional road between the towns of Kinnegad and Enfield. This road was the main road between Dublin and Galway until the construction of the M4 motorway - it is still used by traffic avoiding the toll on the M4.It is notable...

 to Newtown near Trim
Trim, County Meath
Trim is the traditional county town of County Meath in Ireland, although the county town is now Navan. The town was recorded in the 2006 census to have a population of 6,870....

 by Bishop Simon Rochfort in 1202, the title "Bishop of Meath" became the normal style.

Bishops of Meath

List of Bishops of Meath
From Until Incumbent Notes
1224 1226 Dónán Dé Elected in August 1224, but was not consecrated; died after 21 October 1226; also known as Deodatus
1227 1230 Ralph Petit Formerly Archdeacon of Meath; elected before 30 March 1227 and 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...

 on that date; died circa 28 September 1230
1231 1252 Richard de la Corner Formerly a Canon of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; elected and consecrated in 1231; died before 29 June 1252
1253 Geoffrey Cusack
Cusack
Cusack is an Irish family name of Norman origin, originally from Cussac in Guienne , France. The surname died out in England, but is common in Ireland, where it was imported at the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century....

, O.F.M.
Elected and consecrated before July 1253; resigned in July 1253; died before October 1254
1254 1282 Hugo of Taghmon 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...

 23 December 1252; confirmed bishop by the pope 31 October 1254; consecrated after June 1255; also became Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the chief financial officer of that kingdom until the treasuries of Great Britain and Ireland were united in 1817...

; died before 30 January 1282
before 1283 1286 (Walter de Fulburn
Walter de Fulburn
Walter de Fulburn , or de Fulbourn was a leading Irish statesman and cleric who held the offices of Bishop of Waterford, Bishop of Meath and Lord Chancellor of Ireland...

)
Elected and consecrated before January 1283; appointed by Archbishop Nicol of Armagh, however, Fulburn but did not get possession of the see; translated to Waterford
Bishop of Waterford
The Bishop of Waterford was a medieval prelate, governing the Diocese of Waterford from its creation in the 11th century until it was absorbed into the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore in the 14th century...

 12 July 1286
1286 1320 Thomas St Leger Formerly Archdeacon of Kells; elected bishop before 5 November 1282; took his claim to Rome, where it was approved by Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...

; appointed 12 July 1286; consecrated 3 November 1287; died in December 1320
1321 1327 Seoán Mac Cearbaill Translated from 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...

 20 February 1321; 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...

 23 June 1322; translated to Cashel
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....

 19 January 1327; also known as John MacCarwill or O'Carroll
1327 1349 William of St Paul, O.Carm. Appointed 16 February 1327 and consecrated circa the same month; 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...

 24 July 1327; died in July 1349
1349 1352 William St Leger Formerly Archdeacon of Meath; appointed 5 October 1349; 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...

 24 February 1350; consecrated 2 May 1350; died 24 August 1352
1353 1367 Nicholas Allen, O.S.A. Elected before 9 January 1353 and appointed on that date; consecrated 31 January 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...

 15 March 1353; died 15 January 1367
1369 1379 Stephen de Valle Translated from Limerick
Bishop 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...

 19 February 1369; 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...

 15 February 1370 and again 6 September 1373; died 10 November 1379; also known as Stephen Wall
1380 1385 William Andrew, O.P. Translated from Achonry in 1380; acted as a suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...

 in the diocese of Canterbury
Diocese of Canterbury
The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent, founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. It is centred on Canterbury Cathedral, and is the oldest see of the Church of England....

 1380; 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...

 12 November 1380; died 28 September 1385
1386 1400 Alexander Petit Translated from Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...

 10 March 1386; died 10 November 1400; also known as Alexander de Balscot
Alexander de Balscot
Alexander de Balscot , also known as Alexander Petit was one of the leading Irish clerics of the late fourteenth century, holding the offices of Bishop of Ossory, Bishop of Meath, Treasurer of Ireland and Lord Chancellor of Ireland....

1401 1412 Robert Montayne Appointed 7 February and consecrated before 13 September 1401; died 24 May 1412
1412 1430 Edward Dantsey Appointed 31 August 1412 and 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...

 11 April 1413; died 4 January 1430
1430 1433 William Hadsor Appointed 29 May 1430; died 28 May 1433
1433 1450 William Silk Elected before 30 August 1433; appointed 22 September 1434 and consecrated after 14 October 1434; died 9 May 1450
1450 1459 Edmund Oldhall
Edmund Oldhall
Edmund Oldhall was an English-born cleric and judge in fifteenth- century Ireland; he was Bishop of Meath and acting Lord Chancellor of Ireland .He was a brother of the leading Yorkist statesman Sir William Oldhall....

