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Cathedral Library & Archives Association Newsletter (Summer 2009)

Members Contributions from Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin for Cathedral Library & Archives Association Newsletter (Summer 2009)

Fodor’s travel guide to Ireland describes Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, as the flagship of the Church of Ireland. The cathedral itself has never made this claim, but the arguments in favour of it are understandable. It is Dublin’s oldest building, though much changed in the course of its thousand year history. Architecturally, it is famed for its Norman crypt (the second largest in Britain or Ireland) and for the arcading of the nave which is considered to be the finest example of Early English in the country. It is probably both liturgically and musically the most ambitious of Ireland’s Anglican places of worship, the choir’s CDs earning plaudits from The Gramophone and Classic FM Magazine. The peal of bells, which traditionally rings in the New Year in Dublin, was augmented in 1999 to become one of the largest in the world.

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A short history of the cathedral

The earliest manuscript dates Christ Church cathedral to its present location around 1030. Dúnán, the first bishop of Dublin and Sitriuc, Norse king of Dublin, founded the original Viking church, which was probably subject to the archbishop of Canterbury. By 1152 it was incorporated into the Irish church and within a decade the famous Archbishop Laurence O’Toole had been appointed. This future patron saint of Dublin began a reform of the cathedral’s constitution along European lines and introduced the canons regular of Saint Augustine forming a cathedral priory, which was to survive until the Reformation following the liturgical use of Sarum (Salisbury) in England. 

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List of Priors and Deans

     
Dates Deans  
2008 Dermot Patrick Martin Dunne  
2004 Robert Desmond Harman  
1989 John Thomas Farquhar Paterson  
1967 Thomas Noel Desmond Cornwall Salmon  
1962 Norman David Emerson  
1938 Ernest Henry Cornwall Lewis-Crosby  
1921 Herbert Brownlow Kennedy  
1918 Harry Vere White  
1908 James Hornidge Walsh  
1887 (Abp Plunket resigned as dean, appointing a canon of his cathedral)
1887 William Conyngham Greene  
1884 William Conyngham, Lord Plunket (abp of Dublin, 1884-87)
1872 Richard Chenevix Trench (abp of Dublin, 1863-84)
1864 John West (dean of St Patrick’s, 1864-89)
1846 (Kildare united to Dublin & Christ Church deanery united to St Patrick’s)
1846 Hon. Henry Pakenham (dean of St Patrick’s, 1843-63)
1804 Hon. Charles Dalrymple Lindsay (bp of Kildare)
1790 George Lewis Jones (bp of Kildare)
1765 Charles Jackson (bp of Kildare)
1761 Richard Robinson (bp of Kildare)
1745 Thomas Fletcher (bp of Kildare)
1743 George Stone (bp of Kildare)
1731 Charles Cobbe (bp of Kildare)
1705 Welbore Ellis (bp of Kildare)
1688 Alexius Stafford (appointed by James II, d. 1691)
1677 William Moreton (bp of Kildare, 1681-1705)
1666 John Parry (bp of Ossory, 1672-7)
1661 Robert Mossom  
[1644 William Berrey (papal provision)]
[1644 Patrick Cahill (papal provision)]
1639 James Margetson  
1634 Henry Tilson  
1618 Randolph (Ralph) Barlow (abp of Tuam, 1629-34)
1595 Jonas Wheeler (bp of Ossory, 1613-40)
1565 John Garvey (bp of Kilmore, 1585-9, abp of Armagh, 1589-95)
1543 Thomas Lockwood  
1539 Robert Paynswick  
  Priors  
1537 Robert Castle alias Paynswick  
1519 William Hassard  
1499 Richard Skyrrett  
1489 David Wynchester  
1474 Thomas Harrold  
1459 William Lynton  
1438 William Denys  
1409 Nicholas Staunton  
1397 James de Redenesse  
1382 Robert Lokynton  
1349 Stephen de Derby '1357. John Bebe was prior. n [n War. Mss. vol. 33]'
'1365. Stephen was prior. See the abbey of Abbingdon, in the county of Limerick [in Archdall]', Mervyn Archdall, Monasticon Hibernicum, ed. Patrick F. Moran (2 vols, Dublin: W.B. Kelly, 1873), ii, 8.
1346 Robert de Hereforde  
1343 Simon de Ludegate  
1337 Gilbert de Bolyniop  
1331 Roger Goioun  
1326 Robert de Gloucester  
1320 Hugh de Sutton alias le Jeune  
1313 John Pocock (Pocot)  
1301 Henry de la Warre de Bristol  
c.1296 Adam de Balsham  
c.1292 John de Exeter  
c.1279 Adam de la More  
(?) c.1265 William de Gran  
1252 [John] (Johannes Toppe, 6 Jan in Obits?). See also Mervyn Archdall, Monasticon Hibernicum, ed. Patrick F. Moran (2 vols, Dublin: W.B. Kelly, 1873), ii, 4.
c.1244 Robert de Stanford A prior Fulk is listed in the book of Obits on ?21 June ('Ob. Fulco prior noster')
(?) c.1235 Philip  
c.1225 Roger  
c.1220 Bernard  
(?) c.1208 W William de Grace (1209) [Archdall (1873), i, 333]
c.1205 Robert  
(?) c.1201 H  
(?) c.1196 Thomas  
(?) c.1190 Columbanus  
(?) c.1171 Gervase  
LIST OF DEANS & PRIORS OF
CHRIST CHURCH (HOLY TRINITY) CATHEDRAL, DUBLIN
This list is published in Kenneth Milne (ed.), Christ Church cathedral Dublin: a history (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000), pp. 391-2, and is based on the following sources:
Anon. ‘Cathedral of Dublin: the ancient priory church of the holy Trinity commonly called Christ Church’, poster [c.1908, updated to 1921]
William Butler, The cathedral church of the Holy Trinity Dublin (Christ Church): a description of its fabric, and a brief history of the foundation, and subsequent changes (London, 1901), ‘Appendix: list of priors and deans 1170-1901’.
J.B. Leslie, ‘Fasti of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin’, unpublished typescript, R.C.B. Library, Dublin.
G.J Hand, ‘Appendix i: list of the priors of Holy Trinity, 1163-1382’ in ‘The two cathedrals of Dublin: internal organisation and mutual relations, to the middle of the fourteenth century’ (M.A. and Travelling Studentship in History thesis, National University of Ireland, 1954), pp 147-149.
Church of Ireland directory 2000 including diary and lectionary (Dublin, 1999).
See also Mervyn Archdall, Monasticon Hibernicum, ed. Patrick F. Moran (2 vols, Dublin: W.B. Kelly, 1873), ii, 15-16, 'A List of Deans of Christ Church'.
See also NLI MS 98, f. 1