The Diocese of Waterford

Walsh c. xxv., p. 235

Waterford was raised to the dignity of a bishopric in the eleventh century by the clergy and people and the election of a prelate was approved by Murtogh O Brien then king of Ireland Domnald bishop of Cashel and other prelates of the kingdom The object of their choice was Malchus a native of Ireland and who had spent several years at Winchester as a Benedictine monk Though this city had been founded by the Danes and had been in the posses sion of those adventurers it seems that it was at this time subject to the king of Ireland Desirous of following the example of their countrymen in Dublin the inhabitants of Waterford proposed that their bishop elect should be consecrated at Canterbury they accordingly petitioned the king Murtogh to unite with them in a letter to that effect Murtogh having assented Malchus repaired to Canterbury in 1096 bringing with him a letter for Anselm archbishop of Canterbury to which the king and several bishops appended their signatures After stating in this letter the many disadvantages under which their city labored in not having a bishop residing amongst them they conclude Therefore we the clergy and people of Waterford together with our king Murtogh Domnald bishop of Cashel and Dermod our duke brother of the king have chosen this priest Malchus a monk of the bishop Walchelin of Winchester very well known to us of noble birth and morals versed in apostolical and ecclesiastical discipline and in faith a Catholic Accordingly Malchus was consecrated at Canterbury on the 28th of December 1096 Ralph bishop of Chichester and Gundulph of Rochester being the assistant prelates Malchus professed canonical obedience to the archbishop of Canterbury and to his successors Shortly after his consecration Malchus with the assistance of the Danes erected a magnificent cathedral in Waterford and dedicated it to the Holy Trinity King John endowed this cathedral in the

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beginning of the 13th century and its possessions were confirmed by Pope Innocent HL AD 1210 At this time also its chapter was instituted Malchus 1st bishop ordained at Canterbury in 1096 Malchus presided in 1110 as appears from a letter written to him by Anselm archbishop of Canterbury Maelisa O Hamire called bishop of Portlarge the Irish name of Waterford died in the year 1136 Tostius O Rostius a Dane or Ostman sat in 1152 and in this yeai attended the council of Kells under Cardinal Paparo Augustin King Henry II gave in a council held at Windsor in 1175 to Master Augustin an Irishman the see of Waterford then vacant and sent him into that country with Lawrence archbishop of Dublin to bo consecrated by Donat archbishop of Cashel In 1179 he assisted at the council of Lateran and when passing through England he and the other Irish prelates going also to tho council in order to obtain a licence to continue their journey took an oath not to act anything prejudicial to the king or his kingdom Robert was bishop of Waterford in 1200 David Walsh kinsman of Miler Fitz Henry justice of Ireland was consecrated in 1204 Between this prelate and the bishop of Lismore there arose a dispute concerning the possessions of that see which the former had usurped During the pending of the cause before the Pope's delegates the bishops of Killaloe and Cork and the archdeacon of Cashel David was cruelly murdered by O Felan prince of Decies in the year 1209 David was promoted to the see of Waterford contrary to the will of the Irish Robert who succeeded the murdered bishop was consecrated by Donatus archbishop of Cashel AD 1210 Robert also seized some of the possessions of the see of Lismore against which the bishop of Lismore protested A citation having issued from the apostolic delegates who were on this occasion the bishops of Norwich Clonfert and Enaghdune and a day fixed to answer the objections of the bishop of Lismore but neither Robert or his proctor appeared and therefore restitution was adjudged to the see of Lismore The bishop of Waterford was moreover condemned to pay a sum of one hundred and sixty marks as costs Enraged at this judgment Robert privately employed Robert Fitz Christopher his seneschal and others of his family to seize the bishop of Lismore Having found him in his church of Lismore they dragged off his episcopal robes robbed the church of its goods hurried O Heda bishop of Lismore from place to place until they brought him to the castle of Dungarvan where he was by order of Robert bishop