, O.Carm.
Appointed 7 August 1450; died 9 (or 29) August 1459
1460 1482 William Sherwood
William Sherwood
William Sherwood was an English ecclesiastic. He was Bishop of Meath, and later Chancellor of Ireland.-Life:He obtained the see by papal provision in April, 1460. Of his earlier life nothing is known....

Appointed 26 March 1460; died 3 December 1482
1483 1507 John Payne, O.P. Appointed 17 March 1483; 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...

 16 July 1483; consecrated before 4 August 1483; died 6 May 1507
1507 1512 William Rokeby
William Rokeby
William Rokeby was a leading statesman and cleric in early sixteenth-century Ireland, who held the offices of Bishop of Meath, Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland...

Appointed 28 May 1507; translated to Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...

 28 January 1512
1512 1523 Hugh Inge
Hugh Inge
Hugh Inge or Ynge was an English born judge and prelate in sixteenth century Ireland who held the offices of Bishop of Meath, Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland....

, O.P.
Appointed 28 January 1512; translated to Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...

 27 February 1523
1523 1529 Richard Wilson, O.S.A. Appointed 27 February 1523; resigned before September 1529

Church of Ireland succession

Church of Ireland Bishops of Meath
From Until Incumbent Notes
1529 1554 Edward Staples
Edward Staples
-Life:Born probably about 1490, he is said to have been a native of Lincolnshire or Lancashire. He was educated first at Oxford and then at Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1511, and M.A. in 1514. In 1525 he was made canon of Cardinal College, Oxford, and on 9 March 1526 he supplicated for...

 
Appointed 3 September 1529; accepted royal supremacy; deprived by Queen 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...

 on 29 June 1554; died circa 1560
1554 1560 William Walsh
William Walsh (Bishop of Meath)
William Walsh O.Cist. was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate and Bishop of Meath, Ireland from 1554 to 1560 and for a brief period from April 1575.-Biography:...

, O.Cist. 
Appointed by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 22 November 1554; deprived by Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 in 1560; died 4 January 1577
1560 1563 See vacant
1563 1584 Hugh Brady (bishop)Hugh Brady Nominated 21 October and consecrated 19 December 1563; died 14 February 1584
1584 1605 Thomas Jones Nominated 18 April and consecrated 12 May 1584; translated to 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...

 8 November 1605
1605 1608 Roger Dod Appointed by letters patent 13 November 1605; died 27 July 1608
1609 1621 George Montgomery
George Montgomery (bishop)
The Rt. Rev. Dr. George Montgomery was a Scottish churchman, promoted by James VI and I to Irish bishoprics.-Life:He was the brother of Hugh Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, who used his influence on George's behalf. After James I had made him Dean of Norwich in 1603, he was appointed the...

Nominated 8 July 1609 and appointed by letters patent 24 January 1612; also was bishop of 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:...

 and Raphoe
Bishop of Raphoe
The Bishop of Raphoe is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, 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:...

 1605 to 1609, and Clogher
Bishop of Clogher
The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...

 1605 to 1621; died in office 15 January 1621
1621 1625 James Ussher
James Ussher
James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...

Nominated 16 January and consecrated 2 December 1621; translated to Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
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....

 21 March 1625
1625 1650 Anthony Martin Nominated 22 February and consecrated 25 July 1625; died in July 1650
1650 1660 See vacant
1660 1661 Henry Leslie
Henry 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:...

Translated from 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...

; nominated 3 August 1660 and appointed by letters patent 19 January 1661; died 7 April 1661
1661 1682 Henry Jones Translated from Clogher
Bishop of Clogher
The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...

; nominated 9 April and appointed by letters patent 25 May 1661; died 5 January 1682
1682 1697 Anthony Dopping Translated from 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...

; nominated 14 January and appointed by letters patent 11 February 1682; died 25 April 1697
1697 1705 Richard Tennison Translated from Clogher
Bishop of Clogher
The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...

; nominated 1 June and appointed by letters patent 25 June 1697; died July 1705
1705 1715 William Moreton
William Moreton
William Moreton was an English prelate in the Church of Ireland who served as the Bishop of Meath from 1705-1716.-Life:...

Translated from 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...

; nominated 27 August and appointed by letters patent 18 September 1705; died 21 November 1715
1716 1724 John Evans
John Evans (bishop)
John Evans , was bishop of Meath.Evans was born at Plas Du in the parish of Llanarmon, Carnarvonshire, and educated at Jesus College, Oxford. A John Evans of Jesus College graduated as B.A. in 1671...

