John Vesey (10 March 1638 – 28 March 1716) was a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

clergyman.

Biography

He was born in

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

, son of Thomas Vesey, the local rector. His grandfather William Vesey had emigrated from

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

in the previous century. The family were

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

who later conformed to the Established Church. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and

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 ...

. He is said to have

holy orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

at an unusually young age. He was

Archdeacon of Armagh The Archdeacon of Armagh is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Anglican Diocese of Armagh. The Archdeacon is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the Diocese. History The archdeaconry can trace its history ...

, then Dean of Cork. He was made

Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe The Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe was the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe, which was in the Ecclesiastical province, Province of Archbishop of Cashel, Cashel until 1833, the ...

in 1672. In 1678 he became

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ) is an Episcopal polity, archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Cathol ...

. During the religious troubles in the reign of King

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

, he and his diocese suffered greatly: his cattle were driven off and attempts were made to burn his

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

. Finally, fearing that their lives were in danger, he and his wife and twelve children fled 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 ...

in late 1688, where he obtained a poorly paid lectureship. He was proscribed by the

Patriot Parliament Patriot Parliament is the name commonly used for the Irish Parliament session called by King James II during the Williamite War in Ireland which lasted from 1688 to 1691. The first since 1666, it held only one session, which lasted from 7 May ...

in 1689. After James's downfall, he returned to Ireland and preached a sermon of thanksgiving before the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...

. In 1712 and 1714 he served as one of the

Lords Justices of Ireland The Lords Justices (more formally the Lords Justices General and General Governors of Ireland) were deputies who acted collectively in the absence of the chief governor of Ireland (latterly the Lord Lieutenant) as head of the executive branch ...

. He died at Hollymount,

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

, in the large and comfortable house that he had built after the Episcopal palace at Tuam was burnt during his exile in England.

Family

He married firstly Rebecca Wilson, who died about 1665, and secondly Anne Muschamp, daughter of Agmondisham Muschamp, and had at least fourteen children: they included: * Sir Thomas Vesey, 1st Baronet, ancestor of the Viscounts de Vesci * Agmondisham Vesey (1677–1739), ancestor of the Earls of Lucan *

John Vesey John Vesey or Veysey ( – 23 October 1554) was Bishop of Exeter from 1519 until his death in 1554, having been briefly deposed 1551–3 by King Edward VI for his opposition to the Reformation. Origins He was born (as "John Harman"), probab ...

, Archdeacon of Kilfenora, ancestor of the Barons Fitzgerald and Vesey * William Vesey, 1687–1750 * Francis Vesey * Mary, married to Sir Robert Staples, 4th Baronet * Elizabeth, married to Richard Dawson, ancestor of the Earls of Dartrey * Catherine, who married James Smyth,

Archdeacon of Meath The archdeacon of Meath is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare. The archdeaconry can trace its history from Helias, the first known incumbent, who held the office in the twelfth century, to the last discr ...

* Anne, married to Henry Bingham, ancestor of the Barons Clanmorris.Debrett's ''Peerage'' (1840
p. 312

References

1638 births 1716 deaths Bishops of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe Anglican archbishops of Tuam Deans of Cork Archdeacons of Armagh Irish Anglican archbishops People from Coleraine, County Londonderry Christian clergy from County Londonderry People from Hollymount {{Ireland-Anglican-bishop-stub