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of VVaterford bound in irons He lay seven weeks in prison and escaped at length worn out with hunger and thirst The delegates cited the Bishop Robert and his accomplices to make satisfaction for those injuries and having appeared he made threats loaded the delegates with reproaches and laid an ambush to surprise the bishop of Lismore by his clerk Thomas in the churchyard of Limerick who laid violent hands on him and drawing his sword attempted to cut off his head the bishop of Lismore escaped without being wounded The delegates because of the offence committed in their presence excommunicated the clerk and strictly prohibited the bishop of Waterford from having any communication with him The bishop of Waterford persisting in his frowardness he was by the Pope's authority excommunicated throughout the province of Cashel and interdicted from all spiritual care as long as he continued obstinate The archbishop of Cashel was commanded to induct O Heda into the actual possession of that bishopric The clergy and people of Waterford were inhibited under pain of anathema from obeying the bishop while under sentence of excommunication and were commanded to show all reverence to the metropolitan of Cashel to which injunction the clergy and people of Waterford paid no deference for which reason the archbishop of Cashel pronounced excommunication against them which was confirmed by the holy see In the year 1221 Robert again entered the lists with de Bedford bishop of Lismore and was equally unsuccessful in his usurpation In June 1210 the Pope Innocent III confirmed the possessions of the dean and canons of the cathedral of Waterford Robert sat in the see of Waterford twelve years twelve too many and died as is said of grief in 1222 William Wace dean of Waterford was elected and confirmed in the year 1223 Nothing more related of him Walter L a Benedictine monk and prior of the abbey of St John the Evangelist at Waterford was elected bishop of Waterford in August 1227 Stephen I sat in 1238 and in 1246 i Henry archdeacon of Waterford was elected in March 1249 It appears that he sat but a short time Philip dean of Waterford succeeded in 1252 and at the request of the Pope obtained the royal assent He also sat but a short time Walter II was elected by the dean and chapter of Waterford in 1254 and having sworn fealty before the justice of Ireland obtained the temporals the king enjoining a caution that no precedent should be

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established thereby on the part of the dean and chapter Walter was in consequence consecrated in 1255 This prelate died AD 1272 Stephen de Fulbnrn an hospitaller was consecrated bishop of Wa terford in 1273 and obtained the temporals in January 1274 While he was bishop of this see he made with the consent of his dean and chapter an exchange of the manor of Ballydermot for that of Money muntre with Henry Fitz John Fitz Philip In the year 1286 Stephen was translated to the see of Tuam and obtained its temporals in the September of that year Walter de Fulburn a Franciscan friar and chancellor of Ireland succeeded his brother Stephen in 1286 He died in 1307 and was the first Franciscan who sat in the see of Waterford Mathew chancellor of the cathedral of Waterford was elected on the 14th of December 1307 Mathew died in December 1322 and was buried in his own church Nicholas Welifed dean of Waterford was consecrated on Palm Sunday in 1323 He presided fourteen years having died in 1337 Richard Francis succeeded in the year 1338 and obtained the temporals in the April of that year He died AD 1348 Robert Elyot succeeded in 1349 and was deprived by the Pope in the following year The cause is not known Roger Cradock a Franciscan friar was advanced to the see of Waterford by Pope Clement VI in February 1350 While this prelate sat in the see of Waterford a contest arose between him and Ralph Kelley archbishop of Cashel The cause of this contest is related to have been Because two Irishmen of the Clankellans were convicted of heresy before the bishop at the castle of Bunratty in the diocese of Killaloe and were burned According to Wadding their crime was a contumely offered to the Virgin Mary It is also affirmed that the archbishop a little before midnight entered privately into the churchyard of the Blessed Trinity at Waterford by the little door of Saint Katharine and accompanied by a troop of armed men assaulted the bishop in his lodgings wounded him and many others who were in his company and robbed him of his goods And all this was done it is said by the advice of Walter Reve who pretended to be dean of Waterford and of William Sendall mayor of that city Roger was translated to the see of Landaff in Wales AD 1362 where he sat twenty years Luke Wadding asserts that in accordance with the petition of Ralph archbishop of Cashel the sees of Lismore and Waterford were united in the year 1363