Henry Maxwell (bishop)

Henry Maxwell, D.D. (c.1723–1798) was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of Ireland as the Dean of Kilmore, then Bishop of Dromore, and finally Bishop of Meath.

The Most Rev. and The Hon. Henry Maxwell, D.D.
Bishop of Meath
Church	Church of Ireland
Diocese	Meath
Appointed	15 April 1766
Term ended	7 October 1798
Predecessor	Arthur Smyth
Successor	Thomas Lewis O'Beirne
Orders
Ordination	14 February 1748
Consecration	10 March 1765 by Richard Robinson
Personal details
Born	circa 1723
Died	7 October 1798 (aged 75)
Buried	Ardbraccan, County Meath
Nationality	Irish
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham and Judith Barry
Spouse	Margaret Foster
Children	John and Henry
Previous post	Dean of Kilmore Bishop of Dromore

Early life and family

He was the youngest son of John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham and Judith Barry.[1][2] In 1759, he married Margaret Foster, daughter of the Rt. Hon. Anthony Foster, and sister of John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel.[2] Their two sons, John and Henry, succeeded as the 5th and 6th Baron Farnham.[2]

Ecclesiastical career

He was ordained a priest in the Anglican ministry on 14 February 1748,[1] and three years later instituted the Dean of Kilmore on 28 December 1751.[1] He was nominated Bishop of Dromore by King George III on 8 February 1765 and appointed by letters patent on 5 March 1765.[3][4] His consecration took place at St Michael's Church, Dublin on 10 March 1765, the principal consecrator was Archbishop Richard Robinson of Armagh, and the co-consecrators were Bishop Arthur Smyth of Meath and Bishop Jeremy Taylor of Down and Connor.[3][4] The following year, he was translated by letters patent to the bishopric of Meath on 15 April 1766.[5][6] He built the episcopal palace at Ardbraccan, and contributed liberally to the erection of the parish church. Having governed the see of Meath for thirty-two years, he died on 7 October 1798, aged 75, and was buried at Ardbraccan.[5][6]

References

1. Cotton 1849, The Province of Ulster, p. 174.
2. "Rt. Rev. Henry Maxwell". The Peerage.com. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
3. Cotton 1849, The Province of Ulster, p. 284.
4. Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 390.
5. Cotton 1849, The Province of Ulster, p. 123.
6. Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 402.

Bibliography

• Cotton, Henry (1849). The Province of Ulster. Fasti Ecclesiae Hiberniae: The Succession of the Prelates and Members of the Cathedral Bodies of Ireland. Volume 3. Dublin: Hodges and Smith.
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd, reprinted 2003 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.