Richard Tenison (1642 – 29 July 1705) was an

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bishop of Killala, Clogher and Meath. He was born the eldest son of Thomas Tenison of

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...

and matriculated from

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

in 1659.

Thomas Tenison Thomas Tenison (29 September 163614 December 1715) was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs. Life He was born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, the son ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury, was a cousin, and supported Richard in his career; in his will the Archbishop left

bequests A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably. The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the ac ...

to Richard's sons. He was made headmaster of the Diocesan School at

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. In 1669 he was presented as Rector and

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of the nearby parish of Laracor and in 1675 he was appointed Rector of Louth and

Dean of Clogher The Dean of Clogher is a dignitary of the Diocese of Clogher within the Church of Ireland. The title may be held by any licensed incumbent in the diocese, not necessarily the rector of one of the cathedral parishes of Clogher. The Dean, with the C ...

. At Clogher, he was renowned for his skill in converting Nonconformists to the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...

. He owed his advancement largely to the

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the King ...

Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, PC (163113 July 1683), also spelt Capel, of Cassiobury House, Watford, Hertfordshire, was an English statesman. Early life He was the son of Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (executed in 1649) ...

, whose private

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he became in 1672. On 19 February 1682 he was consecrated

Bishop of Killala and Achonry The Bishop of Killala and Achonry was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Killala and Achonry in the Ecclesiastical Province of Tuam. The diocese comprised part of Counties Mayo and Sligo in Ireland. The Episcopal see was a union ...

, a position he held until he was translated to

Clogher Clogher () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, Northern Ireland, River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County ...

on 28 February 1691. He strongly opposed the pro-

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policy of James II, and ultimately left Ireland in protest, taking up a living in London, from which he returned to Ireland in 1690. From Clogher he was translated a second time on 25 June 1697 to

Meath Meath may refer to: General * County Meath, Republic of Ireland **Kingdom of Meath, medieval precursor of the county ** List of kings of Meath ** Meath GAA, including the intercounty football and hurling teams ** Diocese of Meath, in the Roman Cath ...

, where he remained until his death in 1705. He was made a

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in 1697 and Vice-Chancellor of the

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in 1698. By his wife Ann, he had eight children, six sons and two daughters. His eldest son,

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(1667-1709), became MP for

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...

. Henry was a friend of

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, ...

and

Esther Johnson Esther Johnson (13 March 1681 – 28 January 1728) was the English friend of Jonathan Swift, known as "Stella". Whether or not she and Swift were secretly married, and if so why the marriage was never made public, is a subject of debate. Par ...

("Stella"), and father of Thomas Tennison, judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. The Bishop's second son, Richard junior, was MP for

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. Richard is said to have been a respected and conscientious bishop, but without much political influence, or any desire to play a role in high politics.Ehrenpreis, Irving ''Swift: The Man, His Works and The Age'',

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1983 Volume 2 p.95

References

* *Pollard, Albert Frederick "Richard Tennison" ''Dictionary of National Biography 1885-1900'' Vol. 56 p. 57 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennison, Richard 1642 births 1705 deaths Deans of Clogher Bishops of Killala and Achonry Bishops of Clogher (Church of Ireland) Anglican bishops of Meath 17th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland 18th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland