TheBishop of Connor is anepiscopal title which takes its name after the village ofConnor inCounty Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by theChurch of Ireland, but in the RomanCatholic Church it has been united with another bishopric.
Thediocese of Connor was one of the twenty-four dioceses established at theSynod of Rathbreasail in 1111.[1] It is located in the northeast corner of Ireland and includes much of the city ofBelfast. By some of theIrish annalists it was called by its territorial nameThe See ofDalaradia.[2]: 245
For a brief period in the early 12th-century, the see of Connor was united withDown under Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair (Saint Malachy), who also wasArchbishop of Armagh.[1] On 29 July 1439, plans for a permanent union of the two sees were submitted toKing Henry VI of England for his sanction.[3]: 344, 348 Exactly twelve months later, 29 July 1439,Pope Eugene IV issued apapal bull stating that Down and Connor were to be united on the death or resignation of either bishop.[3]: 344, 348 In 1442, John Sely,Bishop of Down, was deprived of his see by Pope Eugene IV,[4][5] thereby effecting the union of the two dioceses. John Fossade, who had been bishop of Connor since 1431, became the bishop of the united see ofDown and Connor in late 1442.[3]: 344, 348 However, due to strong opposition to the union in the diocese of Down, three morebishops of Down were appointed before the two sees finally united.[3]: 344, 348
After theReformation, the united see of Down and Connor had parallelepiscopal successions. In the RomanCatholic Church, they still remain united to the present today. In theChurch of Ireland, Down and Connor were united further withDromore in 1842 to form thebishopric of Down, Connor and Dromore. They continued until 1945 when they were separated into thebishopric of Down and Dromore and thebishopric of Connor.
The present bishop isGeorge Davison, previously Archdeacon of Belfast, who was elected by the House of Bishops in February 2020,[6] and consecrated on 3 September 2020.[7]
| Pre-Reformation Bishops of Connor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| unknown | 1117 | Flann Ua Sculu | Died in office. |
| 1117 | 1124 | See vacant | |
| 1124 | c. 1136/37 | Saint Malachy | Irish: Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair; Saint Malachias; alsoBishop of Down from 1124 andArchbishop of Armagh from 1132; resigned Armagh and Connor, but retained Down until his death on 2 November 1148. |
| 1137/38 | bef. 1152 | See vacant | |
| bef. 1152 | bef. 1172 | Máel Pátraic Ua Bánáin | Present at theSynod of Kells in March 1152; resigned; died 1174. |
| bef. 1172 | bef. 1178 | Nehemias | Died in office. |
| c. 1178 | 1225 | Reginaldus | Died after 19 April 1225. |
| 1226 | 1241 | Eustacius | Eustace; previouslyArchdeacon of Connor; elected bishop in 1226 and received possession of thetemporalities 5 May 1226; died before October 1241. |
| 1242 | 1244 | AdamOCist | Previously Abbot ofWardon Abbey; elected bishop in 1242 and received possession of the temporalities 27 January 1242; consecrated in September 1242; died 7 November 1244 and was buried in Wardon Abbey. |
| 1245 | 1256 | Isaac of Newcastle | Elected before 4 April 1245 and received possession of the temporalities 8 May 1245; died circa 6 October 1256. |
| 1257 | 1260 | William of PortroyalOSB | Appointed 27 October 1257 and received possession of the temporalities 7 January 1258; died before 16 July 1260. |
| 1260 | 1262 | William de la Hay | Elected 10 October 1260; consecrated and received possession of the temporalities after 21 March 1261; acted as asuffragan bishop in thediocese of Lincoln in 1262; died before 25 December 1262. |
| 1263 | 1274 | Robert of Flanders | Elected 3 February 1263 and received possession of the temporalities after that date; died 25 November 1274; also known as Robert le Fleming or Flandrensis. |
