Charles Frederick D'Arcy (2 January 1859 – 1 February 1938) was a

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 ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. He was the

Bishop of Clogher The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the ot ...

from 1903 to 1907 when he was translated to become Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin before then becoming the

Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore The Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Down, Connor and Dromore; comprising all County Down and County Antrim, including the city of Belfast. History The episcopal sees of Down and Connor ...

. He was then briefly the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

and finally, from 1920 until his death,

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

. He was also a

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, author and

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Early life

Born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1859, D'Arcy was the son of John Charles D'Arcy of Mount Tallant,

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

, and of Henrietta Anna, a daughter of Thomas Brierly of Rehoboth House, Dublin. He was a grandson of John D'Arcy of Hydepark,

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, and a descendant of The 1st Baron Darcy de Knayth, one of the

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s who had fought at the

Battle of Crecy A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(1346).Charles Frederick d'Arcy
at belfastcathedral.org'D'ARCY, Most Rev. Charles Frederick', in ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008, online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2007 Charles D'Arcy was educated at

The High School, Dublin The High School is a 12–18 mixed, Church of Ireland, independent secondary school in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland. It was established in 1870 at Harcourt Street before moving to Rathgar in 1971 and amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girl ...

, and

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 ...

, where he was elected a Scholar in mathematics and won a gold medal in

Moral Philosophy Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

. He graduated BA in 1882, with a first-class Divinity Testimonium, and MA in 1892. He was later awarded the degrees of

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

, 1898, and

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

, 1900.

Career

D'Arcy was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

and became

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

of Saint Thomas's,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, in 1884. He became

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Billy, County Antrim Billy () is a civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It spans the historic baronies of Cary and Dunluce Lower, and is approximately in area. According to the ''Topographical Dictionary of Ireland Topography is the study of the f ...

, in 1890, and of the united parishes of

Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...

and Ballyclug in 1893. From 1895 to 1903, he was

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

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 Kingdo ...

, successively The 5th Earl Cadogan and The 2nd Earl of Dudley. In addition, he was

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

of Connor in Lisburn Cathedral, from 1898 to 1900. His next

living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...

was as

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Belfast, from 1900 to 1903, and while there he was also appointed Dean of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, and examining chaplain to Bishop Welland. In 1903, D'Arcy was elected

. In 1907 he was translated to become Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin and in 1911 became

, succeeding John Baptist Crozier in both. He corresponded with

Shane Leslie Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet (Irish: ''Sir Seaghán Leslaigh''; 24 September 1885 – 14 August 1971), commonly known as Sir Shane Leslie, was an Irish-born diplomat and writer. He was a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. In 1908 ...

in 1907 about Leslie's decision to convert to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. In 1907 he became a member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

and was a Select Preacher at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(1907–1908 and 1925), Hulsean Preacher at Cambridge (1929 to 1930) as well as a Select Preacher at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(1908–1910), the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

(1912) the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

(1923). In August 1919, D'Arcy was appointed

, Bishop of Glendalough and Kildare and

Primate of Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

. Less than a year later, in June 1920, he was elected as

and

Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

, again succeeding Crozier. He was opposed to

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1 ...

and in 1912 signed the

Ulster Covenant Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant, commonly known as the Ulster Covenant, was signed by nearly 500,000 people on and before 28 September 1912, in protest against the Third Home Rule Bill introduced by the British Government in the same year. ...

. In 1921 he was appointed a member of the

Senate of Southern Ireland The Senate of Southern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Southern Ireland, established ''de jure'' in 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The Act stipulated that there be 64 senators, but only 39 were selected ...

, which was abolished with the establishment of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

in 1922, but did not attend. He was a lifelong friend of James Craig, Lord Craigavon, the first

Prime Minister of Northern Ireland The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as with governors- ...

, and a member of the

Athenaeum Club, London The Athenaeum is a private members' club in London, founded in 1824. It is primarily a club for men and women with intellectual interests, and particularly (but not exclusively) for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineerin ...

