Arthur Smyth (19 February 1706 – 14 December 1771) was

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...

from 1766 until his death in 1771.Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). ''Handbook of British Chronology'' (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 391. .

Family

Smyth was the son of Thomas Smyth,

Bishop of Limerick The Bishop of Limerick is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church it still continues as a sepa ...

, and Dorothea Burgh (daughter of Ulysses Burgh,

Bishop of Ardagh The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate Episcopal polity, episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh, County Longford in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by t ...

). His brothers included Charles Smyth, MP for

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, and the lawyer George Smyth.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926

Career

Smyth studied at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

, and completed his studies in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He was

Dean of Raphoe The Dean of Raphoe is based at the St Eunan's Cathedral, Raphoe, Cathedral Church of St Eunan in Raphoe, County Donegal, in Ulster. The Deanery is within the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe within the Church of Ireland. The Dean-elect is Rev Liz Fi ...

from 1742 until 1744, then

Dean of Derry The Dean of Derry is based at St Columb's Cathedral, Derry in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe in the Church of Ireland. The current Dean of Derry is Raymond Stewart. He was appointed to the cathedral in December 2016 and inaugurated on 28 March 20 ...

until 1752. He was then raised to the episcopate as

Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh The Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh, comprising the southern part of County Galway and a small area of County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of ...

(1752), Down and Connor (1753) and

Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

(1765), prior to his nomination as

. In 1767 he was made a member of the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

. 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.

References

1707 births Deans of Raphoe Deans of Derry Bishops of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh Bishops of Down and Connor (Church of Ireland) Anglican bishops of Meath Anglican archbishops of Dublin 1771 deaths Members of the Irish House of Lords Irish Anglican archbishops Members of the Privy Council of Ireland {{Ireland-Anglican-bishop-stub