Translated from Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...

; nom 19 January and by lp 10 February 1716; died 2 March 1724
1724 1727 Henry Downes Translated from Elphin; nom 17 March and by lp 9 April 1724; translated to 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:...

 8 February 1727
1727 1732 Ralph Lambert Translated from 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...

; nom 12 January and by lp 10 February 1727; died 6 February 1732
1732 1734 Welbore Ellis
Welbore Ellis (bishop)
Welbore Ellis was an English bishop of Kildare, bishop of Meath and Irish privy councillor.-Life:He was the fourth son of the Rev. John Ellis , rector of Waddesdon, and author of Vindiciæ Catholicæ; and brother to John Ellis and William Ellis. He was educated at Westminster School and at Christ...

Translated from 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...

; nom 18 February and by lp 13 March 1732; died 1 January 1734; his son was Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip
Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip
Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip PC FRS was a British statesman. He held a number of political offices, including briefly serving as Secretary for the Colonies in 1782 during the American War of Independence.-Background:...

1734 1744 Arthur Price Translated from Ferns and Leighlin
Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin
The Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Ferns and Leighlin in the Province of Dublin. The diocese comprised all of counties Wexford and Carlow and part of counties Wicklow and Laois in Ireland....

; nom 19 January and by lp 2 February 1734; translated to Cashel
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....

 7 March 1744
1744 1758 Henry Maule Translated from 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...

; nom 10 May and by lp 24 May 1744; died 13 April 1758
1758 1765 Hon.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...

 William Carmichael
Translated from Ferns and Leighlin
Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin
The Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Ferns and Leighlin in the Province of Dublin. The diocese comprised all of counties Wexford and Carlow and part of counties Wicklow and Laois in Ireland....

; nom 30 May and by lp 8 June 1758; translated to 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...

 12 June 1765; his father was James Carmichael, 2nd Earl of Hyndford
Earl of Hyndford
Earl of Hyndford was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1701 for John Carmichael, 2nd Lord Carmichael, Secretary of State from 1696 to 1707. He was made Lord Carmichael and Viscount of Inglisberry and Nemphlar at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland...

1765 Richard Pococke
Richard Pococke
Richard Pococke was an English prelate and anthropologist. He was Protestant Bishop of Ossory and Meath , both dioceses of the Church of Ireland...

Translated from Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...

; nominated 22 June and by lp 16 July 1765; died 15 September 1765
1765 1766 Arthur Smyth
Arthur Smyth
The Most Rev Arthur Smyth was Archbishop of Dublin from 1766 until his death in 1772. He had previously been Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh, Down and Connor and Meath. He was an uncle of John Wesley....

Translated from 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...

; nominated 27 September and by lp 28 October 1765; translated to 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...

1766 1798 Hon.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...

 Henry Maxwell
Henry Maxwell
Henry Maxwell is a New Zealand former rugby league player who represented his country in the 1957 and 1960 World Cups.-Playing career:Maxwell played for the Point Chevalier Pirates in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He represented Auckland and in 1955 he was first selected for the New...

Translated from 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...

; nominated 28 February 1766 and appointed by letters patent 15 April 1766; died 7 October 1798; his father was John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham
John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham
John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham was an Irish peer and politician.He was a Member of Parliament of the Irish House of Commons for Cavan County from 1727 to 1756...

1798 1823 Thomas Lewis O'Beirne Translated from Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...

; nominated 1 December and by lp 18 December 1798; died 17 February 1823
1823 1840 Nathaniel Alexander
Nathaniel Alexander (bishop)
Nathaniel Alexander , was an Anglican Bishop in Ireland during the first half of the 19th century.He was born in 1760 and educated at Harrow and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was appointed Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh in 1802 and translated to Killaloe in 1804. Only six months later he...

Translated from 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...

; nom 12 March and by lp 21 March 1823; died 21 October 1840
1840 1842 Charles Dickenson
Charles Dickenson
The Right Reverend Charles Dickenson DD, PC , was an Anglican bishop in the Church of Ireland in the 19th century....

