Armachiana Volume 2

ARLAGHLI SCilLLAI/EA

VOL . II

_,The Bells of St . Patrick ' s Cathedral

I ntrodu cti on of I nstrumental Music

Suc c ession of Organists

The Choir and Cho r isters

Appendix I Appendix II

Eiscellaneous data on Choristers an d on Masters of the Grammar dchool

Notabilities linked with the Ca th edral Choir

Edward Bunting

I· asters of the Grammar Sc h ool

Registrars and Vicars ' Stewards

Choir Librarians

Writing masters . ( The above notes "ere used in a series of talks to the Friends of the Ca thedral)

The Palace Pictures - Portraits of Archbishops

Missing Portraits

Royal Portrai t s

Identification of Armorial Bearings inner door of porch .

ARl1AGHliISCELLANBA

VOL . II

Li st of above pictures as mentioned in Archbishop Robinson ' s will

Data on Palace and Obelisk

Earlier residences of the Archbishops of Armagh

St . Brigid ' s Well

Templenafertagh

The Obelisk

The Franciscan ci

Friaryary

Armachiana Volume 2

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Armachiana Vol1 (Armagh County Museum ARMCM.28.2014.48)

The cont ents of thes e volumes l a belled Armachiana are simply notes for t a lks to local and visiting societies in search of material relating to it s histor ic a l b a ck ground and an cient monuments . They a re not of any great i mportance but may p rovide a gui de to studen ts seek ing d a t a on the county g enerally or on their own distri ct s i n particular . TGF Paterson

The Bells OF ST . Patrick • S.

,Jhen we think of t~ie bells in tne old cathedral · archbishop Lindsay • s princely gift of 1721 i:n ediately comes to "1ind - but that we shall discuss later . From at least the fifth century A.D. bells nave figured in C.iristian worship in Ireland . t tl1at time the, were, of course , small hand - bells . Among the bells of tllat period the most authentic and oldest is the celebrated " Bell of St . Patrick's s Will one of the three chief ecclesiastical treasures of Armagh. Tilrough fifteen hundred years it has had an unbroken history and the shrine in which it was later enclosed has never been lost sight of since it was ,ade bet•.-,een the year 1091 and 1105.

The bell and shrine were first in custody of a local sept named O;Mellan a clan that gave name to the townland of Lurgyvallen just outside our city, and the Annals record their safe-keeping in the hands of the O' Mellans do,m the centuries until 1441 when the guardianship passed to the 0 ' O'Mulhollands . The bell and shrine were then removed to Loughinsholin in Co . Derry (1-,here the head of the Mulholland family had settled) and remained there unti l 1758, in which year their last Keeper, Henry Mulholland died, having bequeathed the:n to his friend Adam McClean.

From McClean ' s executors they were subsequently bought by th e Rev J • Todd, a well-lmown Fellow of Trinity College, after whose death they were purchased by the Royal Irish Academy and are now preserved in the National Museum

Hand-bells of that type varied in size from about four inches to fourteen inches in height. They were probably first sounded by being struck from the outside . ongst the larger hand - bells, that com'1only called the "Bell of Armagh" is undoubtedly the finest example. It bears an inscription sho11ing that it belonged to Cumacach, Economist of ArmaghCathedral . From the Annals we learn that he died in 908, and his mother, we are told, was a daughter of Murdach, King of Ulster .

Such hand - bells are believed to have been rung from the upper openings of our round towers , structures reputed to have come into being following the invasions of the Norsesemen . The first attack on Armagh ca me in 832 and continued for over two centuries. In that period in the year 996 the nals of Innisfallen state that rmagh was burned by li gh tnin g so that "there was not left a bell or house of the seniors in the close" . I n 1020 there was a further burning wherein "Ye great stone church with its houses , the steeple wi th its bells" are mentioned . I n 1071.i on the 1'uesday after hay day a similar conflagration

resulted in the destruction of much of the city with all its churches and bells . In 1121 we learn that a great storm prevailed that knocked the cap off the bell tower . By th en bells large enough to hang in church tower or steeples see~ to have been in use in Ireland . They were, however, still s'llall in p ro po rtion but la ter grew larger. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries they had increased in size to the bells 110 kno,-1 to-day; for instance, the great bell of Armaghappears in Shane O' Neill ' s petition of 1563.

From that date onward we h ave occasional references to rmagh bells . For instance, when Archbishop Hampton was advanced to the Pri macy in 1613 "he restored the cathedral and adorned the north and south isles, made platforms on both sides of the church, rebuil t the steeple, recast the great bell and repaired an old house at the west end of the cathedral church, ,,/hereunto His Lordship added a new building which did stand him £160 more and bestowed upon it a demesne of 300 acres" . ,,ention of the recasting of the great bell assumes more than one bell then in the cathedral tower and the supposition is borne out by Friar O'Mellan s description of the burning of the city on Lay 16, 1642, in which h e states "Armagh was burnt; the cathedral with its bells,

organ glass windows, and the ,mole city , with its fine library, with all tne learned books of the English on Divinity, Logic, and Philosophy . The weather was very warm and there was an east wind so the flames soon reached t'.1e cathedral".

In the war between King James and William P rince of Orange the cathedral was occup i ed as a barracks and as a consequence its seats and wainscoting were used as firewood . ',lhether new b e lls had been placed in the tower prior to that date is uncertain bu t it seems likely . If so they were replaced in 1721 by a pea l of six bells , the gift of rchbishop Lindsay , a prelate whose benefactions comprised an endowment of the ca t hedral choir , and the presentat i on of a second organ

The installation of the bells necessitated a new bell - loft. Stuart writing in 1819 states that the original frame and wheels for bells were reconstruc t ed i n 1779 , \lhether rurther attention was necessary befor e 1 88 5 is not clear . At anyrate in that year the bell loft was falling into decay so an iron frame was substituted, bu t o f t"Jat presently . ?~e Lindsay bells were insc r ibed as under : 1st . when we do ring I merrily sing , . D. 172 1" . 2nd "1721" .

3rd. "Peace and good neighbourhood".

4th "God preserve the church".

5th • Abraham Rudhall, Gloucester, Bell Founder 1721

6 th. Ded: R , Thomas Lindsey, Pr: Div. Archiep: rm Tot. Hib . Pr: and Metr. 1721

fiie Rudhalls were famous bell - mas:ers from 1634 until 1 774, during whico space they cast no less than 3, 59~ bel ls.

T:,e arrival of the Armagh peal coincided with an Armagh execution , of w~1ich later .

Tne sixth bell ( that dedicated to rchbishop Lindsay) was rendered uselass in 1840 , whereupon it 1.1asre - cast and re - hung by archbishop Lord John George Beresford , It bears an explanation to that ef1e c t dated 1841, the recasting being carried out by Thomas Meares bell - founders , London . bout the sa<11etime the rchbishop at his own cost added two new treble bells .

The addition of t e new treble - bells rendered it necessary to change the numbers of the old peal so that the first Lecame third and tne old sixth o r tenor the eighth . With a competent set of ringers forty thousand , three hundred and twenty changes thus be c ame possible .

At that time the cat hed r al was still ser v ed by its Society of Bell ringers and a certain amount of manus cri pt material relating to the Cat hedral Bell ringersnger s remained in 1885 . It included a mus ic - book autographed by Johnstoneon e

Caldwell in l 8 d from which we le a rn of an occasion when 7.!0 p eals or tunes were rung upon th e six old bells . Old p rinted wo rks on bell - rin ~i ng a l so survive d . Indeed one me::iber of the Bell-rin ging Society was still alive as well as three members of a bell - rin ging Society for:ned in 1840.

The difficulty of kee pin g such societies or tea ms of bell - ringers together thus ensuring chimes for Sunday services and other special days caused Dean Disney in 1860 to introduce an apparatus ;mereby one person could bring out all the changes the bells were capable of sounding . Shortly afterwards two bells, the seventh and eighth, cracked thus rendering the peal ineffective. The damaged bells were sent to the foundry of Taylor & Company of Loughborough. The seventh bell now carries the words William Reeves, D. D. , Dean 11 and the new tenor 11h . G. Beresford, D. D., Primate 1885 11 • In that year the bell loft was raised four feet higher than the old loft , the iron bell frame being constructed by Messrs . Taylor and placed in posi ti on by Robert Turne r & Co. of Armagh . Dean Disn ey ' s bell - ri nging equipment was then exchanged for Ellacombe s 11 , a new system of chilling - a v as t improve'llent both as to correctness in chiming and strength of tone .

St uart in his'!-iemoirs of Armagh" records the fact th at he lmew a .r. Charles McKew who had been ordered by t he Sheriff to attend an execution that took place on the d ay t ha t Archbishop Lindsay ' s peal of bells reached Arm agh i n the year 1721. Born in 1702 McKew was actu a ll y a t Gallows Hill when the news arrived that the bells wer e nearing the city . Such events as hangings were t hen public spectacles and attended by hugh numbers of pe op l e . On that occasion, however, the cro1·1d quickly fors ook t he gallows - then situate, as they had been fo r at le ast a c entu r y before , on the old road from Dunda l k to Arma gh on a site now within the P al a ce Demesne , th r ough wi ch it wended its way to the city . The · me ans of transport has not been recorded but it is al most c er t a i n that the bells were conveyed by teams o f oxen . Suc h a nethod was used five years earlier when Follioto t Win gf i eld, Viscoun t P owerscourt , despa t ched f r om his Wic klo w home by bullock cart a bell to Dean Drelincourt c our t for t h e c hu rc h on Wingfield ' s estate a t Benbu r b . The b ell known as t h e Limerick c k Bell " was pa rt o f the spo il s o f Li meric k . It is dated 1688 and i nsc r ibed with a La tin inscri pti on which may be roughly translated -" Jesus , Mary Father, Fr an ci s , praise God with bell and choi r". bell i s , of c ou r s e, s ti ll at Benbu r b .

Th e

It has been stated recently in an Armagh paper that t:ie Lindsay peal of bells cane to the city by Newry. Tradition, ho1,ever, has aluays said Dublin and is probably correct . Newry did not come into operation as a port until the construction of the canal in 1740.

From tl1e economy Book of the Cathedral - ;ortunately it still survives - we learn that Archbishop Lindsay ' s bells were pealed on special occasions and that the 11 great bell" was tolled at 5 a . m. in the mornings to warn the city • s inhabitants that work began an hour later - a custom that survived do;m the years until the beginning of the industrial era, following ,-itlich factories installed sirens or horns . The evening bell or curfew, however, continued un t il the outbrea!< of World war II , at which time it was decided that church bells should be mute unless invasion was threatened, Fortunately th e country escaped that grave danger but, alas , the curfew bell, to the great regret of the citizens, has been silen t ever since . lhe morning and evening bell seems to have been operated by the sexton but "ringers" are specifically noted in accounts under stated sums for services rende r ed on spec i al dates or to comme~orate important e v en t s . Froo 1731 onwards the Economy Book discloses the f a c t tha t

the bells were pealed on Christmas Day, New Year ' s Day, st - Patrick's c k ' s Day, Easter Day, May Day, Fifth of November, etc. On 16th November, 1736 , a curious entry occurs"paid t he rin gers for the breach of t he Boyne". A year earlier, 9th September, 1735, a rather cryptic but more understan dab le entry shows that a stated sum was pa id for "ringing His Grace" - the then Archbishop being the Nost Rev . Hugh Boulter, D. D. , holder of the Primacy from 1724 until his death in 174,;, one of the few archbishops of the See of Armagh to find a resting pla ce in West minste r Abbey. In 1719 he attended George the First to Hanover as Chaplain thus paving the way for future promotion . Archbishop Boulter took an active interest in pub lic affairs, was a ~e~be r of the Linen Board, encouraged the formation of a canal from Newry to the Bann thus opening up com:nunication with Lou gh Neagh. Apart from activities such as t hose he was, however, very zealous in the interest of the church, expendin g at least £30,000 of his own money in the augmentation of small livin g s and the purchase of glebe lands so as to render his clergy more comfortable. I am unable to say why the bells should have been pealed for him in 1735 , It may have been for some work accomplished or to welcome him home from Dubl i n where he had been thirteen times one of the Lord Justices

::,r Chief Governors of Ireland.

Me must not, ho ..rever, wander too far from the bells . .c'oey rang for the cro,-ming of George II in 1727 and have been pealed for every Sovereign since . They have chimed for t.reat victories , peace following wars and have tolled for :<ings, queens, princes of the blood royalarchbishops , sove r eigns of the city, Membersof P arliament for the Bor ough of Armagh, and representatives of the county~entle and simple alike have been honoured by them.

'1'hat there was a peal of bell -ri ngers i n 1731 is evident from an entry in th e Ec onomy Book of that year , ·wherein the ringers were p aid fo r duties on several occasion s as 11may be seen f r o!il. the book 11 - a reference to a ringers accour1t as dis ti n ct fro:n the morni ng and evening bell . From Stuart ' s "Armagh" we learn that in 1756 six amate ur s in 11 campanary 11 melody were amusin g the:nselves by oc casi ona lly ri nging the Armagh bells , of ,-mom three were st ill alive in 1 814 , Samuel MayJohn Richardson and John Bar nes .

I should have 1enti oned that at coronations the bells rang for most of the day . On 19 t h July, 1821, at the enthronement of George the Four t h , they rang at 6 a.m . , 12 noon , 6 p . m. and at 9 p . m.

On that occas i on the o ld custom of illuminatin g the town was followed and at 11 o'c lock four

peals were rung as a signal bat all lights should be extinguished .

I spoke earlier of a most interesting 1ccount in one of our local papers relative to the bells. Contained therein wus a most extraordinary statement regarding Archbishop Stone being 11:nore of a politician tfian divine, and paying .nore attention to state affairs than the metropolitan cathedral, neglecting his duties to such an extent that Divine Services ceased to be performed in the Cathedral and were left to worship where they pleased 11 • That he was interested in politics is, of course, undeniable, but it is quite absurd and, indeed, untrue to say that during his tiM as rchbishop, Divine Services 11 ceased to be perfor-:nedd. He was, however, unfortunately concerned in helping a choir in Dublin through utilizing money from the Ar.nagh Choir Endowment Fund by which the sum available for our local choir was uch reduced . Services, howev r, were held as usual and the Economy Book snows amounts for bell - ringing and ringers from 1747, the year of his arrival, until his death in 1765 which in itself proves that there was no interruption in continuity in those years .

Archbishop Stone was succeeded by the Lost Rev. Richard Robinson , D. D. , a rreat benefactor to the city , who was

rai~ed to the peerageas Baron Rokebyof r a(l'h in 1777 • ~,r·p 1 •s ter, of ~ffice he ade certain reuairs to tbe c the<lral end to the co·. er. '.i''1is see s t~ have res'.llted in a bre3' in t:,e rin~i," of the bell 1ro:a 17t~ until e 3rl!' in 1785, during 1,-1..ic:.1 years alterations were being carried out to the existing tower consequent on plans drawn ur by the celebrated Thomas Cooley ose re odelle<l to,. 1 er, erected in 170~, was ta'.{.en '1.0\m af'f.:tin in 1783 b-Jcause it was too heavy for the arches supporting it. Cooley died in 1784 and his ~u,,il Francis Johnston a native of the city, later to beco;_ne very disti11,..uisl10d in Qis nrofession, w3s appointed architect to =~is Grace. One of his r.1ost ur,~ent t~sks wa~ t 1 1e reconstruction of the t01-,er which he completed early in 1785. Bell ringers a ,L-'ear in all the years of . Archbishop Robinson s Pri:nacy from 1765 until 1794 wit' 1 t:10 exception of the ;•e:ors 17o~, 17o3 an<l 17&4. ::.e bells were pealed in uelco 1e to new archbishops . For instance, •.,t.en Lord John George Beresford arrived i n Ar ..iagh on the 1~ti1 July, 1822 t~1e bells rang rieht errily for hours and u1_1onhis enthronement t on the following day t'1ey 1,ere again in evidence . On the first day the tour •ms cro 1.-;ded with countr:· peoplG uho thought the Archbishop was an Orangeman, but ti-10 next day they learned that he had 1crely come to "'" agh to

11ec isc o" i:is ent~lrone . .:nt ti at reac'.1 Scarva ""'enoon could not

Sometimes the tolling of the great bell follo1dr:;; a death lasted for days. '..hen George the third diod on ~)th JanuGr;, l'.:.;; ,, its _,o.:.12;fi;,l ...,,und:!..1[::, continued until the eve c:. t:1e Ki!lg1 s buri.:l f;:;2.101,i.n;;.

bishop William Stuart died .;n .....:,;,)~T'o•.i.n~ . .1als \·ere rung for ten days .

