Bishop of Down and Connor

The Bishop of Down and Connor () is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic Church for the diocese of that name, but in the Church of Ireland it has been modified into other bishoprics.

History The sees of Down and Connor were established at the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. For a brief period in the early 12th century, they were united under Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair (Saint Malachy), who also became Archbishop of Armagh., Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 334, 343 and 347.

On 29 July 1438, plans for a permanent union of the sees of Down and Connor were submitted to King Henry VI of England for his sanction., Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 344 and 348. Exactly twelve months later, 29 July 1439, Pope Eugene IV issued a papal bull stating that Down and Connor were to be united on the death or resignation of either bishop. In 1442, Bishop John Sely of Down was deprived of his see by Pope Eugene IV,Kilclief Castle. Irish Antiquities. Retrieved 25 August 2009.Kilclief Castle, County of Down. Library Ireland. Retrieved 25 August 2009. thereby effecting the union of the two dioceses. John Fossade, who had been bishop of Connor since 1431, became the bishop of the united see of Down and Connor in late 1442. However, due to strong opposition to the union in the diocese of Down, three more bishops of Down were appointed, two whilst Fossade was alive and one after his death. It was not until the appointment of Thomas Knight that the two sees accepted union under one bishop.

Following the upheaval of the 16th-century Reformation in Ireland, there were parallel apostolic successions. In the Church of Ireland, Down and Connor merged with Dromore in 1842 to form the Bishopric of Down, Connor and Dromore. This arrangement continued until 1945 when it was separated into the bishoprics of Down & Dromore and Connor., Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 388–389., The Province of Connaught, pp. 202–218.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the see of Down and Connor continues. Since the first half of the nineteenth century the bishop has lived in Belfast rather than the Downpatrick area. The incumbent is the Most Reverend Alan McGuckian, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor, who was appointed by the Holy See on 2 February 2024 and ordained bishop on 6 August 2017.Bishops of Down and Connor. Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor. Retrieved 26 August 2009.

Lists of bishops Pre-Reformation bishops Pre-Reformation Bishops of Down and ConnorFromUntilIncumbentNotes 1442 1450 John Fossade John Festade; appointed Bishop of Connor in 1431; became Bishop of Down and Connor in 1442, however, due to local opposition, he did not get full control; died in the spring of 1450. 1453 1469 Thomas Knight OSB | Appointed 24 August 1453; consecrated 31 May 1456; acted as a suffragan bishop in the diocese of London 1459–63; died before July 1469.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;" | style="text-align: center;" | 1483 | style="text-align: center;" | 1519 | Tiberio Ugolino' Appointed thrice: 14 February 1483, 12 September 1484 and 1 September 1485; consecrated 12 March 1489; died before April 1519 Sources:, Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 343–344 and 347–348., The Province of Connaught, pp. 201–202.O’Laverty, James. “Tiberius, Bishop of down and Connor, 1489-1519.” Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. 9, no. 4, 1903, pp. 176–77. JSTOR website Retrieved 28 Feb. 2023.

Post-Reformation Church of Ireland bishops Church of Ireland Bishops of Down and ConnorFromUntilIncumbentNotes 1520 1541 Robert Blyth OSBBlyth and Magennis were both bishops in both successions. Appointed 16 April 1520; accepted royal supremacy in 1539; acted as a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Ely 1539–1541; resigned ; died after 19 October 1547. 1542 1559–63 Eugene Magennis Papal appointee from 1539, he accepted royal supremacy and was confirmed by letters patent 8 May 1542; retained possession during the reign of Queen Mary I; probably attended the 1560 parliament and took the Oath of Supremacy; died . 1565 1567 James MacCawell Nominated 6 June 1565, but is not known for certain if he was consecrated or obtained possession; promoted to the archbishopric of Cashel in 1567. 1569 1571 John Merriman Received temporalities 20 December 1568; consecrated 19 January 1569; died before 6 July 1571. 1572 1582 Hugh Allen Appointed by letters patent 21 November 1572; translated to Bishop of Ferns 24 May 1582. 1582 1593 See vacant 1593 1595 Edward Edgeworth Nominated 31 July 1593; consecrated 1593; died 1595. 1596 1601 John Chardon Appointed by letters patent; consecrated 4 May 1596; died 1601. 1602 1607 Robert Humpston Nominated 17 July 1601; consecrated 5 April 1602; died before 14 January 1607. 1607 1612 John Todd Formerly Dean of Cashel; nominated to Down and Connor and to Dromore 24 January; appointed to all three by letters patent 16 May 1607; resigned 20 January 1612.1612 James Dundas Nominated 23 February; consecrated July 1612; died before 29 November 1612. 1613 1635 Robert Echlin Nominated 29 November 1612; appointed by letters patent 4 March 1613; died 17 July 1635. 1635 1661 Henry Leslie Nominated 8 August; consecrated 4 October 1635; translated to Meath 19 January 1661. 1661 1667 Jeremy Taylor Nominated 6 August 1660; consecrated 27 January 1661; also appointed administrator of the see of Dromore 23 June 1661; died 13 August 1667. 1667 1672 Roger Boyle Nominated 26 August; consecrated 18 October 1667; translated to Clogher 19 September 1672; he was the younger brother of Richard Boyle, Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin. 1672 1694 Thomas Hacket Nominated 29 August; consecrated 28 September 1672; deprived on 21 March 1694 for continued non-residence, neglect and other offences against ecclesiastical law; died in August 1697. 1694 1695 Samuel Foley Nominated 17 August; consecrated 2 September 1694; died 22 May 1695. 1695 1699 Edward Walkington Nominated 10 July; consecrated 4 August 1695; died in January 1699. 1699 1720 Edward Smyth Nominated 21 January; consecrated 2 April 1699; died 16 October 1720. 1721 1739 Francis Hutchinson Nominated 30 November 1720; consecrated 22 January 1721; died 23 June 1739. 1739 1743 Carew Reynell Nominated 4 September; consecrated 18 November 1739; translated to Derry 6 May 1743. 1743 1752 John Ryder Translated from Killaloe; nominated 25 April 1743; appointed by letters patent 1 August 1743; translated to Tuam 19 March 1752.1752 John Whitcombe Translated from Clonfert and Kilmacduagh; nominated 24 February 1752; appointed by letters patent 21 March 1752; translated to Cashel 1 September 1752. 1752 1753 Robert Downes Translated from Ferns and Leighlin; nominated 12 August 1752; appointed by letters patent 13 October 1752; translated to Raphoe 16 January 1753. 1753 1765 Arthur Smyth Translated from Clonfert; nominated 28 December 1752; appointed by letters patent 24 January 1753; translated to Meath 28 October 1765. 1765 1783 James Traill Nominated 27 September; consecrated 3 November 1765; died 12 November 1783. 1784 1804 William Dickson Nominated 19 November 1783; consecrated 1 February 1784; died 19 September 1804. 1804 1823 Nathaniel Alexander Translated from Killaloe and Kilfenora; nominated 2 November 1804; appointed by letters patent 21 November 1804; translated to Meath 21 March 1823. 1823 1848 Richard Mant Translated from Killaloe and Kilfenora; nominated 13 March 1823; appointed by letters patent 23 March 1823; became Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore from 9 April 1842; died 2 November 1848. In 1842, Down and Connor united with Dromore to form the united bishopric of Down, Connor and Dromore Sources:

Post-Reformation Roman Catholic bishops

Bishop of Down and Connor

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