Florence MacMoyer ( ;
fl.
''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1662 – 12 February 1713), a native of Ballymoyer,
County Armagh
County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
, Ireland was the last
hereditary keeper of the
Book of Armagh
The ''Book of Armagh'' or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) (), also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and the ''Liber Ar(d)machanus'', is a 9th-century Irish art, Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Tri ...
, a 9th-century
Irish manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
written mainly in Latin. The document is valuable for containing early texts relating to
St Patrick
Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba ...
and some of the oldest surviving specimens of
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...
, and for being one of the earliest manuscripts produced by an insular church to contain a near complete copy of the New Testament.
Life
The MacMoyer family had lived at Ballymacmoyer since the 14th century. Florence was born at
Ballymyre and became a schoolteacher.
He pawned the book for five pounds.
He used this money to travel to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to give evidence at the
trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
of
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
,
Oliver Plunkett
Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket; ; 1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975, thus becoming t ...
, with his cousin, Friar John MacMoyer.
Florence MacMoyer was imprisoned for some time after his return to Ireland, and was unable to reclaim the Book of Armagh. He died in 1713 and was buried in Ballymoyer Old Graveyard. A headstone marking his grave was later moved into Ballymoyer House.
Book of Armagh
''A Compendium of Irish Biography'' relates:
References
Further reading
Walk of the week: Ballymoyer Woodland Walk - Life & Style - Belfasttelegraph.co.ukThe Dictionary of Ulster BiographyFlorence MacMoyerBBC – Northern Ireland – A Short History
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacMoyer, Florence
1713 deaths
People from County Armagh
17th-century Irish people
18th-century Irish people
Year of birth unknown