Organist uere also shO\m such ar~cs of res. ect.

On 1st u pril, 1G20, the re·cains of the late Dr. Jones arrived .fro:n Dublin to . r.Ja;:h a•1d mournln~ :-ieals ,,,ere tolled from the time the funeral ar:-peared at Lisnadill until it reached the Cathedral and t'1ree ~eals after the actual burial . Soverign of t:·.e; city -eceived like honours.

On the ~lst Dece!,1Der of sa:..e year James Isles, Sovereign of Armagh and agent to the Primate died in Dublin and mourning peals uere played for t\:o days. nether Sovereign, George Perry of Seskinore

Co . Tyrone \•1ho died in May 1824 had a mourning peal boginninJ at the time the funeral recession carne wi thiv vi cw of the to1,m until it passed through the city by way of the Callan bridge . ~1e peal lasted for on hour and twenty 1inutes, \Jeini; the lon, est ever

Perry was 0 lccted Sovereign, in 1798 --1ld. served for three ::cars. He u~s buried at Grange. Bell-rinrers Fere mourned in tl1c s:. 10 ~.:. shion . On l4t:i June, lu~}, Johnston Caldwellell, a eh res.•ected ,eJber of t··e Cathedral Society of bell - ringers, "iod and ourning :peals t·ere sounded worning and ev(..r.ir. from -J.eat;) until inter.llcrit. In the following year, on Larch C:::Gnd, Richard Murray Secret er:') a.nd Treasurer of the Bell - ringers Society for 20 ye<lrs, died and :nourning ueals '.ere hearc for t':Jree days . Elc.ctions ,,ere a en.use for joy-bells. ·.-,:'len.. William Stuart, son of Archbishop Stuart, was returned Le 1 .bcr for the Borough in 1,.arci1 .18~0 in the English House of Commons flags •,ere erected on the :arket House and ti1e Cat;)edral, and joy-bells ,.ealed forth . Sim.iLJr compli1 ents were paid in the sa:ne month to the Honble. Henry Caulfeild and William Brownlow on their election as re,reseotatives for the county .

Besides Royal accessions, wed6ines and birthdays, they peale d cheerfully when Prince Ernest Augustus, 5th son of George the Second was created Earl of Armagh rmagh 24th pril , 1799 . £he Pri nce who was elevated to the Dukedom of Cumberland in 1771 succeeded to the throne of Hanover and Brunswick as heir male on the death of his brother William

t'.:o fourth in loJ/. .--iis grandsonErnestAugustus Crown Prince of Hanoverwas deprived of all his peerages in 1919 under the Titles of Deprivation Act of 1917 . It is hoped, however, that the rresent Prince \!ho nov lives .:..ri_,..,..,.land will !)eti tion ";!ie .,.u~en tu '1&Ve t:1e earldom restored.

I will now read you a letter written from :\rmngh, dated Saturday, August 10, 1799, regarding the funeral of James, Earl of Charlemont t:-:e fo::.ous Volunteer Earl, Captain of the Armaeh Company, Colonel of the . rmagh Regiment and Commander-in-Chief of the Volunteers of I re land:

"I have just returned from beholding the funeral of tte late Earl of Charlemont A -rivate inter, ent had been intended, but uherever his beloved rer:.1ains possed, as they approa ched Ar1 i1agh, e very person of respe ctability was eager to pay the last attention to that truly upripht nob le man . The corps of Yeomanry of which he was captain, consisting of about ,50 Horse and Foot, with arms reversed, and accompanied by two bands of music, were t he first who entered the city. Then Cafile the hearse with the usual attendants

in hats and scarf-bands . A number of carriages be lon gina to the " neighbouring nobility , clergy, and gentry follo,-;ed with 600 persons on horseback and a great concourse of people .

The ~-recession was slow and soleum and an uninterrupted silence pre vailing; nothing was heard but the melancholy tolling of the bells and the awful sounds of martial music. On approaching the Cathedral, the Primate ( Archbishopshop Newcome), Lord Lifford ( the Dean), and the clergy of the Cathedral Chapter in scarfs and clerical habits , met the corpse . They then entered into the church, where His Grace and the Dean read the usual service .

A sacred anthem prepared for the occasion was performed by the choir, accompanied by the organ, after ,-ihich the body was deposited in the family burial-place."

The most imposing, however , of such funerals to the Cathedral was that of Lord John George Beresford, Archbishop of Armagh 18~2-6~. Arranged by Ul ster ' s King of Arms it was the last great heraldic ceremony of its kind in Ireland . It took place from the Palace Chapel and His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant was chief mourner,

tne pall bearers being the Earl of Gosford and Belmore wi th tho Bishops of Tuam, Derry Down and Connor, and Limerick In the procession t~1e nobility arched according to deeree, tlie highest in dignity first, then chief judges and judges, baronets and officials . The clergy, Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons , etc . to the number of about 650 were marshalled in like ~anncr, all wearing white scarfs and hat bands. His banner as Prelate of the Order of St . Patrick was borne by the Earl of Tyrone, and Dean Pa kenham , 1egistrar of the Order of St . Patrick, bore before him on a cushion the rchbishop ' s jewel of the Order. Decorations and orders were worn and a t the co nclusion of the bu rial service the Ulster King of rms made the proc l amati on of the quality and titles of the dece ased .

I should like t o apologize for the lack of sequence in my remarks .

I have often been querie d as to when the rin g ing of the curfew began in Armagh and I have to confess that the date for its introduction eludes me. The custom would not have reached Ir eland befo re the ng lo-1 ,orma n invas i on and no doubt its introduction to Ar~agh came after a Dean had been created and a Chancellor , Treasurer, Archdeacon and Prebendaries admitted . No Precentor was,

however, appointed because that office was then in exi st ence under anot'ier name. In actual fact the Prior of th e Culdees continued in the exercise of his old function of superintending public worship which even then was pr i ncipally choral The community acted as choir, the Prior ranked next to the Dean in the sac,e order as the Precentor now holds that dignity. A Dean of Armagh is shown as holding office in 1238 so we aay perhaps assume that curfew came within that century o~ the beginning of the next.

As regards the discontinuance of curfew in the citywe are all aware that it followed the declaration of war in 1939 , revived. l,any r,1achians feel the custom should be It is no loneer necessary to provide manual labour for sucl1 a purpose - the task can now be accomplished automatically by the aid of electricity . Hight I hint to my audience that they as Friends of the Cathedral would be doing the church a service, if they sponsored its restoration. Such an arrangement would not alone show appreciation of the past but would give the cathedral an opportunity of remindin g the inhabitants of the city that morning prayers are daily held therein . I feel sure the Dean will welcome the proposal and I hope it will meet with your approval .

•or over fifteen 'ondred years, interrupted only by wars t'1e worship of t:1e Catholic Church has been offered to God from this a'1cient hill - top settlement . In 1932 a great celebration of the fifteen hundredth anniversary of Patrick s cottin• to Ireland took place and in 1945 the diocese comll!emoro.ted in a t?reat service of Thc.nksgiving the founding of a church sere in our city. To-day Archbishop Lindsay ' s bells and the voices of the choir and clergy are heard in distant parts of the world, t:1rough the agency of broadcasting. .c.;ach time that happens letters appear in the Press from Armachians abroad telling of the pleasure they derived from listening . i;ostly, too, they ask if we still ring curfew indeed be gratifyi g if we could answer 11 yes 11 • It would

lh,'RODUCTIOJ.

OF Instrumental L

Music and LIST of Organists

1634 - 1963 .

Lists of organists are only available fro:n 1634 onwards but, of course, instrumentill music in the cathedral dates considerably earlier. It is true that inlor~11.tion on the s u bj ect is not as detailed as we would lD.si1 . i'~~e first r eference to suc'.1 music in Ar lagh of t·Ihich I a .. auare, occurs i n the Kilkenny archives where an entry states tho.t John Lawl s made a payre of organa sett up in ti1e Cathedra Ard ..agh on Tuesday afr Easter A.D . 1482 " .

Lawless had, by then been resident in Kilkenny for s ome six years, having been induced to settle there cir c a 147 6 . An indenture perfected by him in that year "on the Monday af r the Nativity of ou r Lord Jeshu" is still extant . By it he was confir 1ed in a most productive lease on c ond i tion that he lived in that city for a t least twelve year s and 11 there exercised his craft of o r gan builder Per :.ii ssion was given by the same document "to labour fo r h is own pr ofit elsewhere" provided he did not talte up r e si dence in such places but returned im:.:ediately to Kilkennykenny when his work was co,ipleted. To e~sure that he c on f orned to those ter:..1s a further clause was inserted -,i.e r eby his heirs \/ere renalized wltlJ tile loss of the l ease should ho die away from Kilkenny

Wehave no particulars regarding his visit to Armagh "1tl th e "payre of organa". We may assume that they were assembled in Kilkenny and "sett up• here by himself or his sons, and we can visualize the long and tedious journey, the slow transport facilities, and the indifferent roads. Many days must have been spent on the way and no doubt much hardship was endured.

Unfortunately, though our archiepiscopal registers exist for that year, they embody no entry relating to the commissioning of the organ or its arrival here. Octavian de Spinellis was then Archbishop, having been appointed to the See of Armagh in 1478. He was Florentine by birth and is said to have been learned and discreet, but like the Primates of that period he had his chief residence at Termonfechin, in the southern part of his diocese, an arrangement that came into being following the A.nglo-Norrnan invasion of Ireland and continued so for many centuries. He was long credited - probably on the authority of Fynes Moryson (who wrote in the early 17th century) with being responsible for a disparaging verse upon the inhabitants of the Primatial city.

Moryson asserts that the archbishop, upon coming to Armagh and sampling the diet of the citizens, and seeing the nakedness of their womenfolk, was foolish enough to put his thoughts into Latin verse.

Civiatas Armachania, Civiatas Vana

Absque bonis moribus

Mulieres nudae ' Car nes crudae,' Pau p ertas in aed ibus. 11

Toe wretched lines, then a t least two and a half c en turies in circulation, were written by a certain Hugh Tyrrell on Hay 10, 1200, and surVived amonst the Kynton P apers in Dublin until the bu rn ine of the Four Courts in 1922. The satire may be translated as fo ll ows :-

Armagh - 1 tis a p ity

Is no w a vain city y , Deprivedd of all commo n moral it y , The women go nude, The meat I s taken cru d e And pove rty there has l ocal ity."

Tyrrell was an Anglo - Norman and had been concerned a few yea rs previously in a raid on the city wherein he stole a magnificent ca u ldron, the property of the church and wh ich, accordin g to the Anna ls, b ro ugh t many mi sfortunes upon him . That he sho uld have found such a state of affairs in Armagh at tha t time was , of cour se, due to th e p r olonged rava g es of war, a condition that had reduced the inhabit a nts t o pove rt y and want .

We must , however, return to the story of the pa ir of or g ana - the instruments built by Lawl ess durin g the Pri macy of Archbishop de Spinellis . vie can be sure that they would with care have lasted at least a century . It

may be that they perished in 1566 when o Neill burned the town and at the same time the cathedral it self. From then onwards there is no mention of an organ until 1634, in which year it again crops up. That instru:nent remained in use until Sir Phelim O Neill ' s destruction of the city eight years afterwards . Of that episode we have a record in Friar O'Mellan ' s Journal, dated May 6 , 1642 , stating that on that day" Armagh was burnt, the Cathedral with its steeple and with its bell s, organs and glass windows, and the whole city with the fine library, with all the learned books of the English on Divinity, Logic and Philoso phy . The weathe r was very war!Il and there was an east wind so that the flames reached the Cathedral".

From that date until 1660 there does not seem to have been any proper choir, a fact due to the calamities of the Civil War and the hardships of the Cromwellian occupation, during which the then Primate, Archbishop Jame s Ussher was for ced to flee the country and Commonwealth ministers took char ge , and at anyrate we know that the unsettled times would have diminished the value of the original endowment so drastically that it would have been impossible for the organist and choir to function . Harris tells us in his descri p tion of Armagh Cathedral (wr itten in 1748) that in Archbishop Margetson ' s time an organ was erected and an organist selected , a statement confirming ou r supposition that both were wanting from

until three years after the ~estoration at which tilne Dr. Margetson was translated to Armagh. As regards the organ installed by him, Harris states that it was in being until the Revolution of 16BB, and was still remenbered by the old people who were able to tell him that the name of the then organist was Claxton, and that by report he had a salary of £25 per annum. We have thus a picture of how things stood in the war between William and James, and are given a circumstantial account of how "the Protestants betook themselves to the Cathedral Church for their security, kept garrison in it and used it with as little ceremony and decency as garrisons commonly do, demolishing the organ, destroying the pews, and sparing nothing but the font."

After the Battle of the Boyne we may assume that the organ was quickly replaced as a new organist was nominated At anyrate there was already an organ in the Cathedral when Archbishop Lindsay, about 1721, added a second organ and a peal of six bells. That organ seems to have been in use as late as 1765, in which year Dr . Richard Robinson then Bishop of Kildare was translated to J.rmagh. Immediately after his appointment as archbishop he ~presented the Dean and Chapter with a fine toned organ encased 1n dark oak and bearing his family arms quartered with those of the See of Armagh".

In l836 there were two organs in the Cathedral, one Said to have been made by a Father Smith and seldom played, the other a superior instrument by Snetzler (1) and eVidently the organ given by Archbishop Robinson. We have no information as to the history of the Father Smith instrument, but we do know that the Archbishop Robinson organ was in excellent condition in 1834 at the time of Cottingham • s restoration of the Cathedral, and that shortly afterwards wan the actual renovation of the fabric of the church began it was carefully dismantled and placed in storage. It was not, however, re-erected in the Cathedral and its subsequent fate was most tragic. In 1840 it was transferred to the •rmagh Tontine Rooms for the use of the Armagh Musical Society, but unfortunately the Society dissolved some few years after .hereupon it was sold to a Methodist Church in Belfast and was unluckily consumed by fire on the evening of its first performance . In the meantime, in the year 1839, the Corporation or College of the Vicars Choral intimated a desire to supply the Cathedral with a new organ, an offer gratefully accepted by the Dean and Chapter . That particular instrument (l)

See the Musical Libraries and the Ecclesiastical Choirs r Great Britain and Irelandi Vol . VI 1 1836. Another organ by Snetzler was instal ed at St. Peter's Drogheda, in 1775 and there is still an instrument of his now surviving in Ireland, in Hillsborough Church.

built by Messrs. Walker and Sons, was played at the reopening of the Cathedral 1n January 1840, and 1• still in ex1 stence. It has been added to and re s tored on many occasions - for instance, in 1888 and 1899, and as recently as 1921, 1941 and 1954. The last restoration was, however, the most important of all . The work was completed by the end of that year and in January 1955 a Re-dedication Service took place, the organist being Sir William McKie M.V.O. , Organist, and Master of the Choir and Choristers of Westminster Abbey.

I should perhaps mention that the Walker instrument when first set up stood under the window of the south transept but that position was found to be too far distant from the Choir so it was removed two years later (1n 1842) to its present situation under the north arch of the to wer crossing .

SUCCE$&IONLISTOFORGANISTS OF THEcathedral OFST, PATRICK,Armagh

I. Richard Gallwy.

Date of appointment uncertain, but on or before May 23, 1634 , on -which day he handed in the Patent for the creation of the College of King Charles in the Cathedral Church of Armagh.

II. John Hawkshaw.

Date of appointment after 1661. Probably the same person as the John Hawkshaw who was Vicar-Choral of the two Dublin Cathedrals in 1646, and possibly the John Hawkshaw -who later became organist of Christ Church which office he held until 1685, dying in 1695,

III • - Claxton.

Date of appointment after 1667, According to the Harris Manuscript relating to "the Cathedral of Armagh in 1748" an organ was erected and an organist appointed in Primate Margetson ' s time whose name was Claxton. He is said to have remained until the Revolution of 1688.

IV. Robert bert Hodge

Appointed June 27, 1695. Vicar Choral, St. Patrick's, Dublin, 16 93, and of Christ Church in 1695.

V. William Toole.

Appointed December 11, 1711. Organi s t at Cork 1703-1711. Resigned 1722.

