whole truth about her Church in Ireland, her impossible nature, her barren condition, her ministers, her abuse of power, of funds, her constant warfare, her frauds, her lies. Politicians, the Press, and the educated classes were awakening. Priests and Papists were bad; parsons and preachers were worse. All were disturbers. Peace must be brought about by disestablishment. Great is Diana of the Ephesians.' The parsons wailed and wept and raged and wrote.

E. J. QUIGLEY.

[To be continued.

THE EPISCOPAL SUCCESSION OF

LEIGHLIN (1201-1604)

BY W. H. GRATTAN FLOOD, Mus.D., K.S.G.

LTHOUGH the ancient see of Leighlin, founded by St. Molaisre or Laserian- Laisrian of burning virtues,

ALT

Abbot of bright-shining Leithglinn -is now incorporated with Kildare, it had an independent existence for over a thousand years, from 630 to 1678. Its chequered history has been well told by the late Bishop Comerford, in his Collections relating to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin (1883), but the publication of the Papal Registers, the Patent Rolls, and other documents, during the past forty years, fills up many gaps and corrects many statements regarding the episcopal succession from 1201 to 1604. Hence, the present paper will be of service to students.

Herlewin, O.Cist., a monk of Dunbrody Abbey, was appointed to Leighlin in 1201, and the Pope confirmed him in all his possessions on October 15, 1204. He gave Leighlin its first charter, and died early in 1217, being interred in the abbey church of Dunbrody, of which he was a generous benefactor.

Richard Fleming ruled Leighlin from the autumn of 1217 to 1226, and after a year's vacancy the Chapter elected William, Archdeacon of Leighlin. As the election was made without the King's licence, a difficulty arose, but on November 14, 1128, the King gave his assent.

Bishop William was admitted a member of the Privy Council on April 24, 1235, and ruled till the autumn of 1251. He was much favoured by Henry III, who, on May 21, 1247, granted him a yearly fair and a weekly market at Wells.1

1 Charter Roll, 31 Hen. III.

On April 21, 1252, Henry III granted licence for an election, with the result that Thomas, Prior of Great Conall (Co. Kildare), was elected by the Chapter, and received the royal assent on September 4, 1252. His election was confirmed by the Pope on the 7th of the Ides of January, 1253, and his temporalities were restored on March 9, 1253. After a rule of almost twenty-three years this prelate died on April 25, 1275.

Licence for election was granted on June 20, 1275, and the Chapter elected Nicholas Cheevers, O.F.M., who was Archdeacon of Leighlin. Although Comerford states that his temporalities were not restored till 1277, owing to a vacancy in the see of Dublin,' yet this prelate received the royal assent on November 15, 1275, and the temporalities were restored on March 7, 1276. Having ruled the see for almost thirty-four years, Dr. Cheevers died at an advanced age on July 20, 1309.

On August 28, 1309, licence for election was issued, and the Chapter elected Maurice Blancheville, Canon of Leighlin, and Treasurer of Ossory. His election was confirmed on November 13, and after a rule of eleven years he died in 1320.

Miler le Poer, Precentor of Leighlin, was elected Bishop on November 5, 1320, and his temporalities were restored on February 11, 1321-2, on payment of a fine of £23 6s. 8d. He was consecrated at Waterford, on Palm Sunday of same year and died, after a rule of twenty-four years in 1345.

Ware and Comerford give William St. Leger as Bishop of Leighlin in 1341; this is an error. Le Poer was still alive though in ill-health. On his reported death, Ralph O'Kelly, O.Carm., was appointed by Pope Clement VI as Bishop of Leighlin on February 7, 1344, and was duly consecrated by John, Bishop of Porto. It was not till 1346 that William St. Leger was chosen Bishop, Ralph O'Kelly having been translated to Cashel on January 9, 1346. On January 20, 1347, King Edward III permitted 'Exchequer Rolls.

