A

THE EPISCOPAL SUCCESSION OF

ROSS (1196-1590)

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

FTER the death of Maurice, Bishop of Ross, in 1196, the Chapter elected Florence (Fineen), but a secular priest named Donal went to Rome and, on the strength of forged letters, had himself regarded as Bishopelect, and was duly consecrated by the Bishop of Albano in 1197. On returning to Ross, Florence, who was a Benedictine monk of St. Mary's, set out for Rome and laid his case before Pope Celestine III, who, having appointed Papal Commissioners, decided in his favour, and had him consecrated Bishop of Ross. Donal, however, hearing of the death of Pope Celestine (January 8, 1198), again set out for Rome and re-asserted his claims, and at length on September 17, 1198, Pope Innocent III issued a mandate directed to the Archbishops of Armagh and Cashel and the Bishop of Killaloe to proceed against David 'who styles himself Bishop elect of Ross.' Florence ruled Ross from 1197 to 1219, and was succeeded by Richard. Again difficulties arose, and Malachy, Dean of Ross, claimed the see, being aided by the civil power. Accordingly, on the Nones of May, 1224, Pope Honorius III issued a mandate to the Bishop of Limerick and Kilfenora to inquire into the election of said Malachy. Evidently the result of the commission confirmed Richard in the see, and he continued to rule till his death in 1235.

In 1236 Fineen O'Cluain was elected Bishop, and resigned in 1252, being succeeded by Maurice, Precentor of of Cloyne, in 1253. Difficulties again arose, and on the 6th of the Nones of March, 1254, a Papal mandate was directed to the Bishops of Cloyne, Cork, and Lismore 'to examine into the postulation by the Chapter of Ross of

Maurice, and if found satisfactory to dispense him defectu natalium and have him consecrated.' He was given his temporalities on July 18, 1254.

Maurice ruled from 1254 to 1265, and on the 7th of the Kalends of May of the latter year the Pope issued a mandate to the Archbishop of Cashel to receive Maurice's resignation. From whatever cause Maurice continued to rule for over three years after this date, but at length, having got licence to elect, the Chapter of Ross presented the name of Walter O'Meehan, O.F.M., as their choice, whose election received the royal assent on September 23, 1269.

Bishop O'Meehan ruled five years, and on December 10, 1274, the Chapter had licence to elect, with the result that Peter O'Hoolihan, O.Cist., was the choice, whose election received the royal assent on March 25, 1275. In the Pipe Rolls there is an account of the revenues of the see from Christmas, 1275, to April 14, 1276, at which latter date the temporalities were restored.

Bishop O'Hoolihan died in 1290, and the temporalities of the see were in the King's hands from the feast of St. Matthew, 1290, to April 10, 1291. Meantime the Chapter elected Lawrence O'Driscoll, Canon of Ross, to the vacant see on November, 1290, and the temporalities were ordered to be restored on January 12, 1291.

Bishop O'Driscoll had a strenuous episcopate from 1291 to 1309. In 1306 the revenue of the see was estimated at £45 5s., of which the Papal tenth was assessed at £4 10s. 6d. The Bishop's death occurred early in 1310, and on March 8 the royal assent was given to the election of Matthew O'Finn.

Very little is known of Bishop O'Finn save that in 1315 he recovered several possessions of the see that had Callen into lay hands. He died in 1330 and was succeeded by Denis (Donogh), who had a long but uneventful rule of Forty-six years. From the Patent Rolls it appears that on April 18, 1358, this prelate was pardoned by the King For having acquired the lands of Camus.

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The Chapter elected Bernard O'Conor on February 3, 1378-9, and he was duly consecrated soon afterwards. After a twenty years' rule, the Pope decided to translate him to Limerick, vice the Bishop of Limerick, going to Ross, and the Bishop went to Rome, where he died in 1400. Meantime Peter Curragh, Bishop of Limerick, returned to his see, but resigned ere the close of the same year and was succeeded by Bishop O'Dea.

In 1402 Stephen Browne, O.Carm., was appointed Bishop of Ross, and had his temporalities restored on May 6, 1402. Previously, in 1401, Thady O'Kelly, O.Cist., Abbot of Abbey Mahon (Carrigilihy) had been provided Bishop by the Pope, but did not take out his letters of provision, whereupon Matthew O'Driscoll, Archdeacon of Ross (Rector of Creagh and Tullagh), got himself elected Bishop but was ordered to be removed in 1403. Bishop Browne (whose privy seal is still extant in the Royal Irish Academy collection) ruled till 1412, after whom came Matthew O'Driscoll (the same prelate whose former election had been annulled). Bishop O'Driscoll's obit is given under date of 1418 by the Four Masters.