VI. Samuel Beltridge.

Appointed May 26, 1722. Organist of St. Werburgh's and St. John's Dublin 1715-1720 .

VII. John Woffinton.

Appointed May 4, 1752. Previously organist of St. Werburgh ' s, Dublin. Died 1758.

VIII. Robert Barnes.

Appointed February 1759. Resigned in 1774 on becoming Vicar Choral. Appears in Armagh Census of 1770 as - "Pound Hill - Robert Barnes and wife, organist, 1 daughter. ( Servants - l man and 1 maid). Church."

IX. Langrishe Doyle, Mus, Doc,

Appointed July 4, 1776, Master of the Choristers of St. Patrick's and of Christ Church, Dublin, 1780, Resigned Armagh in 1781 on being appointed Vicar-Choral of St, Patrick's, Dublin. X, Richard Langdon.

Appointed 1782. Author of some hymns and chants. Had a pension from 1794 until XI. John Clarke, Mus. Doc, Whitfeld),

Appointed 1794, (Afterwards John Clarke In 1797 became Master of the Choristers in the two Dublin Cathedrals, an office which he gave up on becoming organist of Hereford Cathedral. Subsequently Professor of Music in Cambridge University .

ll I. John Jones, Mus. Doc.

Appointed 1797 . In June of preceding year he had been installed Vicar Choral. Resigned in 1816 . Died March 21, 1820, aged 53, Churchyard, Armagh, Tombstone St . Mark1 s

XIII. Fredrick William Horncastle.

Appointed 1816. was a chorister in the Chapel Royal a nd organi st of several places in London before coming to Armagh. Dismissed 1823. Appointed a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1826. Died 185'0. Composer of a Mass, Glees, etc.

JCI:V.Robert Turle

Appointed and installed March 23, 1823. Younger brother of James Turle organist of Westminster Pensioned 1873. March 29, 1877, Born Taunton 1804. Tablet in Cathedral. Died Salisburybury

XV. Thomas Osborne Marks, Mus, Doc.

A chorister of Armagh and pupil of Turle whomhe succeeded in 1873 . Hember of local musical family and brother of J.C. Marks, Mus. Doc., organist of Cork who predeceased him in 1903 having bald that post for 44 years.

Dr. Marks was for over 60 years connected with the Cathedral. Deputy organist 1860. Bachelor of Music 1872. Doctor of Music a few years later. Was teacher to several men who rose high in the musical world such as Dr . Laurence Walker, Dr . Charles Wood, afterwards

Professor of Music at Cambridge, Barton McGuckian of th e Carl Rosa Opera Company, etc. WhenMadame Albania sang in the Cathedral in 1891 she publicly complimented him, saying that if she had known that Armagh possessed so a c complished a musician she would not have brought her o;m accompanist. Ha died September 12, 1916 , Tablet in Cathedral .

XVI. George Henry Philip Hewson, B.A., Mus. Doc.

Appointed 1917 , Dublin, 1920 . Became organist of St . Patrick's,

XVII. Edred M, Chaundy. (II II {o,....._

Appointed 1920.

XVIII. ReginaldWest

XIX. F, G, Carter, F . R.C. 0 .

Xx Martin White It(;,

THECHOIRANDCHQRISTERS

In early days the Culdees were responsible for the maintenance of Divine Service in the Cathedral and, in particular, the practice of choral worship seems to have been their special function. Under those circumstances they formed a very important constituent in the economy of the church , for besides assisting with the music they engaged in educational work. I am sorry wa cannot on this occasion deal in any detail with the history of the Culdee Priory of Armagh. It was situate in that part of the city that we now know as Castle Street, a thoroughfare deriving its name from a stronghold erected there in 1236. Its site is well known, and indeed is shown in a ruinous condition on a pictorial map of the city drawn i n 1602 and also marked on a plan of the town made in 1760 by Rocque, the celebrated cartographer . The actual date for the foundation of the Culdee Priory is somewhat uncertain but it was in being in 919 in wich year the Annals record the plunder of the city by Godfrey , son of Ivor the Dane, by which we learn that "he spared the houses of prayer with the Culdees and the sick" , an event that took place on the Saturday before St. Martin ' s festival. This is a contras t to the many other raids made by those ruthless invaders , who from 836 until their power

was finally broken by Brian Boru in 1014, re p eatedly attacked the city and its churches, destroying a wealth of manuscript material, carrying off church plate, slaying the clergy and making prisoners of t h e inhabitants. To th at particular era belongs the famous Book of Armagh, a work compiled in one of the monastic houses of our city in the year 807 .

The Culdees of that period seem to have been the officiating clergy of the town churches but by degrees they grouped themselves around the "Great Church" a site now covered by the nave of our 13th century cathedral. Eventually they became the standing ministers of the cathedral and of various country parishes of 'Which later. They were presided over by a Prior and numbered about twelve individuals . They had charge of the services and superintended public worship 'Which was principally choral. Later 'WhenArmagh acquired more importance it was thought fit to multiply its dignitaries . This must have taken place shortly after the Anglo - Norman invasion of 'Which presently . A Dean was then created, and a Chancellor , Treasurer , Archdeacon and Prebendaries admitted. No Precentor was, however, appointed because that office was already in existence under another name. ln actual fact the Prior of the Culdees continued in the exercise of bis old functions whilst the community acted as choir , the

Prior ranking next to the Dean in the same sequence as the Precentor now holds that dignity. It is difficult to definitely date the change-over from the old system, but knowing that Marcus, Dean of Armagh, is shown in the "Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland" under date April 4, 1238, we can accept the office as then in being , In passing I should perhaps state that the seal of a slightly later Dean inscribed "+ S. IOSEB DECANIARDMACHANI" was found in 1832 within the precincts of the ancient Church of St . Brigid, and that from ecclesiastical records it is eVident that it was in use from about 1256 until 1262. At the dissolution of religious houses in Ireland in 151+1 the CUldee community was wrongly and, indeed, unjustly regarded as a monastic e s tablishment, though in reality its members were nothing more than an appendage of the cathedral though possessing their own special endowment and government, The Crown at that time, however, did not seize or dispose of the Culdee lands, a property consisting of seven townlands ( still named as the "Seven Towns") the rectorships of a number of parishes and certain holdings in Armagh city . Cl) A relic of that period - it may indeed belong to the preceding century - still survives . It is well known as the Antiphonary or Service Book of the Armagh Cathedral and shows the choral parts accompanied by the ancient ( 2 ) For which see Appendix I•

musical notation. It fonned part of the Archbishop Ussher Collection and contains obits of Armagh Culdees from 1549 until 1574 •

In 1596 the Earl of Tyrone complained that OwenWood, th e then Dean of Annagh, was an attendant and friend of Essex, the Lord Deputy, and that he had sold the Priory to Prior McGirr. That be was friendly disposed to Essex seems certain - at anyrate be was one of the friends of that unfortunate nobleman to be imprisoned in the Tower. Incidentally he was one of Elizabeth's chaplains which may account for his acquisition of the Deanery of Armagh in 1588, the Archdeaconry of Meath in 1595 and various other parishes, all of which he held at the QUeen•s death. We shall now move to the Plantation period. Commissione r s were appointed by King James I to enquire into the state of the Church in Ireland and on Septembe_r 30, 1605, upon their return to Dublin from the North, they stated that they found "the church at Ardmagh much ruined and fallen into decay" . They also reported "that certain tythes [tithe] of great value intended to support a college of twenty-two vicars choral of that Church had been demised in lease by Mr. Wood, the then Dean , without any lawful authority" whereupon they ordered that the Primate sequester the tythes and profits of the college and devote them to the

support of some poor scholars of the Province at the college near Dublin so th at ministers might be provided. The Culdee lands were, we know, in the possession of Archbishop Ussher from 1605 until 1609 and only brought in £20 a year. Later they were managed by Dean Maxwell (ancestor o~ the present Lord Farnham) for a few years and during that time were set apart for the provision of some Vicars Choral.

In 1610 the Privy Council suggested the replacing and re-continuing of the Vicars Choral, and in 1619 King James ordered that the lands belonging to the Prior and Vicars Choral of the Cathedral of St . Patrick should be leased to the Dean for the upkeep of a grammar school and a choir of singing men in the cathedral, reserving a portion for a market-house and gaol both subsequently built in Market Street. For some unexplainable reason that monarch ' s good intentions came to nought . We know, for instance, that during Archbishop Hampton• s Primacy ( 1 613-1624) the property produced £47 per year, a sum devoted to the repair of the Cathedral. They had, however, been leased to the Rev . John Symonds in 1623 under 1'/hose care they brought in £56 . 6s.0d. per annum for a couple of years and, out of the money received, he e:icpended part in "erecting four stalls in the Cathedral Church of Armagh" .

In th e same Year an order was made stating that the "Church of Ardrnagh had an endowment of Vicars Choral which had lately been discontinued" and commanding that the said Vicars Choral be replaced in said church and sustained in their endo;,ment. This provision also seems to have come to grief, and in 1625, the year of the death of King James, his successor King Charles I claimed the lands on behalf of himself and the Crown. The demand was, however, strongly resisted and an inquisition duly held, at which it was proved that the Church of Armagh was entitled to the lands. In 1626 the matter reached Westminster and on April 7, 1627, a charter was issued confirming the church in possession, and founding the College of King Charles I in the Cathedral Church of Armagh -that body to consist of ua Prior and five Vicars in Holy Orders to perform Divine Service therein for ever", naming Edward Burton as "Prior", a title by >ihich in a deed of 1628 he signs as "Prior of the Cathedral Church of Armagh on behalf of the Vicars Choral and Colledians of same" .

Two months after the foundation of the College it was discovered that the lands had previously been passed to one George Kirke, a groom of the bedchamber , It then became necessary to remedy the defective title so a surrender was demanded from both parties , Kirke complied very quickly, but the Prior and Vicars Choral held on to

th e original Charter until March 1633. They were rein st ated and incorporated anew on May 23, 1634, the later document re-instituting the College under the same description, but omitting the office of Prior and extending the number of Vicars Choral to eight - two of them were to be in Holy Orders - and adding four choristers and an organist. This seems to have brought about the introduction of boys to the choir. We have no information as to the progress of the re-organized body for some time afterwards due to the events of the Civil War of 1641-42 and later Cromwellian occupation. Following the Restoration of 1660 the profits of the lands of the "Seven Towns" again became available. It is said that after those tragic years the choir was not properly re-established until the coming of Archbishop Lindsay, ><ho, having found the revenues inadequate, obtained by Letters Patent from George I in 1724, leave to purchase lands in Co. Down, bringing in a yearly income of £200. From the Archbishop ' s petition to the King it is clear that the lands of the Culdee Priory as granted by Charles I vere insufficient to preserve the intention of the royal founder. The supplementary charter of George I brought about increased salaries for the Vicars Choral and Organist and better

provision for the choristers, some to travel over from England by the of whom were induced Archbishop when he settled here and possibly boarded and lodged with the organist as was the custom in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The choir was suitably maintained during the primacies of Archbishops Boulter (1724-1742) and Hoadley (1742 - 1747), and in the early part of Primate Stone's primacy . The latter, however, neglected the affairs of the choir and before his death in 1764 its funds were diverted to other uses. Archbishop Stone was succeeded in 1765 by the Rev. Richard Robinson, D.D., created Lord Rokeby of Armagh in 1777, and a great benefactor of Armagh diocese generally and especially of Armagh city , who quickly set about restoring the cathedral and interesting himself in "the singing boys". Under his beneficent rule they were well cared for , those who came from a distance residing with the organist, receiving a free education and acquiring assistance in apprenticeships, etc. In Archbishop Robinson ' s time the choir was under the charge of Dr . Richard Allott, Precentor from 1775 until his res i gnation in 1795 for the Deanery of Raphoe, Dr . Allott was noted for his skill in church music and was the father of another Precentor Allott of whomlater.

It has been stated that in Archbishop Robinson's tenancy of the See that a school was set up in the Music Hall for the choristers and prospective choristers. Two volumes of accounts for the Vicars Choral and Organist are preserved in the manuscript collection in Armagh Public Library, They cover the period 1785-1870 and contain much data as to income and e:xpenditure besides proviaing us with a record of salaries of Vicars Choral, Organists and Choristers during those years. In 1785, for instance, we are given the names of six choir boys.

Richard Langdon, the then organist, was Master of the Choir Boys, an office which brought him in £40 per an . , besides his salary as organist from which he derived a like sum. He had, of course, other perquisites such as Chanter's Vicar £5, and probably found the boarding and clothing of the boys a source of some profit also. At that date there was a harpsichord in the music hall and tbe accounts show and name a number of writing-masters, amongst them John Jones, a chorister, who later obtained a Musical Doctorship and was then organist from 1797-1816 .

From the same source we learn that the choir boys in the last quarter of the 18th century were taught the clarionet , and stringed instruments figu:red in choir practices in the Music Hall.

Fro a note in a manuscript "Memoir relating to the Vicars Choral and Organist of the Cathedral Church of St, Patrick in Arnagh", written in the year 1800, it appears th at 4rchbishop Robinson found the Vicars Choral "absent and insufficient" so reduced their salaries and out of aavings and renewal fines, revived the singing boys, procured a new organist, inducing the then organist to accept a Vicar Choralship of £70 per an,, a sum he enjoyed for the rest of his life.

But to return to the Vicar Choral accounts - from them we gather that apprentice fees were paid to choristers from at least 1788, and such assistance lasted until 1870and maybe later, Apart from the four boys quartered upon the organist there were other boys usually supplementary choristers known as "Stipendary Choristers" 1'ho received salaries and choirboys 1'ho "now give assistance for small &alaries 11 • Regulations regarding the boys were made at various times. Those drawn up by Archbishop Hugh Boulter in 1731 are to be found in the "Acts of the Corporation of Vicars Choral and Organist", another manuscript in the Public Library, By then the organist was responsible for seeing that "the four boys received due instruction in reading, writing and singing, take care that they should be kept in decent clothing nd be supplied in his house, with all

proper nec e ss1 r i e s, failing whi ch in any resp ect he should lose the boys and be liable to a fine acc ording to the le a sur e of the archbishop• , In 1819 it was, however , decided that "the choir boys should in future be lodged in th e houses of their parents or in such houses as might be thought proper", Further regulations were passed and, of course , several amendments were made between 1731 and 1861.

During the period of the Rev. Richard Allott's precentorship (1 834-1858) the choir was greatly improved, He was an accomplished musician and the son of the previously mentioned Richard Allott who held the precentorship from 1775 until 1795\3) The second Richard Allott was a somewhat autocratic figure, and a most rigid disciplinarian and in his time he managed to evade tbe old custom of appointing lay Vicars Choral, This is much to be regretted and unfortunately is still the rule.

In the early 19th century there was a large and, indeed, very valuable collection of music, vocal and instrumental, consisting of the entire works of Handel and nearly all the old composers. For the convenience of the Precentor most of the music was kept at his house, from which a selection was made by him and sent to the ( 3) See Appendix II,

Music Hall as required. It is a sad CuJ ntary on tr,e lax superVision by his cathedral colleagues t,1at upon his death in 1858 all music of whatever dosc:ription found in his house was cl a imed by his executors ~.id sold in London at very high prices.

The famous Thackeray Visited Armagh circa U,43 , and recorded his impressions of the chair in his Irish SketchSkot c h Book.

He tells us that he "found the cathed r al servi c e more completely performed than in any ui ·lish to.m, the church as smaJ.l, but extremely neat and na1 dso,ne - almost too handsome - covered •with spick and span •ilding and carved work in the style of the 13th century. every pewpew as smart and cushioned as my lord ' s own seat i n the country church; and for the clergy and t,ie~:· chief , sta lls and thrones quite curious for their ornament and sp l endo ur" ,

Mr . Allott was then the most eminent nan i n Holy Orders in the cathedral. His next door iJG.1.g1.1bour, Th omas

Kelly Evans always spoke of him as "Fiddling iDick". Th e Evans family then lived in an interesting old mansion since demolished and now replaced by the Archbishop Alexander Memorial Hall. The Rev Richard Allott • s long stride when walking up Abbey Street was very characteristic . He had a habit of snorting and coughing when occupying the Precentor • s stall in the cathedral, and if any humble

worshipper ventured to pass the choir stalls in search of a seat beyond the space allotted to his social ran k , he qui c .uy realized from the Rev. Richard's snort and loo k over his spectacles that he was treading on forbidden ground, and so retraced his steps. He was, we al'& in forme d, at his happiest on the Friday evening practices in the Old Music Hall, on which occasions he always played the violin. He founded the Cathedral Orchestral Society which ran its useful course for some 80 years, indeed up until the death of Dr. Marks, who as Chorister, Deputy Organist, and Organist, was for over sixty years connected with the choir. Born in 1845, he died in 1916 and is comwemorated by a tablet in the cathedral.