Nominated 21 December and consecrated 27 December 1840; died 12 July 1842
1842 1850 Edward Adderly Stopford Nominated 20 October and consecrated 6 November 1842; died 17 September 1850
1850 1852 Thomas Stewart Townsend Nominated 9 October and consecrated 1 November 1850; died 1 September 1852
1852 1866 James Henderson Singer Nominated 2 November and consecrated 28 November 1852; died 16 July 1866
1866 1876 Samuel Butcher
Samuel Butcher (bishop)
Samuel Butcher PC was an Irish Anglican bishop in the Church of Ireland in the 19th century.Butcher was the son of Samuel Butler, a distinguished naval commander. He was Professor of Divinity at Trinity College, Dublin from 1852 to 1866 when he became Bishop of Meath...

Appointed by letters patent 14 October 1866; died 29 July 1876
1876 1884 William Connyngham Plunket Elected 18 October and consecrated 10 December 1876; translated to 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...

 23 December 1884; his son, Benjamin John Plunket, became bishop of Meath in 1919
1885 1894 Charles Parsons Reichel
Charles Parsons Reichel
The Most Rev Charles Parsons Reichel, DD, MA was an Anglican Bishop and author in the 19th century. He was born in 1816, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and ordained in 1847. After a curacy at St. Mary's Church, Dublin he was Professor of Latin at Queen's College, Belfast from 1850 to...

Elected 19 August and consecrated 29 September 1885; died 29 March 1894
1894 1897 Joseph Ferguson Peacocke
Joseph Ferguson Peacocke
Joseph Ferguson Peacocke was a Church of Ireland cleric. He was the Bishop of Meath from 1894 to 1897 and then Archbishop of Dublin from 1897 until 1915...

Elected 15 May and consecrated 11 June 1894; translated to 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...

 19 May 1897
1897 1919 James Bennett Keene
James Bennett Keene
James Bennett Keene was an Irish Anglican bishop in the Church of Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....

10 September and consecrated 17 October 1897; died 5 August 1919
1919 1925 Hon.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...

 Benjamin John Plunket
Benjamin John Plunket
The Rt Revd and Hon Benjamin John Plunket was a 20th century Anglican bishop.Plunket was the son of William Plunket, 4th Baron Plunket. Born in Bray on 1 August 1870, he was educated at Harrow and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1896, he began his career with a curacy at St Peter,...

Translated from Tuam, Killala and Achonry
Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry
The Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry in the Province of Armagh. The present incumbent is the Right Reverend Patrick Rooke....

; elected 3 October and confirmed 15 October 1919; resigned 31 March 1925; died 26 January 194; his father was William Connyngham Plunket, who was bishop of Meath 1876-1884
1926 1927 Thomas Gibson George Collins
Thomas Gibson George Collins
Thomas Gibson George Collins was Bishop of Meath for a brief spell in the second quarter of the 20th century. Ordained in 1896, he began his career with a curacy at Maralin, after which he was Rector of Rathfriland then Warrenpoint and St James’, Belfast; and finally, before his elevation to...

Elected 4 February and consecrated 17 March 1926; died 3 July 1927
1927 1938 John Orr
John Orr (bishop)
The Most Rev John Orr, DD, MA was a 20th century Anglican Bishop. Born in 1874 and educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he was ordained in 1900. He began his career with a curacies at St John’s, Dublin and All Saints, Aghade, and St Nicholas, Dundalk and Kilmore Cathedral. In 1912 he became...

Translated from Tuam, Killala and Achonry
Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry
The Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry in the Province of Armagh. The present incumbent is the Right Reverend Patrick Rooke....

; elected 22 September and confirmed 15 November 1927; died 21 July 1938
1938 1945 William Hardy Holmes
William Hardy Holmes
The Most Reverend William Hardy Holmes, DD, MA was a 20th century Anglican Bishop. Born on 25 June 1873 and educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he was ordained in 1897, and began his career with a curacy at Christ Church, Derry. He then held incumbencies at Kilbarron and Ballyshannon. In 1916...

Translated from Tuam, Killala and Achonry
Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry
The Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry in the Province of Armagh. The present incumbent is the Right Reverend Patrick Rooke....

; elected 14 October and confirmed 19 October 1938; resigned 31 May 1945; died 26 May 1951
1945 1959 James McCann
James 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,...

Elected 4 July and consecrated 24 August 1945; translated to Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
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....

 19 February 1959
1959 1973 Robert Bonsall Pike
Robert Bonsall Pike
Robert Bonsall Pike was Bishop of Meath from 1959 until his death on 27 December 1973. Born on 19 October 1905, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and ordained in 1930...

Elected 14 April and consecrated 19 May 1959; died 27 December 1973
1973 1976 See vacant
Since 1976, the Church of Ireland see has been part of the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare
Diocese of Meath and Kildare
The United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare is a diocese in the Church of Ireland located in Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.-Overview and history:...