, and the University Club, Dublin. He was also a supporter of the

Eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

movement and chaired the Belfast branch of the

Eugenics Education Society Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

. In 1934 he published his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, ''The Adventures of a Bishop: a Phase in Irish Life'', and in June 1937 announced that he intended to retire because of poor health. However, in the event he continued as archbishop until he died on 1 February 1938. He was buried at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, where there is a memorial to him in the north aisle."Funary Monuments & Memorials in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh" Curl, J.S. pp50-52: Whitstable; Historical Publications; 2013

Marriage and family

In 1889, D'Arcy married Harriet Le Byrtt Lewis, daughter of Richard Lewis of Comrie,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, and they had one son and three daughters. Harriet died of a heart attack during a cruise to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

in the summer of 1932. Of their three daughters, one married Charles Mulholland, 3rd Baron Dunleath, and became Lady Dunleath. Their son, John Conyers D'Arcy,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, fought in both World Wars and ended his career as the Commander of British forces in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and

Transjordan Transjordan may refer to: * Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River * Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan * Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946) * Hashemite Kingdom of ...

.D'Arcy of Hyde Park Papers
at nli.ie, the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...

web site (pdf file) In May 1920, D'Arcy gave his son a special licence to marry Noël Patricia Wakefield. Between 1900 and 1903, D'Arcy corresponded with his uncle George James Norman D'Arcy about his uncle's

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

for the

abeyant Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

of Darcy de Knayth. However, in 1903 the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

awarded the title to

Violet Herbert, Countess of Powis Violet Ida Eveline Herbert, Countess of Powis and ''suo jure'' 16th Baroness Darcy de Knayth (1 June 1865 – 29 April 1929) was a British peeress in her own right. Early life Violet was born on 1 June 1865 in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, En ...

Honours

*Honorary Doctor of Divinity, University of Oxford *Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Queen's University, Belfast *Honorary Doctor of Divinity, University of Glasgow *Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Dublin *Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

, 1927

Selected publications

*''A Short Study of Ethics'' (Macmillan, 1895, second edition, 1901) *''Idealism and Theology: a study of presuppositions'' (University of Dublin

Donnellan Lectures The Donnellan Lectures are a lecture series at Trinity College Dublin, instituted in 1794. The lectures were originally given under the auspices of the School of Hebrew, Biblical and Theological Studies. But since 1987 they have been run on a trien ...

for 1897–1898) *''Idealism and theology'' (Hodder, 1899) *''Ruling Ideas of Our Lord'' (Christian Study Manuals Series) (Hodder and Stoughton, 1901, second edition 1902) *'Articles on Consciousness, Leading Ideas, and Trinity', in ''Hastings' Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels'' *''Christianity and the Supernatural'' (Anglican Church Handbooks series) (1909) *''Christian Ethics and Modern Thought'' (Anglican Church Handbooks) (Longmans, Green, 1912) *''What is the Church?'' (Longmans, Green, 1914) *''God and Freedom in Human Experience'' (University of Dublin Donnellan Lectures for 1913–1914) (1915) *''God and the Struggle for Existence'' (Charles F. D'Arcy, B.H. Streeter, and Lily Dougall) (Association Press, New York, 1919) *''Anglican Essays'' (contributor) (1923) *'' Science and Creation'' (1925) *''The Christian Outlook in the Modern World'' (1929) *''God in Science'' (J. Nisbet, 1930) *''Providence and The World-Order'' (Robertson Lectures, Glasgow University) (Round Table Press, 1932)Charles Frederick D'Arcy
at openlibrary.org *''The Adventures of a Bishop: a Phase in Irish Life'' (Hodder and Stoughton, 1934, autobiography) *''God and the struggle for existence'' (Association Press, 1996)

References

*''Obituary of Charles Frederick D'Arcy (1859 – 1938)'' (in ''Proceedings of the British Academy'', Vol 24; offprint, 19 pages, Oxford University Press, 1938)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:D'Arcy, Charles Frederick 1859 births 1938 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Anglican archbishops of Armagh Anglican archbishops of Dublin Anglican biblical scholars Bishops of Clogher (Church of Ireland) Bishops of Down, Connor and Dromore Bishops of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin Burials at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland) Deans of Belfast Irish biblical scholars Irish unionists Members of the Senate of Southern Ireland People educated at The High School, Dublin Scholars of Trinity College Dublin 20th-century Anglican archbishops Writers about religion and science Irish Anglican archbishops