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The Most Reverend

Arthur Smyth

D.D.
Archbishop of Dublin
Primate of Ireland
ChurchChurch of Ireland
DioceseDublin and Glendalough
Appointed14 April 1766
In office1766-1771
PredecessorWilliam Carmichael
SuccessorJohn Cradock
Orders
Consecration5 April 1752
by John Ryder
Personal details
Born(1706-02-19)19 February 1706
Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland
Died14 December 1771(1771-12-14) (aged 65)
Dublin, County Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland
BuriedSt Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
NationalityIrish
DenominationAnglican
ParentsThomas Smyth & Dorothea Burgh
SpouseElizabeth Bonfoy
Previous post(s)Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh (1752-1753)
Bishop of Down and Connor (1753-1765)
Bishop of Meath (1765-1766)

Arthur Smyth (19 February 1706 – 14 December 1771) was Archbishop of Dublin from 1766 until his death in 1771.[1]

Family

Smyth was the son of Thomas Smyth, Bishop of Limerick, and Dorothea Burgh (daughter of Ulysses Burgh, Bishop of Ardagh). His brothers included Charles Smyth, MP for Limerick, and the lawyer George Smyth.[2]

Career

Smyth studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and completed his studies in Oxford. He was Dean of Raphoe from 1742 until 1744, then Dean of Derry until 1752. He was then raised to the episcopate as Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh (1752), Down and Connor (1753) and Meath (1765), prior to his nomination as Archbishop of Dublin. In 1767 he was made a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. He was the first Irish-born Archbishop of Dublin for many years. He was not widely seen as a very spiritual man: critics said that his main interest was the advancement of the careers of his numerous relatives.

Monument dedicated to Arthur Smyth in the south transept of St. Patrick's Cathedral

References

  1. ^ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 391. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
  2. ^ Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 London John Murray 1926
Church of Ireland titles Preceded byRobert Downes Dean of Derry 1744–1752 Succeeded byPhilip Sydney Smyth Preceded byJohn Whitcomb Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh 1752–1753 Succeeded byWilliam Carmichael Preceded byRobert Downes Bishop of Down and Connor 1753–1765 Succeeded byJames Traill Preceded byRichard Pococke Bishop of Meath 1765–1766 Succeeded byHenry Maxwell Preceded byWilliam Carmichael Archbishop of Dublin 1766–1771 Succeeded byJohn Cradock


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