Roman Catholic succession

Roman Catholic Bishops of Meath
From Until Incumbent Notes
1529 1554 Edward Staples
Edward Staples
-Life:Born probably about 1490, he is said to have been a native of Lincolnshire or Lancashire. He was educated first at Oxford and then at Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1511, and M.A. in 1514. In 1525 he was made canon of Cardinal College, Oxford, and on 9 March 1526 he supplicated for...

 
Appointed 3 September 1529; accepted royal supremacy, although no action was taken against him by Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...

; deprived by Queen 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...

 on 29 June 1554; died circa 1560
1554 1577 William Walsh
William Walsh (Bishop of Meath)
William Walsh O.Cist. was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate and Bishop of Meath, Ireland from 1554 to 1560 and for a brief period from April 1575.-Biography:...

, O.Cist. 
Appointed by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 22 November 1554; deprived of the Church of Ireland 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...

 in 1560, but confirmed the Roman Catholic bishop 6 September 1564; died 4 January 1577
1577 1621 See vacant During this period, Cornelius Stanley was appointed vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...

 of the sees of Meath and Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...

 on 15 May 1591
1621 1652 Thomas Dease Appointed 5 May 1621 and consecrated 22 May 1622; died 1652
1652 1657 See vacant
1657 1661 Anthony MacGeoghegan, O.F.M. Translated from Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century, although inferior in status to the Abbot of Clonmacnoise until the reformation of the...

 16 April 1657; resigned 1661; died 1664
apptd. 1665 Edmund Mac Teige Appointed vicar apostolic by papal brief
Papal brief
The Papal Brief is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a Papal Bull.-History:The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugenius IV , was clearly prompted for the same desire for greater simplicity...

 24 November 1665
1669 1679 Patrick Plunkett, O.Cist. Translated from Ardagh
Bishop of Ardagh
The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh in County Longford, Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839....

 11 January 1669; died 18 November 1679
1679 1688 James Cusack Appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 5 October 1678; succeeded 18 November 1679; died 1688
1689 1692 Patrick Tyrell, O.F.M. Translated from Clogher
Bishop of Clogher
The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...

 24 January 1689; died 1692
1692 1711 See vacant During this period, James Fagan was appointed on 30 April 1707, but did not accept it
1713 1729 Luke Fagan Appointed 15 September 1713 and consecrated 7 February 1714; translated to Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...

 September. 1729
1729 1756 Stephen MacEgan, O.P. Translated from Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century, although inferior in status to the Abbot of Clonmacnoise until the reformation of the...

 26 September 1729; died 30 May 1756
1756 1778 Augustine Cheevers, O.E.S.A. Translated from Ardagh
Bishop of Ardagh
The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh in County Longford, Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839....

 7 August 1756; died 18 August 1778
1778 1827 Patrick Joseph Plunkett Appointed 19 December 1778 and consecrated 28 February 1779; died 11 January 1827
1827 1830 Robert Logan Appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 26 July and consecrated 29 October 1824; succeeded 11 January 1827; died 22 April 1830
1830 1866 John Cantwell Appointed 4 July and consecrated 21 September 1830; died 11 December 1866
1866 1898 Thomas McNulty Appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 29 August and consecrated 23 October 1864; succeeded 11 December 1866; died 24 December 1898
1899 1906 Matthew Gaffney Appointed 28 April and consecrated 25 June 1899; resigned in 1906; died 15 December 1909
1906 1928 Laurence Gaughran Appointed 19 May and consecrated 24 June 1906; died 14 June 1928
1929 1943 Thomas Mulvany Appointed 12 April and consecrated 30 June 1929; died 16 June 1943
1943 1946 John Francis D'Alton Appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 7 April and consecrated 29 June 1942; succeeded 16 June 1943; translated to 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...

 25 April 1946
1947 1966 John Anthony Kyne Appointed 17 May and consecrated 29 June 1947; died 23 December 1966
1966 1968 See vacant
1968 1990 John McCormack Appointed 29 January and consecrated 10 March 1968; resigned 16 May 1990
1990 present Michael Smith
Michael Smith (Bishop)
Michael Smith is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Meath, Ireland.- Career :He was born in Oldcastle, County Meath, the son of Julia Tuite and ? Smith. Having studied for the priesthood at the Irish College in Rome, he was ordained a priest for the diocese on 9 March 1963. Continuing his studies in...

Appointed auxiliary bishop of Meath
Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath
The Diocese of Meath is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh...

 17 November 1983 and consecrated 29 June 1984; appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

of Meath 13 October 1988; succeeded 16 May 1990
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