I have mentioned the "Seven Towns" held by the Prior of the Culdees several times. We are given a list of them in a Chancery Inquisition taken at Armagh, March 24th, 1625. (4) They were the townlands of -

Cannadisse . <4 )

Enoghsegart.

Lisvonowe.

Magherrall Leslegh.

Aghavilla, and

Killenure .

See A endix I for variations in sp ellin ,gs etc C and ior a 8 c~Y of Chancery Inquisition ~!m~;~~h ~625 vti~~~ 1n~;rporates an earlier inquisition of 13 June, 33, Henry VIII, 1542.

At the date of the Inquisition ,l,st, otial re.,ains of the Culdee Priory still survived including the Great Hall of the main building and two enclosed courtyards. Before the Reformation the Prior and Brethern were responsible for the spiritual needs of the prebends of Mullabrack Tynan, Lougbgall and Ballymore, four ancient arishes in this diocese. ~t the same time the frecentorship was attached to Killevy, the Chancellorship to Kilmore and the Treasureship to Creggan. They also held the parish of Derrynoose, some townlands of ..hich in 841 became part of the perpetual curacy of Aghavilly , the site for the church and graveyard having been conveyed the Vicars Choral of Armagh and consecrated in the !t:ollow:Lng year .

APPE,'Dl,,{I.

Chancery Inquisition, County Armagh, No. aken at Armagh 24 March 1625, before(5)

Sir Archibald Acheson, Knt.

Pat Hannay.

Anthony Cope, Esq.

James I, der Commission dated~ March 1 Car. I and Jury, viz.-

WilliamPeirson .

Neal McCoddan.

Henry Pilkington.

Gregory Jackson.

Donogh Oge McMurphy.

Henry Grindall.

Nicholas Gregg .

Pat Cartan.

Nathaniel Lord .

Radulph Grindall.

WilliamWorkman.

William Barnham.

o find

That on 13 June, 33, Henry, 8 and 1542, the Priory or ollodei of Armagh town was in Armagh County and that there ere then certain religious persons incorporated by name of ( 5) &ldorsed 26th April 16:e5' & May 1626. Reeves ' s "Armagh Papers" No. 72 vol. 26, pages 212-216; Lodge ' s "Evidences of the See of Armagh" and page 6:.8, Stuart • s "Armagh".

the Prior and Colledei of Armagh als the Prior and Vicars Choral of Armagh, and that the said Prior was then (1542) owner in right of his said House of said Priory or Religious House called the Priory or Collodei of Armagh, with its whole site and ambit and also of the seven towns or balliboes in Armagh Barony in Armagh County, viz.-

Cannadisse

Lisvonnowe

Lisleagh

Killenure

Ennoghsegert

Magherarrall

Aghavillie and also of the several parcels of land in County Armagh. viz. -

One parcel called Tenonoayhan als Tenorheaghan, of 5 acres, lying amongst the Demesne land of the Archbishop of Armagh near Armagh town, but now in occupation of Richard Chapell .

One parcel of Rosemere, 3 acres lying as above, one parcel of Mullocloughan 20 acres, part within the close or park of Roger Russell near Armagh and the part occupied by the mill of Ballynehoane, the residue within the close or park of Thomas Crant, Clk.

One parcel of Lessegall and Mullaghdromgallon, 20 acres lying in Ballenhoanmore in occupation of Thomas Dawson gent, in \tlich messuage house or mansion of Sandye Gurdan stands.

une parcel called Brughneseggart 3 acres , ly i ng n o.Z Mullaghmore in occupation of Francis Cooke, Knt.

One parcel called Brodonoghan, 20 acres lying in Ballynehonebeg in occupation or Oliver Parker.

One parcel Lannegly als Giltnegloy 1+acres lying beside near Farranekurgan in occupation of Richard Southurch.

One parcel called Lessagh-herrall 3 acres, lying near Moneysharge, in occupation of Thomas Crant.

One parcel called Lacmulik, 1+acres, lying near the mill of the said Francis Cook Knt., now in occupation of Arthur Ussher gent.

One parcel called Golworth 60 acres, lying near the townland of Cavanakagh of which ~O acres are in occupation or Thomas Raven, 20 acres in possession of John Medoyle and 20 acres in occupation of Richard Chappell .

One parcel called Tawnaghvillan 20 acres now in occupation of William Heyes of Armagh.

One parcel containing 10 acres part of the lands called Le Band lying in Balleherelan amongst the demesne lands of the Lord Primate.

4nd the jury also say that the said Prior also owned as before, the rectory of Mullaghbrack now in possession of John Harte, Clk.

of

The Rectory and vicarage of Creggan now in possession

Theophilus Buckworth, Bishop of Dromore.

'l'he rectory of the 24 towns of Toaghy als Derrenoose Church .

'l'he rectory of Tynan .

'l'he rectory of Munterheny als Tawnaghglie .

'l'he vicarage of Leballe-Egliese.

'l'he rectory of Doneahmore, County Tyrone.

The rectory of Clonfeacle part of which lies in County Armagh with all the tythes both rectorial and vicarial within the 7 towns of Killnesegart als Feighth in possession of David Watson Clk.

All the tythes and rectory of the 9 towns of Tomachbrien .

That King Charles I by Letters Patent, No. l, Chas.I. gave to Robert Maxwell, Clk., M.A., the aforesaid rectory of Tynan and Toaghy als Derrenuse to hold for life with a cause of union and dispensation .

That within the precincts of said Friary or Religiot.ll

House are the Hall, one great courtyard or great backside 1 belonging to said house in which a certain Magdalen Hall, widow, now possesses a messuage, constructed within another courtyard or backside belonging to and occupied with said messuage .

That Robert Judson had another house within the precincts of said Priory formerly occupied by Donal Savage - all on which said 13th day of June, 33 Henry 8 and 1542 belonged to the said Priory or Colodei of Armagh.

That the following separate houses or tenements in Armagh, frOl!l of old and on the said 13 June 33 Henry 8 were part of the said possessions viz.

One messuage now in possession of Pat Oge O'Heyre

One do. do. do. Elicei Crawley.

A shop adjoining last named messuage in possession of Thady Crawley.

A stable now in possession of said Thady Crawley.

One messuage do. do. Dermot boy McAbrey.

One messuage do. do. Bryan McRory.

One messuage do. do. Manus McGarvey.

One messuage do. do. Caell O O'Managhan,

A cowhouse and byre with the cartilage belonging to it in possession of Thady Crawley, all of which messuages lie in the south-west side of the Great Hall of said Priory .

That the said Prior on said date owned in fee -

A tenement and shop in Armagh in occupation of Henry McCoddan.

A messuage Daveys. do. do. John

A tenenent and cartilage in occupation of Donald bane McCrawley

A tenement do. ~- Pierce Williams a nd three waste tenements besides the dissolved Monastery or Abbey in Armagh called the Franciscan Abbey viz.-

One late in possession of Edmond o Neale.

Another late in possession of James McMayer, and the third in possession of Teage O'Cassedus, a tenement late in possession of Robert Galway, now in possession of John Redworth

That the Popish Prior and Collodei deserted, relin4uished and completely removed themselves and forsook from their said domicile or Priory about 25 years ago, and that the last Prior of said Priory and all the Colledei are dead, so that neither any Prior or Colledeius survive. But which of them was last survivor the jury refer to the judgement of the law.

That Toby Caulfeild Knt., now Lord Caulfeild of Charlemont, about 20 years ago received the profits and rents of said balliboes of land for the use of Henry Ussher then Archbishop of Armagh as Seneschal of said archbishop for three years, which rents amounted to the clear yearly sum of £20, and not more, because a great part of the lands lay waste and uncultivated.

That about 2 years afterwards, Robert Maxwell then Dean of Armagh, received the rents both of the said balliboes and

of all the houses and tenements in Armagh town belonging to the said Prior and Collodei for 2 years and maintained eertain Vicars Choral with said rents.

That after said~ years the late Christopher Hampton, il.tchbishop of Armagh, gavisus fuit, and received the rents of said 7 towns and said tenements in Armagh town from the time of his restoration to his temporalities for 10 years, which rents were for the whole of that term worth £47 yearly clear value and that the profits for the whole of that tel'!ll were spent on repairing and building the said cathedral church as appears to Jury by a writing shewn them in the handwriting of said archbishop, which writing was his reply and defence to the Commissioners of Irish Affairs of the late King James.

That John Symonds, Clk. received the rants of said 7 towns and said tenements from ill Saints 1623 to date of taking this Inquisition and that the rents of said 7 towns for the whole time during which they were in occupation of John Symonds attained to the clear yearly value of £46, and that the rents of the said tenements in Armagh were of the clear yearly value of £8.6.0 sterling, and that the said John Symonds expended part of said rents in the erection ot four stalls in the choir of the said Cathedral Church ot ~rmagh.

That the tollow.l.ng above-named parcels in County f.rmagh Viz. Teneleaghhan etc. are for the annual rent of 2/- Yearly for each acre of them. Signed.

Arthur Acheson. Pat Hannay Anthony Cope

William Peirson Donogh Oge O'Murphy NathanielLord

Neal McCoddan Henry Grindall Ralph Grindall

Henry Pilkinton Nicholas Gregg William Workman

Gregor Jackson Pat Cartan William Barnam.

The Seven Towns mentioned in the above Inquisition were standardized as regards spelling in 1835 the year in which the first Ordnance Survey of the County of Armagh was carried out .

For instance Aghavilly which is said to mean "the field of the ancient tree" appears in 17th century records as Aghavilla, Aghaville, Aghevilly, whilst the townland that we now know as Enagh is shown as Enoghseiart, and Ballyanenay The meaning is somewhat obscure. The prefix "Enagh" suggests a fair or assembly place of some kind but "saggart" suggests a priest .

The following variants exist for the other five townsCeanannus, Cennadus, etc., for Kennedys, a name that may indicate a head abode . Killynyawor Killenure, etc. - now Killynure "the church of the wood of the yew'' •

Magayrearnill Aghercrovill, Mahriaarvill, ate - now Magheeryarvill the plain df the old tree . ,s , etc. - now Lislea, the grey fort . Lisvonoe , Lisbono, Lisbonna, etc., now Lisbanoe possibly the fort of the milk or cows.

The Great Office of Ulster for County Armagh taken 12 August 1609 and 7 James I at Armagh -

That the Master of the Works of the Archbishop of Armagh has held time out of mind at a yearly rent of ll/4 payable to the Archbishop, the half-town of Ballynahowna near Armagh .

That the Prior and Vicars Choral of Armagh Cathedral own in fee in right of their office of the 6 townlands and 2 sessioghs of Bally-liosliagh, Balliaghybyly, BallyMaghayrearnill Bally-Liosbonowe, Bally-anenay, Bally Cennadus, Bally-Killynyawoyr .

Also Tirecwanyny-gilliynae,

Part of Gwaltwegh otra Coolnegappolle,

Half of Lisohirrill,

An acre called Leatmoilt, An acre called Aghoetiggenyin all one sessiogh near Armagh.

That there was paid to the Prior of the Vicars Choral of Armagh from the townland of Drumgagh 6/-, one mutton and

one losset of butter in right of his place as rector of Cre ggan in the Fews and of Derryneas, Tynan, Munterheny, Mullaghbragh and

Vicar of Leegloyse in O Neiland Barony.< 6 )

Descended from an old Yorkshire family with roots going back to the days of Henry VI (see the Allotts of Bentley Grange and Hague Hall, B.L.G.) of whom the subject of this note was the representative of the senior branch when he came to Ireland as Prebendary of Faldown in Tuam Diocese in 1771. Three years later in 1774 he reached Armagh as Prebendary of Tynan and Vicar Choral of Armagh, dignities which he relinqUished for the Precentorship of Armagh in 1775, an office which he held until his promotion to the Deanery of Raphoe in 1795 .

Two years after becoming Precentor he managed to make an exchange of part of the Glebe lands of Killevy for a site in Armagh city wereon he built a house which was through his influence and by a special Act of Council legalized as situate within the parish of Killevy . This enabled him to live in Armagh under agreeable circumstances and without fear of being accused of "non-residence" wi th regard to Killevy. The house in question was later occupied by his son Richard but has since become the residence of the rectors of St. Mark's . The elder Allott was interested in the prehistoric burial cairns within his parish of Killevy and was invited (6) Cal. Pat . Rolls, James I, p.374.

b) Sir Walter Synott of Ballymore to exanine one such ,tructure at Annaghcloghmullin His account of the excavation was published in Archaeologia (the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of London) see Vol.XV, .l+o9. The examination of the monumenttook place in September 1791 according to an account written in 1815see Newry Magazine, Vol.I, p.205-206. This particular monument was the first of its type to be eJ<alllinedin Ireland and therefore of great importance from the archaeQlogical point of view. lt would seel!llthat Precentor .Allott was aware of its special interest as he tried to preserve it by enclosing it within a circular ditch whereon he planted forest trees, see Vallancey, Val.VI, p.461-465. The bast drawing of Annaghcloghmullin will be found in the Newry Magazine, Vol.I. A map of the Barony of Orior dated 1827'7) shows it marked as "The Giant's Ring" and portrayed as a circle 1'/hereas the first Ordnance Survey shows a pearshaped enclosure marked "Cave" - see Armagh, Sheet 25, 1835, (7) Given to me by Mr. Alan Chambre of Hawthorn Hill and with his consent deposited in the Northern Ireland Record Office.

BCELV,NF.Ou s PATAONChoristersSTERS ANDliA§TERsOF THEGrammar School SCHOOL

Elrington Ball, p,130, Vol,III .

The Rev. Andrew Snape, Windsor, to Swift, April ~3, 1722, "I recommend to Your favour the bearer Mr. Elford, who upon the encoura g ement of your Worthy Primate is going to settle at .lrmagh . I cannot pretend to say that he has the same compass of Voice as his late brother, whomthe good Queen so much admired, but I will venture to say he has a greater understanding and upon the whole he is a good choir man.

The other that bears him company was a very useful Chorister to us. His voice since its breaking is somewhat harsh but I believe will grow mellower.

If you find either of them for your purpose especially the bearer, when you have a vacancy in your church, I shall be much obliged to you for any favour you are pleased to show" .

( Snape evidently then a Canon of Windsor) .

At above date Hugh Lindsay, D.D., was Archbishop of ~magh to which diocese he had been translated in 1714. He died in 1724 and 1s of particular interest from the point of view of the Cathedral Choir and the Cathedral Bells. Stuart ' s Armagh, p.395'.

See

Elrington Ball, p.80, Vol.IV .

Letter from John Arthbutnot to Swift. London, May B, 1729 , "I recommended on Mr. Mason, son of Mason, gentleman of the Queen's Chapel, a baritone voice for the vacancy of a singer in your cathedral. The letter was WTote from Bath last September. The same Mason informs ma that there is another vacancy, therefore I renew my request. I believe you will hardly get a better. He has a pleasant mellow voice and has sung several times in the King ' s Chapel this winter to the satisfaction of the audience,"

Note: John Mason son subsequently became a Vicar-Choral in both Dublin Cathedrals and held his place in them for 50 years . He was also part of that time a Vicar-Choral of Armagh Cathedral. This was during the primacy of Hugh Boulter, D.D., who became Archbishop of Armagh in 1724 and died in 1742 and was buried in Westminster Abbey wherein his famous predecessor Archbishop James Ussher was buried in 1656.

C H o I R

"kay ,, 1758.

Mr, John Woffington, late organist of St . Michan 's Church, Dublin -..!lo was bred under the late famous Dr . Croft's organist and composer to His Majesty•s Chapel Royal, St, James's Westminster 1s now come to reside at .Armagh,

Any ladies or gentlemen who are desirous of learning the harpsichord or spinnet, in all or any of its branches, Viz. lessons, thorough bass or composition together with singing in the most concise and elegant manner by directing their commands to him will be waited upon or their letters answered with the utmost respect.