| 1275 | 1292 | Petrus de Dunach | Peter of Dovenach or Donach; elected before 2 March 1275; died before January 1292. |
| 1292 | 1319 | Johannes | John; elected before 23 January 1292 and received possession of the temporalities 27 April 1293; diedc. 1319. |
| c. 1320 | unknown | Richard | Elected circa 1320. |
| 1321 | James of Couplith | Elected before 26 July 1321, but did not get possession of the see. | |
| 1323 | John de EgglescliffeOP | Translated fromGlasgow before 5 March 1323, but did not get possession of the see; translated toLlandaff 20 June 1323. | |
| 1323 | 1324 | Robert WirsopOESA | Translated fromArdagh on 20 June 1323; died before May 1324. |
| 1324 | 1351 | Jacobus Ó Cethernaig | James O'Kearney; translated fromAnnaghdown between 7 and 15 May 1324; received possession of the temporalities 22 December 1324; died 1351. |
| 1353 | 1374 | William Mercier | PreviouslyArchdeacon of Kildare; appointed bishop 8 July and consecrated after 12 August 1353; received possession of the temporalities 2 November 1353; died in office. |
| 1374 | 1389 | Paulus | Appointed 11 December 1374 and received possession of the temporalities 10 May 1376; died in office. |
| 1389 | c. 1416 | Johannes | Elected before 29 March 1389 and received possession of the temporalities 23 July 1389; appointed 9 November 1389; died in office. |
| 1420 | 1421 | Seaán Ó Luachráin | Appointed 22 May 1420; died before February 1421. |
| 1421 | 1429 | Eóghan Ó Domhnaill | Appointed 5 May 1421 and consecrated after June 1422; translated toDerry on 9 December 1429. |
| 1429 | 1431 | Domhnaill Ó Mearaich | Translated fromDerry 9 December 1429; died in office on 28 January 1431. |
| 1431 | 1442 | John Fossade | John Festade; appointed 28 January and consecrated after 2 June 1431; becameBishop of Down and Connor in late 1442, although did not gain full control; died in the spring of 1450. |
| After the union ofDown and Connor, there were two further bishops of Connor. Their position is uncertain – they may have beensuffragan ortitular bishops. | |||
| 1459 | Patricius | He is said to have died before his letters of appointment were drawn up in 1459. | |
| 1459 | 1481 | Simon ElvingtonOP | Appointed byPope Pius II on 12 February 1459; acted as a suffragan bishop in the dioceses ofSalisbury andExeter 1459–1481; died in office. |
| Source(s):[2]: 246–250 [3]: 343–344 | |||
| Church of Ireland Bishops of Connor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1945 | 1956 | Charles King Irwin | Elected and confirmedBishop of Down, Connor and Dromore in 1942; relinquished Down and Dromore on 31 December 1944/1 January 1945, but retained Connor; resigned on 31 May 1956; died 15 January 1960. |
| 1956 | 1969 | Cyril Elliott | Elected 28 June and consecrated 21 September 1956; resigned on 31 August 1969; died 3 April 1977. |
| 1969 | 1981 | Arthur Butler | Translated fromTuam, Killala and Achonry; elected 16 September and confirmed 14 October 1969; resigned on 30 September 1981. |
| 1981 | 1987 | William John McCappin | Elected 28 October and consecrated 30 November 1981; retired; died 3 July 1992. |
| 1987 | 1995 | Samuel Poyntz | Translated fromCork, Cloyne and Ross; elected and confirmed in 1987; retired on 10 March 1995. |
| 1995 | 2001 | Jimmy Moore | Elected 31 March and consecrated 25 May 1995; retired; died 16 March 2005. |
| 2002 | 2007 | Alan Harper | Elected 17 December 2001 and consecrated 18 March 2002; translated toArmagh on 16 March 2007. |
| 2007 | 2019 | Alan Abernethy | Appointed 17 April,[8] consecrated 29 June,[9] and enthroned 6 September 2007.[10] retired on 31 December 2019,[11] |
| 2020 | George Davison | Appointed 17 February,[6] consecrated on 3 September 2020.[7] | |
| Source(s):[3]: 385 [12] | |||