On November 16, 1418, Walter Fermoy, O.F.M., was provided as Bishop of Ross by Pope Martin V, but no particulars of his rule have come down. From the Patent Rolls we learn that the Archbishop of Cashel held the temporalities in 1419. Five years later John Bloxwick, O.Carm., was provided to Ross (October 23, 1424) but was not consecrated. After a twelve months' vacancy, during which the temporalities were held by the Bishop of Ardfert, an Irish Friar, Cornelius MacElligott, was provided as Bishop on August 18, 1426.

A strange chapter of accidents resulted in the appointment of Maurice Brown as Bishop in 1428, and of Walter de Leicester, O.P., as his successor, on the 13th of July, 1431. Then followed, in 1435, Richard Clerk, an English cleric, who was unable to get possession, and who, on June 25, 1440, was given a Papal indult to hold in commendam any English benefice. (He was suffragan to the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1440 to 1468.)

Meantime Bishop MacElligott held possession of the see of Ross, and ruled from 1426 till his death in 1448. His obit is thus chronicled by the Four Masters: 1448. Conor Mac Faolchudha, Bishop of Rossailither, died.'

On December 4, 1448, Pope Nicholas V provided Donal O'Donovan as Bishop, 'void by the death of Cornelius [MacElligott].' After a rule of eleven years he was succeeded by Robert Colynson, an English cleric, whose provision is dated March 24, 1460, after whom came a certain Thomas (who died at the Apostolic See in 1464), and John Hornsey, alias Shipton, O.Cist., whose provision is dated October 1, 1464.

On March 7, 1469, a Papal mandate was issued to the Bishop of Ross, a certain Donal O'Hoolihan, and on April 14 (Palm Sunday), 1473, Hugh O'Driscoll was consecrated as Coadjutor-Bishop of Ross at Rome. Donal continued Bishop from 1468 to 1482, and on May 3 of the latter year Blessed Thady MacCarthy was consecrated Coadjutor of Ross, in Rome, in presence of Donal, the actual Bishop, who may be identified with Donal O'Hoolihan, O.Cist., Abbot of Abbeymahon (de fonte vivo). Unfortunate disputes ensued in which Blessed Thady suffered much, but at length the Pope decided in his favour in 1490, and as a solatium translated him on the same day to the more important see of Cork. As is well known this saintly prelate died at Ivrea on October 24, 1492, and was beatified in 1896.

Bishop O'Driscoll ruled Ross from 1484 till his death in 1494, and on September 26, 1494, Edmund de Courcy, O.F.M., was translated from the see of Clogher to Ross. The year of this translation is undoubtedly 1494, as the Liber Prov. leaves no room for doubt, the date of the Bull of Pope Alexander VI being the 6th of the Kalends of October an. 3,' which is September 26, 1494. By a strange aberration the late Father Costello, O.P., in his valuable book, De Annatis Hiberniae, endeavoured to show that the correct year was 1495. As an additional mark of favour the Pope conferred on Bishop de Courcy the Cistercian

Abbey of Abbeymahon, in commendam, on October 16, 1494.

Dr. de Courcy felt the burthen of years in 1517-having been thirty-four years a Bishop-and he petitioned the Pope that he be allowed to resign Ross and that his successor might be John O'Murrily (O'Hurley), Cistercian Abbot of Abbeymahon. This petition was backed up by King Henry VIII, in a letter dated July 17, 1517, and was acceded to by the Pope in the following November. The aged Bishop retired to the Franciscan Friary, Timoleague (of which he was a munificent benefactor), where he died on March 10, 1518. His successor died a year later, on May 6, 1519, and was also buried in the Friary of Timoleague.

The see of Ross, under Bishop de Courcy, was valued at 60 marks, and had but 24 benefices. In July, 1519, a Spaniard named Bonaventure was provided Bishop, under whose rule (according to Philip O'Sullivan) a monastery was founded in Dursey Island.

Cardinal Moran tells us that on February 21, 1530, an Augustinian Friar named Herphardus was provided to Ross, after whom came Dermod MacCarthy (Macarius) in 1540, whose obit occurred in 1553. Then followed Dr. Maurice O'Fihely, O.F.M., on January 22, 1554, who only ruled for five years, after whom came Dr. Maurice O'Hea, on March 15, 1559, whose rule was shorter still, for his death took place in the late summer of 1561.

On December 17, 1561, a remarkable prelate was chosen to rule Ross, in the person of Dr. Thomas O'Herlihy, then present at the Roman Curia, who had been recommended by Father David Wolfe, S.J., the Papal Nuncio. Dr. O'Herlihy was consecrated at Rome, and took part in some sittings of the Council of Trent, returning to Ireland at the close of the year 1563. For over seven years he laboured with apostolic zeal and at length, in March, 1571, was arrested and delivered up to Sir John Perrot, who sent him to the Tower of London, where for a time