N,B. As he intends teaching but very few and do them all the justice in his power, such ladies and gentlemen as are willing to employ him, would oblige him if they would favour him with their command as early as they conveniently can to prevent disappointment."

B.N.L. Armagh May 1, 1758.

"Lately from Dublin and now Vicar Choral of AroaagJ1. Tunes and regulates Piano Fortes, Harpsichords, etc.

Mr . w. begs leave to inform those ladies who ma:, bonor him with their commands, that he has been in the constant habit, of tuning instruments - has taken

considerable pains in acquiring the various methods, but tarticularly the German method of tuning, which for exactness, excells all others, adds a brilliancy to the Chords of the instrument and scarcely known in this country .

Col!IIllands, addressed to him at .Armagh will be punctually attended to ."

(Copied from undated business card which owed its preservation to the fact that it bore on the back a household recipe . )

Notabilities LINKED WITH THE CATHEDRALCHOIR

William Ware

Born Armagh circa 1756, and became a choir boy under Robert Barnes, organist (1759-1774). In the year 1774 he removed to Co, Down where he commenced his profession of music teacher . He seems to have settled in Belfast about 1776. At anyrate an advertisement in the Belfast NewsLetter of July 2 of that year, stated "that ha had been •mployed for two years by many families of the first !listinction in the County of Down was then returning from Dublin where he had been a considerable time" and that his terms were 11for the Harpsichord, a guinea entrance and half-a-guinea the twelve lessons; Guitar, half -a-guinea entrance and half - a-guinea the twelve lessons". We are also informed "that he tunes Harpsichords and teaches in the country as usual" .

In the same year he was appointed organist of St. Ann's Church and continued in that position until 1825. In 1778 he joined the Volunteer movement as a musician. Ware may be considered the father of music in Belfast and vhilst there had another distinguished Armacjhian as pupilthe celebrated Edward Bunting . ln 1820 he published a aalection of anthems, hymns and psalms performed in the parish church, and in 1808 another volume of anthems. He

fesigned his position as organist in March 1825, and died January 6, 1826,

John Willis

Began his musical career as a choir boy in Armagh and at the age of 12 years became organist of Dungannon Church. He later went to St, Anne's Church, Belfast, where he remained in charge of the organ until 1847.

Charles Wood

Died Cambridge 12 July, 1926, aged 6o. Charles Wood was born in 4rmagh and at an early age gave evidence of the possession of the talents ..tlich were to win for him a place amongst the foremost musicians of his day. He was only sixteen years of age when he proved his ability as a composer and applied for a foundation scholarship in the Royal College of Music, London, ..tlich he duly received by examination . He also took his B.A., M.A., and Mus. Bae. degrees in dlle course. He was for many years at Cambridge , He also lectured on Harmony at the University and on three days each week at the Royal College, London. His final appointment was his succession to Sir Charles Stanford in the Professorship of Music, a position which he attained some twelve months previous to his death, He married Miss Charlotte Wills Sandford of Co. Longford and there we re five children of the marriage, the eldest son Pa trick being

killed 1n Italy in the Great War. Mr. Walter Wood, a brother of Professor Wood, was well-known in Armagh, A Wecond brother, Mr. Evelyn Wood, was 1n 1926 manager of the Provincial Bank in that town.

Professor Wood died at Cambridge 12 July 1926, aged 60 years.

Accounts of 1858 show a William Wood and Charles Wood as lay Vicars. William was then in receipt of £100 per an. and Charles £75, a sum increased in 1861 to £85 and in 1866 to £100, He was still receiving the same sum in 1870.

The Bunting falDily of Armagh seems to have been a large one though we have no record other than for one iaugbter and three sons, Anthony, Edward, and John, all of whom, according to Charlotte Milligan Fox'ss Annals of the Irish Harpers, were trained under Robert Barnes of Armagh

Barnes was organist of the cathedral from 1759 until 177li, in -which year he resigned upon becoming a Lay Vicar Choral. He could not therefore very well have instructed any of tbe Bunting children unless he continued to take pri vate pupils after becolDing a Vicar Choral. Anthony ( born 1765) may have been coached by him but John 1'ho appears in 1786 and 1787 in choir records ( they begin 1785) would have been a pupil of Richard Langdon, organist from 1782 to 1794,

I f Edward was also for a time in the choir it must have been circa 1782, as he was born in 1773 and at the ag e of nine years joined his brother Anthony at Drogheda, a change brought about by his father ' s death. Presumably the mother with other members of the family , including John, remain ad in Armagh,

We do not know the maiden surname of Mrs . Bunting but an entry in the parish registers gives the Christian name of Mary . I t reads "4 March, 17'4,

Sarah, daughter of Edward Bunting and his wife Mary, laptized" . ( 8) How many other children were born to Edward and Mary we do not know. The parish registers lroUld possibly disclose other entries if searched.

From the Annals of the Irish Harpers we learn that Anthony was born in Armagh in 1765, was afterwards an organist in Drogheda and Dublin and survived his more ltelebrated brother Edward by some years. John, wa are .informed, beca!D.e a teacher o:f music in Belfast and his "wife, a Miss Ashe, a lady of good family, ran a fashionable school in that city. Curiously enough Edward married a Miss Mary Anne Chapman, daughter of a Mrs. Chapman wo had a well-known school in Belfast and later in Dublin.

In an autobiography compiled by Edward Bunting we learn that he lost his father at an early age, whereupon he took up residence with his brother Anthony in Drogheda . There he remained two years and made such progress that his fame spread to Belfast where he was appointed assistant to Mr. William Ware, a former chorister of Armagh CathedraJ.a .no was born in 1756, trained under Robert Barnes (1759-17'7;1 the then organist and died 1826. (8) "Edward Bunton / & wife / carpenter / five children / Scotch St / Church " - sea Census of city for year 1770.

:Bunting subsequently became organist of the Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church, Belfast, and later of St. George' s Church in the same city. Whilst living in that town he stayed w1th the McCrackens and thus became intimat e with the Joys - both notable Belfast families . His ab ility in music quickly developed and soon his company was cour ted by the gentry of the neighbourhood .

In 1792 he organized the great harp festival in Belfast noting down old Irish airs, and afterwards travelling all ove r Ireland collecting them, or employing people to do so, a work for which he is still remembered. Eventually he &cqUi re d material for three collections published in 1796, 1800 and 184o.

About 1819 he married Miss Chapman and almost !llmnediately afterwards settled in Dublin where he was •})pointe d organist of St . Stephen• s Chapel, and in 1827 became organist of St. George ' s Church near Mountjoy Squ are, of whic h bUilding Francis Johnston, another Armachian and conte mporar y , had been architect . He died December , 1843 (buried Mount Jerome) leaVi ng issue -

l. 2. Anthony, an engineer who died young.

Sarah who married R, Macro r y of Belfast and Dublin by whom she had a son , Dr . Lou i s Macrory of Battersea r sea, London .

3. Mary Anne who married James Wright of Dublin who had a daughter Florence who married Sir Thomas Deane, a well-known Dublin architect, son of Sir Thomas Newenham Deane •

.lccording to "Annals of the Irish Harpers Bunting s father was a mining engineer who came from Sottle in Derbyshire to assist at the opening of the Tyrone Coal Mines. Bunting himself believed that the Buntings had been long settled in Co. Armagh so h may well be that the elder Bunting had been sent to England to acquire experience in coalmine working, in which case he probably belonged to the branch settled in Lurgan parish,

MASTERSOF THE GRAMMARSCHOOL

James Groves

Second son of the Rev. John Kelly Groves, BA a former curate of Caledon, \o/howas called to the Irish Bar in 1796 and ordained soon after.

James Groves had an elder brother, John, a surgeon in the army, and an uncle, the Rev. Edward Kelly Groves, a valuable member of the Irish Records Comnission and cocompiler with Lewis or the Topographical Dictionary of ;Ireland. His cousin, the Rev. Henry Charles Groves, was curate in succession of Mullabrack and Kilmore and Perpetual Cur ate of Mullavilly 1858-1872, in which year be resigned f o r Donaghmoine in Clogher Diocese, later becoming Prebendary of Donacavey, a dignity which he held from 1875 until his death in 1903, leaving issue three sons and two daughters of whom the eldest son, Tenisonson Arthur Groves, TenisonwasGroves well !mown in Armagh, and dying here in 1938 was buried at Kildarton

James Groves is said to have been the first master o f the cathedral Grammar School and figures in the a c coun ts o f the Vicars Choral from 1828 until 1834, but unfor t unatel y there is a gap from that date until 1858, by which t ime he was pro b abl y d ead .

The actual date of the building of the school is

uncertain, It may well have been as l t a e as Archbishop Lord John George Beresford s Pr•macy, .,_

In the year of h1 s coming to Arma h th g 8 boys were being 11tutored 11 by Hr . Scarlett of the Mall School, Armagh ( an institution built by Uchbishop Stuart 1 18 n 18), but accounts show salary paid to Mr . Buchanan 182lt-27 and Mr. Jacob 1827 , both !'J)pearing as schoolmasters.

Lewis Georgee Mills B.A~

Son of James Mills, Schoolmaster. Born Co. Longford. Head Master cathedral Grammar School 1850-1873, Perpetual Curate of Aghavilly 1871-1873, Rector of Creggan 1873 until his death in 1885.

William Fredrick Johnson, h ,A,

Son of the Rev. Edmund J. Johnston and an old boy of the Royal School of Armagh at which he was an assistant master 1879-1881. Vicar Choral qf Armagh Cathedral 18811895 and Master of the Cathedral Grammar School 1882-1895, Incumbent of Acton, Co. Armagh, 1895-1921, in .nich year he resigned for Killincool and Louth. He retired in the following year and died at Rostrevor in 193lt.

Mr . Johnston was a well-known entomologist and the author of many important papers on the subject, A portrait

hangs in the Armagh Natural History and Philosophical pcciety Rooms, or which Society he was President 1891-1896.

James Fanning 0 17 •

Son of John Fanning of near Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

Born 1865. Educated at Enniscorthy Gramar School and Kilkenny. Later Headmaster of the Cathedral Grammar /ichool, Cashel, where he was a lay Vicar-Choral. In 1890 appointed Headmaster of the Blue Coat School, Drogbeda . Xarried at Holy Trinity Church, Rathmines, 9th April, 1890, Kathleen Anna Carey, daughter of R. J. Carey, Synone House, Cashel. In 1896 appointed Headmaster of Cathedral Grammar School, A:rmagh, from which post he retire<l. in 1933. Celebrated his Golden Wedding 194-0. Died Tuesday, 8th llarch, 195'5'.

Had issue two sons and two daughters:l. 2. 3. 4.

John Russell Fanning , Registrar of the Probate Court, Derry, who died

Robert James Fanning, Major in the Indian army

Ann Francis [FrancesFanning,fanning]who married firstly Mr. Crowe, and secondly Mr. Sandford, and died

Kathleen who married E.C. Doogan, Solicitor and Land Agent, Portadown.

Registrar ANDVICARS Steward

A Vicars I Steward appears in 11ordGrs and Statutes made by his Grace (Most Rev. Hugh Boulter, D.D.) for the '9verrunent of the Vicars Choral, the organist and the Boy s belonging to the Cathedral of St. Patrick, Armagh," and dated July 17, 1731.

In the next century , c1roa 1816, the office seems to have been combined with that of Registrar .

Choir Librarian

A Choir Librarian figures in choir accounts. Barton McGuckan later a well-known soloist filled the post circa 1870. An entry in the Choir Records shows that in July 1866 a tutor of the violin was provi.ded for McGuckan w10 was then a choir boy .

Writing MASTERS

,

Writing Masters were employed to instruct the choir boys in the art of calligraphy, Names of persons holding the above office appear in records. They wel'e usually nbers of the choirfor instance Samuel Barr held the post 1789-1797 and John Jones ¥768-1788. The latter became organist circa 1798,

I . Christopher r Hampton .

Advan c ed to t he See of Armagh 16 13 .

Was Vice -Chan c e ll o r of Trinity College in 1 6 1 2 , an d conferred t he degree of doctor of divinity on the c elebrated scholar, James Ussher, his successor in t he Archbishopric .

During hi s Primacy he caused the cathedral to be repaired, recast the great bell of the church, renova t ed the 0 old Episc opal House of Armagh" and bui l t a handsome Palace at Drogheda in th e so u thern part of his diocese. He died 3rd January, 1624.

Some of his relatives settl ed at Kilmore on the See lands and the i r des c endant s remain there until the present day .

2

Adam Loftu s . Archbishop 15'63-1567. A Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth.

Trans lated to Dublin 8th August, 1567, that Archbisho pric being then more productive financially than the See of Armagh. The city of Armaghat that time had been laid waste by Shane O'Neill and the whole province impoverished by his conflicts with the British.

The Archbishop was a man of sound learning, pleasing manners, cOG1alyperson and florid eloquence . He was twice made Keeper of the Great Seal, was Lord Chancellor of Ireland, one of the Lord Justices and first Provost of Trinity College, in whose foundation he took an active part. His great mental attainments and pleasing qualities were, however, sOG1ewhatsullied by his greed and unbounded ambition, passions that caused him to monopolize church preferments for himself and his family. By his wife Jane Purdon, daughter of Adam Purdon of Lurgan Race, Co. Louth, ha had twenty children of whom seven died young leaving five brothers and eight sisters surviving. He died 5th April, 1605.

3. Henry Us sh er. Archbi shop 1595- 1613. Adv an ce d to the See of Armagh i n 1595. He was very a ctive i n t h e fou nda t ion of Trinity Col lege, Dubli n . From h is ti me onwar ds the Archbi sh ops of Armagh made Armagh the i r ch i ef place of residence. He was a learned diVine and very highly esteemed.

Durin g his term as Primate the Plantation of Ulster took pl ac e, a nd it seems pretty certain that be approved of King J ames the First•s plan to augment the income of Trinity, Dublin by granting lands in Counties Armagh and Donegal and Fermanagh a s endowments towards the upkeep of the College f oun ded in the reign of his p redec e s s or lilllzabeth I.

(!) Dublin University Commission Report 1853, p,274-275, See Hill's Plantation p.lt4 5.

4. William Alexander . 1896-1911.

Translated from Derry 25th February, 1896.

A great writer, ~rator, and poet. Died 1911. His wife was the author of many well-known hymns.

The Palace portrait was painted by W.F. Osborne, R.H.A., and there is a memorial in the Cathedral by Kathleen Shaw, R.H.A., Sculpture dated 1914.

V, Marcus Gervais Beresford . 1862 - 1885 .

Translated from Kilmor e 1862 .

Second son of George Beresford, Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh, who was second son of the Right Honble. John Beresfor d , whose eldest brother, the Earl of Tyrone, was advanced t o Marquessate of Waterford in 1789.

The Archbishop was head of the Church of Ireland at the Disest a blishment and was largely concerned in the heavy work of providing f or its future organization . He died 26th December, 1885.

There is a ha n dsome altar-tomb to his memory in the Cathedral by Mr John Taylor of Longstone House, Armagh,

The Palace portr a it is a. copy of the portrait by Catterson Smith. It was painted by Catterson Smith, Junior, and added to the Palace collection by the Ar chbis h op ' s son, Mr. G.D. Beresford.

VI , Thomas Lindsay . Archbishop 1713 - 172 4 .

Tr anslated from Raphoe 22nd December , 1713 ,

I n 1 722 procured a licence to endow the Vica r s Choral and singing boys of the cathedral with £200 per annum. At his own cost he er ected a second organ and purchased a ring of six exquisitely toned bells by Rudhall of Gloucester.

A most gene ro u s prelate. Kept the Cathedral in perfect repair during his primacy and at his own expense. He was not, however, as fav ourab ly inclined to the dissenters as his predeces s ors, Marsh, Bramhal l, and Ussher.

Besides spending many thousands of pounds on Armagh Cathedral during his lif e time, he left a bequest of £1,000 to that church at his death with £300 to his next succes s or to aid in the purchase of a conve ni ent house for future primates.

Died 13th July, 1724,

7. John Bramhall. Archbishop 1660-1663 .

Advanced to Armagh 1660.

Bramhall laboured indefatigably to form a perfect union between the churches of Ireland and England, and to have the articles of communion expressed with such latitude that dissenters from the established religion, 1n matters not solely relative to faith, might conscientiously subscribe.