1 Patent Roll. 37 Hen. III.

William, Bishop of Leighlin, 'to treat with the Irish rebels.' 1 According to Harris's Ware, Bishop St. Leger died at Avignon in May, 1348.

Thomas of Brackenborough, O.F.M., an English Franciscan Friar, who had been Suffragan to the Bishop of Ely, was provided to the see of Leighlin by Pope Clement II, on March 18, 1349, and had his temporalities restored five months later. After a rule of eleven years he died in July, 1360.

John Young, Treasurer of Leighlin, was provided as Bishop in 1363, receiving restitution of temporalities on September 21 of same year. Ireland from 1366 to 1382, his possessions by the Irish died in November, 1384.

He was Deputy Treasurer of and was despoiled of nearly all rebels' in 1376. Bishop Young

John Griffin, Precentor of Limerick, was advanced to the bishopric of Leighlin early in 1385, and on June 28, 1390, received licence to visit England-his temporalities having been withheld from him by the Irish. It is not surprising that in 1398 he applied to be translated to the see of Ossory, and on July 2, 1399, the Pope complied with his desire, though he did not receive the temporalities of that see till February 7, 1400.

Thomas Peverell, O.Carm., is given by the late Bishop Comerford as having ruled the see of Leighlin from January 23, 1399, to July of same year, when he was translated to Llandaff, but, as a fact, he was never Bishop of Leighlin He had been Bishop of Ossory from 1395 to 1398, and i May, 1398, was translated to Llandaff. The successor d Bishop Griffin was Richard Bocumb, O.P., whose pro vision to the see of Leighlin is dated July 10, 1399. Burgo gives the date as 'December 1, 1400,' but the Papa Registers leave no room for doubt.

D

The only official record in connexion with Bisho Bocumb's rule is an entry on the Patent Rolls, date January 12, 1415, in which he was pardoned for an intrusions into his temporalities. De Burgo says that h

1 Patent Rolls.

resigned in 1420, but the correct year is 1419. Thus his rule was from 1399 to 1419.

John Mulgan, Rector of the church of Lynn, diocese of Meath, succeeded Bishop Bocumb. Comerford gives the date of his provision as 1420, but the Papal Registers give July 13, 1419. Bishop Mulgan cleared off the Papal taxes on January 26, 1420, and received restitution of temporalities on February 23, 1422-3. He instituted four petty canons in his church, and died in 1431, being buried in Leighlin Cathedral.

Early in 1432 David Leys, Master of Killergy (Knights Hospitaller) was custodian of the temporalities of Leighlin, but on April 28, of that year, the Pope provided Thomas Fleming, O.F.M., to the vacant see. On August 12, 1445, he received a faculty to absolve certain penitents, and to dispense in certain matrimonial cases. He was fined for non-attendance at the Parliament of 1450, and ruled till 1461. Ware says that Bishop Fleming ruled 'till the year 1458, but how long after I know not,' but he was evidently alive in the autumn of 1461, as there is a Papal mandate addressed to him and his Dean (David O'Currin), dated September 26, 1461. According to Dowling, the annalist, he died at Leighlin, and was buried at his own request in the Franciscan Convent of Kilkenny.

As regards the successor of Bishop Fleming, the only information available is that a certain 'Dermitius' was appointed, but this statement is based on the inclusion of that name in the provision of Bishop Roche. Possibly this Dermitius may have been Dermot O'Currin, who had been Archdeacon of Leighlin from 1459 to 1462, and who is said to have ruled the diocese from 1462 to 1464, yet the name may be a scribal error for Thomasius,' and this Bishop Fleming may have been succeeded immediately by Bishop Roche. Anyhow, on February 3, 1464, Milo Roche, O.Cist., Abbot of Tracton, Co. Cork, was provided to the see of Leighlin.

In the first year of his rule Bishop Roche had many difficulties with the Holy See over various debts contracted,

VOL. XXII-26