HaV1ng determined to reside in the country in lihich his lot was cast he purchased an estate in Tyrone, but was only a short time possessed of it when the rebellion of 1641 broke out. For many years he was a fugitive first in England and then on the continent, but after the Restoration was allowed to return to the See of Derry or lihich he was consecrated bishop in 1634. He vas translated to Armagh 1st August, 1660, and died 25th June, 1663.

8 . Charles Fredrick d'Arcy

Translated from Dublin 1920. 1920 - 1938,

Known throughout the world as a writer on Ethics and Moral Philosophy, and one of the leading personalities in the church of his day. Portrait by Francis Keating.

I X. James Margetson 1663- 1678 .

Advanced to Ar magh 1663 .

Was De an of Christ Church, Dublin, in 1641, and spe nt much of his per sonal property in feeding the unhappy fugit i ves who h ad been compelled to seek refuge in that city. In 1648 he was obliged to flee to England for security but was there seized by the Parliament a ri a ns and thrown into prison. Later, being set at liberty, he liv e d in London in a retired manner until the Restoration when h e was promoted to the See of Dublin on 25th January, 1660.

translated to Armagh 20t h August, 1663. 1678. Di ed 28th August,

X James Ussher. Archbishop 1624-1656.

Advanced to the See f Ar h 2 t 6 4 5 six days before t he deathoof King James raf;h~~m 2h; 2 ' o wed his advancement to the Primacy.

Nephew of Ar chbish op Henry Ussher and a man of imp er ishable fame . His kindness influenced eve rybody and h is lea r ning was recognized and known all over the' Chri s tian world .

In 1 634 the Ar chbis hop of Dublin advanced a claim to the Pr i macy of all Ireland and the point was fully in v esti ga t e d. Ussher was called upon for a sta t ement of a rgume n t on behalf of h i s own See and he supported his c l aim wit h such invincible reasoning and conclusive proofs t ha t the matter was finally determined in favour of Armagh, by the Lord Deput y an d Council and ratified b)' t h e Ki ng .

When Civil War broke out 1n I reland in 1641 he was compelled to ta k e up r e sidence in England where he was much troub l ed by the Puritans , but when he died in 1656 Cromwell or d ered a public f un e ral and buria l in We stminster Abbey. His f riends would ha v e liked him t o have be en spared the in d i gni t y of b e i ng attended to the grave by the very people lolhoh a d ma de his l i fe difficult by their petty spites, but of course dare no t pro t es t.

It may be of i nter es t now that Trinity is soliciting subscriptions f or li b r ary ext ensio n t o remember that Luk e Challoner and he in 1603 we r e deputed to choose and pu r chas e books in Englan d f or Tr i nity's t h e n n ewl y- forme d li br a ry. On this mission he fo:rmed a fr ie nds hip wi t h Thomas Bodl ey vho vas at the time c ol l ecti ng bo oks f o r h i s famous lib r a ry at Oxford.

Archbishop Ussher i n tended to prese nt hi s own l ibrary of nearly 1,000 books and manuscripts t o Tri ni t y bu t owing to tbe many mis f ortunes which ha d be fall en h i m he was -pelled to bequeath it t o h i s d au gh te r. Upon bei n g offered tor sale it was purchased by a gr oup of Cromwell 's officers who had served in Irel an d , who p r esen ted t hem to the University f or whi ch they h a d ori gi nally be en dest i ned tor b)' their ovner.

James Ussher.

The libr a ry when brought to Dublin was for a time deposited in the Castle. There many of t h e books were purloined or lost. At the Restoration Cha rles II caused those that remained to be transferred to Trinity.

XI . Lor d John Ge or g e Ber e sford . 1822-1 862.

Translat ed f r om Dublin 17th June, 1822.

Thir d s on of the 1 st Marquis of Waterford.

A great bene fa cto r of the University of Dublin to 1'hich he donated the famous Book of Armagh. Restored the Cathedral of Armagh between the years 1834 and 1840 at a cost of £34,463, of which £24,000 was provided by His Grace,

Subscribed lar gel y t o t he Royal School of Armagh , to the Observatory and othe r i n stitut i ons .

His expenditure dur i ng his primacy on works of benevolence and for the adv ance ment of religion and literature is said to ha ve excee de d £280,6 00 ,

The Palace por trait is said to h ave bee n painted by stephen Catterson Smith , R, H.A. , s on of 6. Catterson

Smith, R.H.A,

There is a full length port r ait of th e Ar chbi shop in his robes as Chancellor of the University at Trinity College, Dublin, painted by Catterson Smith. Both portraits have been engraved. Besides the various portraits there is a recumbent memorial f i gu r e in the CD cathedral carved by Baron Marochetti an d a fine brass. He died July 18, 1862 and his funera l was a long r••bered event in Armagh, where for forty years be vas • faailiar &Jld1111obbeloved figure.

Lord John George Beresford . ( cont . )

The funeral took place from the Palace Chapel wherein the body had lain in state. Following a brief service the procession was formed with all the care and accuracy of detail that Sir Bernard Burke, th e Ulster King of Arms was capable of. The high crimson velveted sarcophagus, with its arms, mitre, the Jewel of the Prelate of the Order of St. Patrick and other decorations was escorted down the main drive and through the narrow streets of the city where it passed in stately dignity.

The bells tolled on Macha's Hill. The four horses and his carriage -the harness decorated with silver mitres, the carriage with the arms of the See of Armagh and the bearings of the Beresfords - with its coachman and footmen was empty.

The Town Commissioners in mourning cloaks and black staves led. After them came the Palace servants, then the clergy in gowns followed by the Ulster King of Arms 1n heraldic attire.

Next the Lord Lieutenant, followed by Marquisses, earls, viscounts, barons and baronets rank upon rank. Behind them the relatives, then the bishops, the Privy

Lord John George Beresford, (cont.)

Councillors , the jud ges and the members of Parliament all in due array according to their degree.

At the cathedral gates white robed choristers chanted Purcell and Croft on the way into the church and again pro ce eding to the crypt where the burial took place, and so ended the pomp of the last of the great heraldically arranged funerals so dear to earlier generations,

XII. Michael Boyle. Archbishop 1678- 1702 .

Advanced to Armagh from Dublin 21st January, 1678.

In 1665 he was made High Chancellor of Ireland and was the last ecclesiastic to hold that great office.

Son of Richard Boyle, Archbishop of Tuam and cousin to the celebrated Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. He founded the village of Blessington and in 1669 he succeeded in incorporating his property as a borough. It returned two members to Parliament until 1800.

This Archbishop was a curious mixture. He was ambitious and rapacious in the attainment of wealth but liberal and public-spirited in its expenditure. Died 11th December, 1702, aged 93 years. His daughter Ann married the 2nd Viscount Charlamont and was ancestress of the present Viscount Charlemont,

The Palace portrait is a very fine one but the artist is unknown. Chancellor . It shows him holding the purse as Lord

There is a full length portrait in the Royal Hospital, Dublin, and engraved portraits by David Loggan and R. Purcell (after Zoust), also a portrait in the County Museum, Armagh.

Michael Boyle. (

cont,)

The Archbishop's son Morrogh Boyle was created a viscount in 16 7 5, was twice married and had with several daughters a son Charles wo succeeded as second viscount

in 1718. Hi s sister Ann Boyle married the second Viscount Mountjoy and her son eventually inherited the property. It passed, however, from the Stewarts in 1769 and the Dunbars became the representatives of the Boyles.

Charles Dunbar was M.P. for Blessington and also represented Hillsborough for a short period. He died without issue in 1778 and under his will his great estates de volved on the Lords Hillsborough, Longford and Devesci. The Manor of Blessington fell to Lord Hillsborough ancestor of the Marquisses of Downshire. Unfortunately the mansion house of Blessington was destroyed by fire circa 1760. The beautiful silver mace of the corporation of Blessington engraved with the arms of the Archbishop Boyle and t he See of Armagh is preserved by the Hill family.

XIII . Richard Robinson , 1765- 1794 .

Translated from Kilda r e 19th January, 1765.

A gr eat benefactor to the city of Armagh and t o Armagh Di oce se a s a llhole.

After his promotion to the Primacy he spent some time exami ni ng t he st ate of his diocese and in maturing plans for the impr ovement of t he city of Armagh. The Ar chb i shop ' s House in English Street be ing t h en in poor repair, he determined to erect a new build i ng on the See Lands and in the vicinity of the town.

He was the builder of t h e present palace in the year 1770, and had for his architect the c e l e brat e d Thoma s Cooley . I n 1781 h e erect e d the Palace Chapel , a ~harming little church with a pleasing portico of the Ionic order. I t was planned by Cooley but comple ted by Francis Johnston , his e qually di stinguished pupil.

He was r es ponsible for so many public bui l di ng s in the city that for brevity's sake it is be st to deal with them by numbers:-

1. Palace 1770.

2. Palace Chapel 1781.

3. Pa l a ce Obel is k 1782. Desig ned by Franci s Johnston. Commemor a t es th e Archbi sh op's friendship With the Duke of Northumber l and; compl e ted in 1783 it p rov ide d loc a l st on e ma sons with work i a a 119:riod or d i s tr ess .

~. Repairs to the cathedral, etc.

Bishard

Rob i nson (cont ' d) ,

5. I n 1766 he was concerned in impl ementing the Ac t f or t he provision of County hospitals and was a l iberal subscriber to the Armagh County Infirmar y ,

6. About the same time built two Vicars• houses and fi ve more in the year 1780, also a repository for wills and records of the diocese .

7 . The Public Library in 1771 to designs by Thomas Cooley .

8. In 1773 responsible for the removal of the Royal School from its congested sit e i n Abbey Street to its pr esent pleasant sit uat i on .

9. The Obser vato r y e r ected i n 1790, Medal commemorative of its foundation dated 1789 .

Besides such improvements he erec t ed a number of churches throughout the diocese. He was, howe ver, careless of the p r ese rv a ti on of r e l ics of the past. He dis f i gured the Fran c i s c an Friary by using stone from its walls to enclose his garden. He re f use d leases to certain tenants who possessed interesting old h ou ses in the main streets unless they agreed to build new fronts to their homes and so bring them into alignment with new buildings in the same streets. In his attempts at renovations of the Cathedral he .removed the really beautiful tracery windows and substituted mel e gan t lights in their place. He died tt Bri s to l in December 1794 and was buried 1n ~gh Cat h e d ra l Crypt. Ther e is a bust to hi s memory sculptured by Nolleken s i n the sout h a i s le .

The portrait in t he Pal a ce is by Sir Joshua Reynolds There is another by the same artist i n t h e Deanery ir.ua.,

Richard RobinsonCcont 1 a2,

Dublin, and a third in walking dress was formerly in Rokeby Hall, the Primate ' s County Louth estate. It was later preserved at Beaulieu, Co. Louth, but was recently sold to the Bi rmingham Art Gallery.

(In his will Archbishop Robinson left a bequest for the foundation of a university at Armagh).

XIV. The Honbl e , William Stua r t . 1800-1 822 ,

Translated from St , David's in Wales 22nd Nove~ber , 1800.

Youngest son of John Stuart" Earl of Bute, and brother of the 1st Marquess of Bute.

He rebuilt on the old site a Market House in 1815 .

There is a full length figure of the Archbishop in the attitude of prayer (by Chantrey) in the north aisle of the cathedral. He died 6 May, 1822.

The Palace portrait is by W. Owen R,A. It was restored in 1892 by his grandson, Col, the Honble. w. Stuart Knox.

There is a c opy of the portrait in the County Museum. It formerly hung in the Market House having been presented to the Sovereign and Burge s ses of the city following the rebuilding of the civic centre, now the Technical School, in 1815.

XV. William Newcome. 1795- 1800.

The Archbishop was a descendant of the Revd. Stephen Newcomewho in 1590 was resident in Ely. He was born April 10, 1730, matriculated Pembroke College, Oxford 31st Oct., 1745 aged 16. B.A. 1749. M.A. from Hartford College 1753. B.D. & D.D. 1759.

Was a Vice-Principal and a Tutor of considerable repute, one of his pupils being the celebrated Charles James Fox who by accident was the cause of his losing an arm.

Came to Ireland in 1765 as Chaplain to the Earl of Hartford by wom he was made Bishop of Dromore in 1776. Became Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in 1779 and was appointed to Armagh by George III in 1795. He had a considerable fortune and spent large sums on the cathedral and the Palace. He was an author of some repute and was assiduous in his great office. He was not a politician and was happy to withdraw from state and public affairs to his literary studies.

He was twice married, firstly in 1767 to Maria, a daughter of Sir Thomas D Oyley Bart. ( by 'ohomhe had a daughter only) and secondly to Anna Maria daughter and beireH of Edward Smith of Callow, Co. Fermanagh by whoa be bad tour sons and ten daughters.

William Newcome. (cont.)

He resided constantly in Armagh during his tenure of the Sea where his gentleness and benevolence secured him the respect and affection of the citizens. Died Januar y 1800. (For his descendants see Newcome of Rockwoo d Hall, Co. Norfolk in B.L.G.).

The Palace portrait was painted by Hugh Douglas Hamilton a notable Dublin artist in 1798 and later engraved in stipple by Charles Knight. a portrait in Pembroke College.

There is also

XVI. John Hoadley . 1742-171+6.

Translated from Dublin 6th October, 1742.

This Archb i shop was a skilled agriculturist who delighted in practical farming and was beloved by his tenantry and the la nd holders of the country in whomhe excited a strong desire to improve their lands.

A man of talent and author of various works.

Died 19th July, 1746, aged 68, at Tallaght where he had erec ted a palace from the ruins of the ancient castle.

XVII . Robert Samuel Gregg, 1893-1896.

Translated from Cork 14th December, 1893, Son of John Gregg, Bishop of Cork, whomhe succeeded in that diocese in 1878.

An active and energetic bishop whose financial sk ill proved of great service to the disestablished chur ch .

Died 10th January, 1896, Palace portrait painted by Robert Ponsonby Staples. There is also a stained glass memorial window in th e cathedral.

Both carried out by public subscription,

XVIII . George Stone 1746- 1761+ .

Tr a n s l a t ed frOlll Derry 28th February, 1746-47 .

A man of unbounded ambition and one of the handsomes t men of his day .

A keen poli t ic ian but friendly disposed towards the Roman Catholics of Ir e l and. He thought the laws against Popery severe and f ought against them with success in Parliament .

He was removed from the Privy Council in 1755 but was possessed of so much talent and infl uen ce that he could not be divested of political power, so h e was l a ter reinstated as a Councillor .

Ambition and love of power see m, ho we v e r, to have be en his ruling passions. Like many other a sp iring pr elates he was more politician than divine and more interested in the State than in Church affairs.

He died in London 19th December, 1761+, and was buried in Westminster Abbey,

XIX. Robert Knox, 1886-18 93 •

Translated 1886,

During his Primacy the Palace and its lands were in danger of passing from the Church (under the Disestablishment) but owing to his exertions a sum of money was raised by subscription and the palace preserved as a residence for rut ur e archbishops,

He had strong views on National Education and differed in opinion thereon from the majority of the Irish clergy, Despite a certain amount of opposition he obtained the res pect of his flock by his wise and vigorous rule. He was an effective writer and speaker and a model chairman.

He died 23rd October, 1893 . Palace portrait painted by Mrs. Way (Miss Batt of Purd ysburn) in the archbishop's lifetime and by public subscription .

A marble bust by Whitehead was erected by public subscription in the north aisle of the cathedral following his death.

XX. John Baptist Crozier. 19ll-1920.

Translated fr •om Down, Connor and Dromore 1911.

A man of vivid personality, a born leader, and an eloquent speaker. He had a genius for friendship and great kindness of heart.

XXII . Narcissus Marsh . 1703-1 713 .

Tran slated from Dublin 26th January, 1702/3.

Founder of Marsh's Library, Dublin. Repaired the old

See House of Armagh. Founded homes for widows of clergymen, of Armagh Diocese in Drogheda.

A prelate of great learning, piety and benevolence,and author of various works.

Died 2nd November, 1713, aged 76 years.

Besides the Palace portrait there is another in the Provost's House at Trinity College, Dublin, ~

XXIII. Hugh Boulte r. Archbishop 1724- 1742 .

Tr ans l at e d from Bris t ol 12th August, 1724 .

Was gre a t ly interested in local affairs. Encour a ged the design of forming a canal from Newry to the River Bann to open u p communic ation with Lough Neagh.

Built four hou ses in Drogheda for widows of clergymen. Sent the sons of many of th e poorer clergy to Trinity at his own expense. His charitable donat i ons in Ireland alone amounted to over £40,0 00 .

In Armagh he buil t a Market House and four houses for the reception of clergyman's widows.

In 1727 and 1728 two years of gre at dearth h e d is tr i buted large quantities of grain to the poor of Ireland and all homeless wanderers were by his orders r e ceiv e d into the Dublin Alms Houses and fed at his personal expense.

He was also a friend of the Presbyteri a ns of Ulster whomhe recommended to the King.

He was a member of the Linen Board and instrumental in raising by volun.tary subscription, a sum of £30,000, by means of which a cambric manufactory was established in Dundalk.

He took an active part in State affairs and incurred the displeasure of the famous Dean Swift through his efforts to establish a standard currency . Swift who misrepresented the matter to the nation excited a popular clamour ag&1nat the archbishop and the government . In St. Patrick's cathedral

HughBoul te r (cont' d}~

a dumb pea l was rung - the clappers of the bells being muffed, a nd a bl a c k flag displayed from the tower. It was found nec essar y to place a guard on the Primate's house to save him f rom the fury of the very people, who in a period of misery , and fam i ne had been fed by his bounty . Money, however, soon appe a r e d in suf f ici ent plenty for the purposes of trade and the uproar subsided.

He was thirteen times one of the Lords Justices or Chief Governors of Ir e l a nd, an of f i ce t h a t he fulfilled with integrity and hon our.

He was not a friend of Roman Catholi c i sm and was one of the promoters of t h e Bill for regulat ing e l ections by whi c h they we re disfranch i sed .

He died at St. James• Palace, London, 22nd September, 1742, and was buried in Westminster Abbey where hi s monume nt states "he was translated t o the Arch bisho pric of Armagh in 1723 and from thence to Hea ve n September 27th, 1742". (The date given for his translation to Armagh antedates the event by a year) .

XXIV, John Allen Fitzgerald Gregg.

Translated from Dublin 1st January, 1939,

Resigned March 1959.

PORTRAI TS IN THEHALL

This coll e c t ion i s sa i d to i nc lu de all the Archb i sho ps of Arma gh f ro m the days of the Reformati on dovn to th e pr e sen t , but t he re ar e some missing portraits in th e s equ ence,

List of Arch bis hops not re prese nte d :

1 . Hugh Goodacre, 1 552- 1553,

App ointed by King Edward VI O~t. 28 , 1 552, In h is order confe rri ng the a rchbishopr i c, t he Ki ng stated that Armagh was one of t he chi e f est Sees in t h e real m a nd t hat Hu gh Goodacr e of 'Whomhe "had a r ig ht good opinion becaus e of his virtuous l i fe " was a very sui table p erson for the post.

He was consecrated Feb. 2, 15?3 and died on May 1, 1553 , His frien d , Kin g Edward VI di ed July t> of same year .

2. Thomas Lancaster, 1568-15 81+.

Consecrated June 1 3 , 1568 , by Archbisho p Adam Loftus who by then had va cated Armagh f or Dublin, He died in 1581+. Duri ng h i s term of office the See of Armagh, owing to the troubles of the times, wa s greatly impoverished .

3. John Long, 1581+ - 1589,

Appointed Archbishop of Armagh July ll, 1581+ . Died 1589,

l+. John Garvey, 1589-1595 ,

Born Kilkenny '.rranslated from Kilmore to Armagh May 11, 1589. Reputed to have been a very benevolent and hospitable man, Died March 2, 1595.

PALACEPORTRAITS, Dining Room

1.

Sophia, Electress of Hanover,

The Electress was the daughter of Elizabeth Queen of Bohemia, daughter of James I and sister of Charles I and therefore the connecting link with the present Royal House of England. Elizabeth was born in Scotland in 1,96 about seven years previous to her father becoming James I of England. She married in 1613 Frederic V Count Palatine of the Rhine. They seemed to have been very fond of each other and their mar.ried life was a model union.

Later the Count Palatine was offered the Crown of Bohemia then l a r gely Protestant, an event brought about through the intolerance of Ferdinand II who attempted to , force the Roman Catholic religion upon all his subjects.

Fredric and his wife in 1619 proceeded almost without opposition to Prague and were there crowned King and Queen of Bohemia. Their reign, however, was short. The l!lnperor Ferdinand attacked the hereditary dominions of his opponent so that Fredric and his wife were forced after a reign of twelve months to flee. They were not, however, allowed to go to England as they indeed wished, so took up their residence at the Hague where they lived for the rest of their joint lives. Fredric died in 1632 and for the next 29 years Elizabeth continued to live at the Hague. Notwithstanding her poverty which was at times extreme, she seems on the whole to have been cheerful under misfortune of 'Which indeed the poor lady had more than her share.

In May 1661 she paid a visit to England and in the following year died in London. She was the mother of 13 children of whom we are only interested in the Princess Sophia who was born in 1630.

Sophia the ,th daughter and 12th child of the Queen of Bohemia married Ernest brother of George Duke of Hanover in 1658. Elector Ernest of Hanover died in 1698 and was

Sophia Electress of Hanover

succeeded in the Electorate and in the Duchy of Hanover by his eldest son George who on the death of his uncle had already become Duke of Zel l and thus afterwards King George I of England.

Kings George I, George II and George III remained Electors of Hanover after they had become British Sovereigns 1 but as is well known, in 1814 the Electorate was erected into a kingdom of which George III became first king, due to a Treaty signed by the allied Kings after their entry into Paris. The new kingdom, however, was by a special provision only inheritable in •he male line.

George III of England was succeeded as King of Hanover by his sons George IV and William IV but upon the death of the latter, the Crown of &gland passed to his niece Queen Victoria and the Crown of Hanover to Prince Ernest fifth son of George III who on the 24th April, 1799 was created Earl of Armagh and 20th June, 1837 became King of Hanover as heir male of the kingdoms of Hanover and Brunswick.

The Electress Sophia survived her husband for over sixteen years. By the Act of Succession she was declared heiress to the Throne of Great Britain and her position became at once of the greatest political importance. She died suddenly June 8, 1714 . If she had lived 38 days longer she would have become Queen of England on the death of Queen Anne.

(Arti-st unknown).

2.

GeorgeI,I King of England

With the accession of George I commenced the sixth dynasty (omitting the short period of the Danes) 'Which has ruled since the time of Egbert. The Saxon l1J:1JIcame practically to an end wit h Edward the Confessor in 1056. The four NormanKings reigned from 1056 until 11541 . ,Jfe Plantagenets from the accession of Henry II in 1 until the death of Richard III in 1485; the Tudors from 1485 until 1603 and the Stuarts may be said to have ended with the death of Queen Anne. Strictly speaking, however, Mary II and Anne woul d each of them, if her line had been per petuated, h ave introduced into England a new rei gning family, in the case of Mary, that of the Prince of Ora nge and in the case of Anne that of the reigning family of Denmark,

George I was born in Hanover in 1660, and as a youth was se.nt to England as a suitor for the hand of the Princess Anne (later Queen) but the visit did not result in the proposed marriage.

George I was thirty-six when he became Elector of Hanover on his father's death in 1697 and was in his fifty-sixth year when he became King of England, He died in Hanover 11th June, 1727, and was succeeded by his only son George, afterwards George II. He married 21st Nov. 1682, his cousin Sophia daughter of his father's brother Duke George of Zell.

King George was buried in Hanover and his wife at Zell.

(Portrait by James Thornhill).

The Elect or of Hanover

Fr e dr ic V, Count Pal a t ine of the Rhine . He married P r i n cess Elizabeth daughter of James I of England in 1613,

(Portrait by Nicholas Maas, born 1632, die d 1693) .

Queen Anne

Anne was born in 1665. She was just turned 23 yea rs when W i lliam and Mary were proclaimed King and Quee n in 1 688l and in her 38th year when King Wil l i am died in 1/ 0 2 ,

This Queen was commonly spoken of as"good Queen Anne". Ann e we a re told had not in her youth any p retensions t o be aut y and being addicted to good living sh e bec ame a t an e arl y age very fat and gross in app eara n ce. She mar ried in 1683 Prince George of Dem a r k. She was t hen aged 19 years and her husband 31 yaars.

Queen Anne died in 1714. In temperament she was e a sy go i ng and good humoured. She is credited with ha vin g ha d a large family. Some of the children were still-b o rn, others died at birth. Five others lived long e noug h to be named. Of these Prince William born in 1 689 , commonly called the Duke of Glouceste r , was t he only on e t o survive infancy. He predece a sed his mo ther where upon under the Act of Suc ces s io n , passed in 1701 , the Crown went to the Elector of Hanove r who thus be c ame Ki ng Geor ge I of England.

( Po rt ra i t by Michael Dahl, born 1656, die d 1743).

5.

K:JnrGeorgeIl..

Only son of George I was born in Hanover in 1683 and was in his twenty - eight year when he first came to England on the accession of his father. On that occasion he was created Prince of Wales, but in 1706 he had been created Duke of Cambridge by Queen Anne. He was in his forty-fourth year when he becam e King in 1727.

Both George I and George II were to all intents and purposes foreigners . German in their habits, strongly attached to their own country and little inclined to accept the English nation at its own estimation . They were also devoid of the Royal dignity associated with English Sovereigns. They were, however, in political matters honest and straightforward and both were gallant soldiers.

George II married 1n 1705 Caroline daughter of John Fredrick, Margrave of Bradenburg Anspach. As a wife, she maintained the upper hand with her husband, but exercised her power with wisdom and moderation. She died in 1737 and her husband in 1760.

King George and his wife had nine children of whom four were born in Hanover and the five younger in England . Of these Fredric Prince of Wales, born 1707 was the father of George III.

(Artist unknown).

. wea n Charlotte

P r incess Ch arlotte daughter of Charles Louis , Duk e of Me ckle nburgh Strelitz was born in 1744 and a t t he date of her mar ria ge in 1761 was in her seve n t e enth year.

She was a woman of many virtues and obtained a large measure of respect and affection, not merely f rom her personal friends but from the nation at large. She married George III 8th September, 1761 and was cr owned with him 22nd September, 1761. Died 1818.

(Portrait by Allan Ramsay in 1762).

7. Prince Georgeof Denmark

Prince George was the brother of Christian V King of Denmark, and owed his position as suitor for the hand of Queen Anne to the fact that he was willing to settle in England.

He arrived in England July 19th, 1683 and was married to Princess Anne nine days later. In the following September he was naturalized a British subject.

Following t he accession of William and Mary he was created Duke of Cumberland but \lb.en his wife became Queen it does not seem to have occurred to her or indeed to any of her friends to advance his social position, so he remained Duke and as far as can be ascer tained exercised little inf l uence over his "1.fe or her subjects in any matter, political or social. He died in 1708 aged 56 years.

(Portrait by Wilhelm Wissing, born 1656, died 1687),

8.

Klng George III

Eldest son of Fredric Prince of Wales, was born in 1738 and was aged twenty-three years when he became King in 1760. In 1761 he married Princess Charlotte daughter of Charles Louis, Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz. He died in 1820 in his eightysecond year having reigned for over fifty-nine years.

Sincerely religious and honestly patriotic he was gracious and kindly in his manners and very lovable and in return much loved by the majority of his subjects. He was indeed for over fifty years the most faithful and devoted of husbands.

King George and Queen Charlotte were blessed with a family of fifteen children of whom seven sons and six daughters lived to maturity. George the eldest son born 1762 succeeded his father in 1820 as George IV.

(Portrait by Allan Ramsay

9.

.The Duke of Schomberg

This picture though lab ell ed as the Duke of Schomberg does not seem to be a portrait William's famous general. of King

It is much more probable that it represents the Duke of Zell.

In the list of pictures bequeathed by Archbishop Robinson to his successors in the See of Armagh there is no mention of Schomberg but a portrait of the Duke of Zell appears instead. The Duchy of Zell.

In the 16th century William Duke of Brunswick Luneberg had six sons but owing to earlier divisions

of the duchy it was impossible to give those sons each suitable territories. As a result they determined to draw lots as to wich should marry and succeed his fathe r the others to remain unmarried or go out into the world. The lot fell upon a younger son George and as his brothers loyally kept the agreement he duly became Duke of Brunswick Luneberg.

Duke George who died in 1641 left four sonsChristian, George, John and Ernest who afterwards became the husband of Sophia the Electress of Hanover.

On the death of Duke George a somewhat complicated family arrangement was arrived at by virtue of which the Duchy of Brunswick Luneberg was divided into two smaller Duchies the Duchy of Zell of which Christian the eldest son of Duke George became vested and the Duchy of Hanover, which though the smaller contained the important town of Hanover. This town afterwards gave name to the Electorate and then to the Kingdom into which the whole Duchy of Brunswick Luneberg was ultimately erected .

10.

King Charles I

King James I by his wife had seven children of whomthe fourth was Charles I born November 19th 1600. Most of the family died young excepting Elizabeth, Electress of Palatine and Titular Queen of Bohemia.

Charles wed Henrietta Maria of France in May 162,. She was a devout Roman Catholic, but was married in England by the Archbishop of Canterbury in June of the same year. At the time of her marriage she was 16 years of age, Their wedded life was for some years rendered stormy by religious difference but as the years passed an affection sprang up between them into a love the depth and sincerity of which it is impossible to doubt.

King Charles was ambitious and vain and as a sovereign unsuccessful in politics and careless in his responsibilities as head of the church and state, This resulted in the famous trial in Westminster Hall at 11.hich he was found guilty of treason and condemned to death a sentence duly carried into effect on 30th January, 1649.

By this marriage the King had ten children of whom the second was Charles II born 1630. The fourth son was James II born 1633. Mary their sister born 1 631, married Prince William the II of Orange and by him had a son William afterwards William III of England. At that time the Princes of Orange derived their title from a small principality in the South of France which in the reign of Louis XIV was absorbed into that kingdom.

(Portrait by William Dobson, a pupil of Van Dyck, born 1610, died lolt6l.

QueenMary

Eldest daughter of King James II. Born 1662. Married William Prince of Orange in 1677 and died 1691+.

It is not always remembered that when James II ascended the Throne in 1685 there were only two living persons the Princesses Mary and Anne who stood before the Prince of Orange in the succession, for failing the descendants of James II, William as the only son of Jallles•s eldest sister, Mary Stuart eldest daughter of Charles I and sister of Kings Charles II and James II. Queen Mary in her youth was a tall and very handsome woman with a strong personal resemblance to the Stuarts.

(Portrait attributed to Kneller).

12. King WilljamIII,

King James II of England had fourteen legitimate children of whom, however, ten died as infants. We are, however, only concerned with his daughters Mary and Anne.

Mary born 1662 married in 1677 William Prince of Orange. She was then aged 15 years. She does not seem to have been a willing bride and the early years of their marriage were none too happy. He was undoubtedly a man of ability both regal and military and much engaged in continental campaigns.

Following the Revolution in 1688 against her father Princess Mary and her husband the Prince or Orange had the Throne of England jointly settled upon them for their joint lives. Mary died in 169~ and her husband seven years after, whereupon in 1702 Princess Anne became Queen of Bngland.

13.

Fredrick Prince of Wales

Fredric Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II was bom in Hanover in 1707 and remained there until 1728 the year after his father 's accession to the Throne of England. Just why his parents left the heir - apparent to the Crown of England to pass his boyhood and youth in a foreign country has never been satisfactorily explained.

He is said to have been affable in manner, interested in literature, patron of art and the theatre and passionately fond of music, and in his personal tastes a man of much greater culture and refinement than either George I or George II. In 1736 he married Princess August a, youngest daughter of Frederic, Duke of Saxe-Gotha. They had nin e children of whomthe eldest son George born 1738 succeededhis grandfather as King of England in 1761.

He died in 1751 and his wife in 1772 nearly twelve years after her son's accession to the Throne.

The Prince's parents acted towards him with a bitter and unrelenting hatred, They allowed him to be brought up as a stranger to them and neglected no opportunity of treating him in public as well as in private with contempt and unconcealed aversion. Indeed they refused his requests for active employment of any kind and kept him without adequate means for the support of his position.

When he died certain doggerel lines were written by the way of mock epitaphs of which this is an example.

"Here lies Fred

imo was alive and was dead.

Had it been his father

I had much rather

Had it been his brother

Still better than another

Had it been bis sister

No one could have missed her

Had it been the vhole generation

Still better for the nation

But since it's only Fred

Who was alive and is dead

There is no more to be said. FrOlllleft of

~dentification of Arms in door in side the porch of the Palace being thos~ of the Archbi shops since the Reformat i on.

The arm s are uniform down to th e time of Primate Robinson, created Lor d Rokeby of Armagh- in 1777, who b~lt the Palace. His own arms are given in three forms - as Bisho p of Leighlin and Ferns 1759, of Killala in 176l, and as Primate in 17§5. The blank in the fourth row may have had his arms as Bishop of Killala? his first See 1752, or it may have had the arms of his predecessor Primate Stone (15) 1747 . Those of his two next successors Newcome and Stuart (18) are wanting as also those of Archbishop M. G. Beresford, but those of Lord John George Beresford (20) and Knox were added and the Royal Arms of Primate Robinson's time were restored by Primate Knox in 1892•. •. ...• The date of succession is under each in Roman nU!lle.rals, those in the top line being wong~

Note by J . R . Garstin on card at Palace. Mr. Garstin 1 s accollllt should read Kildare 1761 instead of Killala

APPENDIXII.

Abstract from archbishop Robinson's Will proved 1795 in the Irish Prerogative Court.

uThe portraits following to the Dean and Chapter of 4magh in trust for the use of the Primate for the time beingu.

1. Charles I.

2. William III.

3. Queen Mary.

4. Queen Anne. ,. Prince George of Demark.

6. King George I.

7. King George II.

8. Fredrick, Prince of Wales.

9. King George III.

10. Queen Charlotte.

11, The Elector of Hanover.

12. The Princess Sophia Electress of Hanover.

13. The Duke of Zell.

APPENDIX II, {eont, l

"Thirteen portraits of Primates and my own portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds",

l. Adam Loftus 1563 - 1567.

2. Henry Ussher 1595 - 1613

3, Christopher Hampton 1613 - 162~

4. James Ussher 1624 - 165'6

5, John Bramhall 1660 -1663

6. James Margetson 1663 - 1678

7, Michael Boyle 1678 - 1702

8, Narcissus March [Marsh] 1703 - 1713

9. Thomas Lindsay 1713 - 1724

10. Hugh Boulter 1724 - 1742

11. John Hoadly 1742 - 1746

12. George Stone 1746 - 1764

13, Richard Robinson 1765 - 1794

n!E PALACE ,

Bui l t by the Most Revd. Rich a rd Robinson, D. D. , Archbishop of Armagh from 176~ until his death in 1794.

The Archbishop built the Palace in 1770 and wan i t was completed forsook the 17th century residence in English Street. He erected and endowed a public library in 1771 and an obs erv atory in 1789.

The architect for the Palace and the Library was the well-known Thomas Cooley who died in 1784 'Whereupon his appren t ice the celebrated Francis Johnston succeeded him in the Primate's affection.

The Archbisho p was crea te d Baron Rokeby of Armagh in 1774 and died 1794.

;&HE PALACECHAPEL.

Thi s little gem of a buildi ng was b egun in 1784, bu t owing to Cooley's death was completed by Fr an cis J ohn ston who was wholly res pons i ble for the inte r ior.

PALACEOBELISK.

Erec t ed to commemorate the Archbishop's friendship wit h the then Lord Lieute na nt , the Duke of Northumberland land to whomhe owed h is translation to Amagh. It

said by Stuart to have been begun in 1783, but this seems doubttul.. It was designed by Francis Johnston who in a letter stated it was completed in 1789.

ADDITIONTo THEPALACE.

An additional storey was added circa 1825 by Lord John George Beresford, archbishop from 1822 until 1862, The proposal did not meet vith the approval of Francis Johnston but the work (including a porch) was eventually carried out to his design.

THE

Palace earlie r r esi dences af the archbi shops.

Of the various residence s of the ea rl y bishops of Armagh we have lit t le info r mation . We can , howeve r, be sure 1!bat at first they made their home in one of the monastic houses of t he city. The line of bi shops begins with Patrick in the year 444 who t ook u p his abode at Templenafertagh in the lower part of t h e town, later moving to the ancient hill-top enclosure wherei n his second church was built, in which localit y succeedi bishops seem to have resided until well after the appointment of the first archbishop in the opening years of the 12th century.

The earliest historical reference to such an abode in our city occurs in the year 822 when the fire of God (otherwise lightning) fell upon the Abbot's mansion and cor SUllled1 t. In the Annals it is described as the "Fort of the Abbot" so we can assume that particular .side ce to have been a wooden house within an earthenringed 83 closure. That it was rebuilt we know, for i n 915 the south side of the city was burned and with the Abbot's residence, evidently situate on th• 1 ot as the

Later ' 1116 we have a further reference to it as the "Great house of the Abbot". In that year at the beginning of Let, it and twenty houses about it wer e burned. It was, however, again reconstru c te d and housed Cardi n al Paparo for a week in 1151 as guest of Gelasius, then Archbi s hop of Armagh and third on the list under that mor e exalted dignity . From available sources it s eems evide n t that this abode was in th e immediate vicinity of t he ch u rch we now speak of as t he Old Cathedral. At any rate a s late as the beginn i n g of the 17th century there was a p l ac e and building on t he north side of that church called th e Archbishop's Court which may have been so called in reme mbrance of the old residence.

But to return to earlier times. In the 13th century there were certain changes in the Armagh ecclesiastical stablishment, one of ltlhich resulted in the foundation of ha Deanery of Armagh and a division of duties. About hat time the Archbishop's residence seems to have been oved to the Abbey of Mullynure on the N.E. outskirts of he city and there remained until the destruction of that bbey by omits use as such it derived its alternative Bishop's Court, a term still known locally. e favourite residence of the archbishOJII

period, however, was at Dromiskin and Termonfeckin in the County of Louth in that part of the Diocese as the English Armagh as distinguished from the Irish Armagh comprising Armagh and part of Tyrone. In those days Archbishops of Armagh only visited Armagh when necessity demanded their presence and were often waylaid by the 0 1Hanlons through whose country they had to pass before reaching the city. Under those circumstances it is not surprising to !mow that they did not trouble with a speciaJ. residence and when they did venture into the city lodged in one of the religious houses adjacent to the Cathedral. For instance, we know that in 1460 Archbishop Bole had chambers in the Cul dee Priory. Later still, the archbishops established a residence for themselves in Drogheda and there they had their principal abode in 1613, when Archbishop Hampton built a new palace in that town and repaired the "old Episcopal house at Armagh. The latter edifice situate in the main street of the town was in bad order when Dr . Richard Robinson was translated to Armagh in 1765 . Four years later he built the present paJ.ace and it has been the residence of successive archbishops from that date to the present . At the same time he erected for himself a handsome residence ear Drogheda to which he gave the name ,,f Rokeby Hall nouse with which no doubt most of you

The resent palace 1s a dignified marsion . It was ~aised by Archbishop Richard Robinson who was a wealthy man and greatly interested in building . He was also respo n si ble for a number of new churches in Armagh and Louth. Fo r the palace at Ar.nagh he chose as his architect the f amous Thomas Cooley . The house was completed in 1770 and seven years later the Archbishop was raised to th e pee ra ge as Baron Rokeby of Armagh. Later I may have an opportunity to talk t o you more fully about this benefa ctor to our ci t y . Apart from the· Palace , Cooley was r e spon si ble for the very beautiful little private chapel e rected in 17 81 but he did not live to see it finished. It was, h owever, completed by an even more celebrated architect , Fr ancis Johnston of Armagh.

In the grounds of the Palace you will see one of the most graceful obelisks in Ireland erected in 1782 to the desi gn of Francis Johnston who, in 1828, during the archbishopric of Lord John George Beresford, was responsible for an additional storey to the Palace itself.

In the Palace you will find a representative collection of pictures, all of interest and many of t e work of distinguished artists. said to elude all the archbishops c.ays of the Reformation but Archbishops Goodacre (

caster (156B-84), Long (1584-89) and Garvey (1589-95) are missing, the earliest Archbishop represented being Adam Loftus (156J-67), an ecclesiastic for 1'homI have little affection as he forsook the austerities of Armagh for the fleshpots of Dublin. His only saving grace was that he married a County Louth lady, Jane Purdon, daughter of Adam Purdon of Lurgan Race, Co. Louth, by whom he had no less than twenty children.

I will not spoil your pleasure in the pictures by talking to you about them beforehand. You will see them all under the guidance of the Archbishop and amongst them you will find portraits by eminent painters like Dobson a pupil of Van Dyck, James Thornhill, Allen Ramsey, Michael Dahn, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Owen, Catterson &nith, Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, W. F. Osborne, etc.

St. Brigid's Well

This was a place of pilgrimage in the past days and even yet a secret visit is sometimes paid . It is said that the church fowided by St. Brigid, on the adjoining hill, reilaced a pagan place of worship and it is believed the well had a similar origin. Its waters were chiefly used for eye troubles but according to tradition were equally good for all ills . It was formerly overhung by giant thorns, from which rags of all the colours of the rainbow fluttered by hundreds in the passing breeze.

The water, in common with many other Irish walls, is said to be "the best in the land". It is reputed that Lady Anne Beresford sent some to England with her brother, the Primate, when he went to pay his respects to Queen Victoria upon her accession to the throne. The story goes - "An' the queen she hed a glass of it an' then she hed another". "The divil of such a well hev we in London" says she, "An' wid that she axed for another" . "But it was tarrable unlucky for the poor ould Primate, for he's coachman that wus an ornament till his carriage and the wonder of Ellropa for the good looks of him, deserted he 's Grace for t. 1e Lady Anne was the favourite sister f Archbishop

Lord John George Beresford. She died in 1841. is commemorated by a window in the Cathedral and the path ~eading from the Friary to the well. This path gives name to the book written by Miss Eleanor Alexander during her father 's primacy. It leads past "Lady Anne's Garden", now a tennis-court but locally known as "Lady Anne's Walk".

Immediately outside the wall of the demesne on the · • E. is the site of St. Patrick, s first church in Armagh, and the burial place of his sister St. Lupita, whose sad ending under the wheels of her brother's chariot is one of the tragic stories of old Armagh, It is probably also the last •esting-place of the saint himself. The Calendar of Cashel compiled in the 11th century states that the relics of St. Patrick repose at Armagh, in the place called the ''Monument of St. Patrick". The tomb is also mentioned in the ''Lebar bar Brec a 15th century MS -which says the "relics of St. Patrick are in the stone tomb at Armagh".

Two hundred years later, St. Bernard, the intimate friend and biographer of St. Malachi, Archbishop of Armagh, said that "Patrick presided at Armagh in his lifetime so in death his remains repose there." Again, William of Newbridge, who compiled bis work in the reign of Richard I (11891199) states "the Primacy was bestowed upon Armagh in honour of St. Patrick and other indigenous saints whose remains rest there". Also the "Book of Armagh" (in the "Book of Angels") mentions prayers Day going and returning from the Sar ·i these with many other evidences auppor

A:r , but the most important proof of all is the fact that St. Patrick's Bell, Book and Staff remained in the See of A:rmagh. If St. Patrick had been buried in Down as is so often asserted, those relics woul.d not have remained in Armagh diocese.

THE OBELISK

This very handsome obelisk is a landmark from several roads leading into the city. Built on Knox's Hill it commands a view not surpassed by any other at Armagh, though, of course, a more extensive prospect can be obtained from the tower of the old cathedral.

The monument, 113 feet in height, was erected by Archbishop Richard Robinson who by then had become Lord Rokeby of Armagh, to pe r petuate the memory of the Duke of Northumber l and , the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, through whose influence he had been t r ans l ated to Armagh fr om Kildare. It i s a f in el y p r opor t ioned example of its type a nd the carving of the in sc ri p ti on s and the coats of arms superb.

The a rchb i s h op came to Ireland with the Duke of Dorset, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland as chaplain and bec ame Bi sh op of Leighlin and Ferns in 1759. Two years l ate r he be c ame Bishop of Kildare and in 1765 to Armagh where h e di ed i n 1794.

The arc hi tect for the obelisk was the celebrated Francis Johnston, an Armachian by birth and a most di sti nguis h ed member of his profession.

'.!!t! E FRANCISCANFRIARY

The Friary was originally surrounded by a stro ng rampart and deep trench (these are mentioned in the Annals in 1266) but there are now no traces of the earthwork , the necessity for which arose from the Friar y being more or l e s s unp r ote c ted because of it s sit ua ti on outside the walls of the City .

There was once a bur i a l ground attached in whi ch many distin guish ed p eopl e wer e interred, c l erical and otherwise, amon g st the latter , Gormlaith , wife of Donnel O'Neill, King of Ulster, who was bur ied within t he precincts on April 14th, 1353 . Thi s cemetery lay outside the entrenchment already ment i oned, on the south and east, and its area is now included i n the Primate ' s garden . The interior of the Friary has also been used for burials but its use as such dates to much later days . At least two stones remain within the ruin , one to the memory of Terence Nugent of Castledillon , who died 25th July, 1741 and the other commemorating J ohn O'H ara, who departed this life on December 15th 1757 . Burial s thin the Fr,tary walls continued until t he demesne lands were er closed in 1770, after which they ceased entireq . The Franciscans seem to have been Ar frOlll at least the year 1241 and i t woul.d

• this building was not their fi r st house in the city. It, however, is of quite respe c tab le antiquity . The annals of the Four Masters record its foundation in t h e Year 1264 and the rather inte r esting fac t that it was erected by Primate O' Scanlan and buil t by McDonnell Galloglagh . This McDonnell was Chi ef of O'Neill Gallowglasses and a s such one woUld assume more acquainted 1i th the servi ce of arms than the bui l ding of churches. Accordin g t o the Annal s, though, the work progressed with reasonable speed an d was comp l e ted t wo years later. Tne masonry, however, i s v e ry poor -it is a wonder that so much of the Friary survives -t h e work is so rude. It would seem as if this Friary was amongst those suppressed by Henry VIII in 1542. By 1551 it was certainly out of possession of the friars for Nicholas Bagenall, writing to Lord Deputy Croft in that year, asked for "masons and labourers to be provided for the muring up of doors and windows of the Friary for the better housing and safeguard of the soldiers appointed ere to reside". Probably this building u p of doors d windows dews accounts for the rather extra o r dina cy ecesses and small doorways in the north d ossibly to that period also belongs t

ruin ·as at e time divided into several apartments. Ir 1561 " Friary was burned by Shane O'Neill, 'Whoat the same time destroyed the Cathedral and houses f the City, his excuse being that he would not have the Joglish lodge therein. '.!:his followed his presence at a service in the Cathedral where he was compelled to listen to a ser~on, which ha greatly resented from Archbishop Richard Creagh. In 15'96 it was again the scene of a fUrther struggle, this time between the troops of Hugh O'Neill and General Morris [Norris?]

In 1620 it was granted to Primate Hampton who ',corporated it within the demesne lands of the See of Armagh, in which it remains until the present day. The years though have brought decay and now only a fragment of the original building survives, its destruction having been hastened by the removal in 1765' of stones for building purposes. This is mentioned by Stuart in his "Memoir of Armagh" who also states that the east side of the rampart and trench which formerly surrounded and enclosed the building was perfect until 1769, in which year it was levelled.

Arter the Franciscans were expelled from Armagh ey divided up into two communities, one settling at Brantryco. Tyrone, and the other a Creggan Co.

Frlar Henry O'Mellan r ry 'Mellan of Brantry kept a very tant interesting diary ealing with the wars of 1641 His C eserved in the Royal Irish Academy. • at Creggan was the very famous Father Paul 0' O'Neill a great adlirer of Sir Phelim O'Neill for whomhe is said "to have journeyed to Brussels thirteen times in half a year". The Franciscans deserted Brantry in 1644, but renained at Creggan until the end of the 18th century though unable to maintain a Friary.

Near the Friary, on a site now occupied b) the gardener ' s house, stood the famous marble polishing mill of Thomas Ogle (Sovereign of Armagh ten times between 1729 and 1763) from whence came most of the fine "Armagh Marble" fireplaces still to be seen in old country mansions and in many of the older houses in Armagh City. This old mill was removed at the time of the enclosure of the demesne lands , the lake nearby being drained at the same time . This Thomas Ogle was responsible for the names of Thomas and Ogle Streets, they being so called in his honour and op ened "i.n state" on 29th September, 1759 Sovreign Thomas Macan assisted by the the City .