John Hartstonge or Hartstongue (1 December 1654 – 30 January 1717) was an English-born prelate of 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 secon ...

who became

Bishop of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been ...

and then

Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, b ...

Family and education

He was born at

Old Catton Old Catton is a suburban village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Norfolk which lies to the north-east of central Norwich. The parish is bounded by the Norwich International Airport at Hellesdon to the west a ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, on 1 December 1654, third son of

Sir Standish Hartstonge, 1st Baronet Sir Standish Hartstonge, 1st Baronet (1627–August 1701Oliver 1973 pp.42, 45) was an English-born lawyer who had a distinguished career as a judge in Ireland, but was twice removed from office. He was also a very substantial landowner in Ireland ...

and his first wife Elizabeth Jermyn, daughter of Francis Jermyn (or Jermy) of Gunton Hall. His father, who inherited substantial lands in County Limerick and

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

, moved to Ireland in 1659, built up a successful legal practice, and became a Baron of the Court of Exchequer. John went to school at

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** ...

, and then attended

Kilkenny College Kilkenny College is an independent Church of Ireland co-educational day and boarding secondary school located in Kilkenny, in the South-East of Ireland. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland. The school's students are mainly ...

and entered the University of Dublin in 1672: he took his Bachelor's degree in 1677. He then entered

Gonville and Caius College Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, and took his Master's degree in 1680. He spent a year at 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 , ...

, then travelled abroad for a time before becoming a fellow of Gonville and Caius College.

Career

He had a family connection with

John Bramhall John Bramhall, DD (1594 – 25 June 1663) was an Archbishop of Armagh, and an Anglican theologian and apologist. He was a noted controversialist who doggedly defended the English Church from both Puritan and Roman Catholic accusations, as well ...

, Archbishop of Armagh, whose daughter was his stepmother; but of more benefit to his career was his friendship with the

Dukes of Ormonde Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. He was family chaplain to James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, and after the first Duke's death was reappointed to the same position by the second Duke, whom he even accompanied on military campaigns. He became Archdeacon of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

in 1684. He was sufficiently prominent to be attainted for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

by the Dublin Parliament held in Dublin in 1689 by James II. After the victory of William III he was made, through Ormonde's influence,

in 1693. In 1704 he inherited the estates of his unmarried brother Standish, MP for Kilkenny, and arranged his burial in St. Canice's Cathedral. In 1714 he became

. His reaction to the downfall of his great patron Ormonde, who was accused of involvement in a Jacobite conspiracy and fled to France in 1715, is unknown. He died in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

on 30 January 1717 and was buried in St. Andrew's Church, Dublin.

Marriage

By his wife, Isabella (Belle) Danvers (or D'Anvers), daughter of Samuel Danvers and Beata Brydges and a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

to Queen Anne, he had one daughter, Ann. Belle Danvers was a bitter personal enemy of

Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

, who described her as "not looking human". Another enemy of Belle, Mary Cowper, portrayed her marriage caustically: "She (Belle) married an Irish bishop who hoped to be made an English Bishop by marrying one of the Queen's dressers, but, I don't know how it happened, he missed his aim, and got only one of the frightfullest, disagreeablest wives in the Kingdom". In fact, the marriage had social advantages for the bishop, since Belle was the first cousin to James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos on her mother's side. Family letters show that the Hartstonges were on friendly terms with the Duke and Duchess of Chandos.''Cassandra Brydges, Duchess of Chandos (1670-135): Life and Letters'' Edited by Rosemary O'Day Boydell Press 2007 Belle Danvers is a minor character in the novel ''Shores of Darkness'' by

Diana Norman Mary Diana Norman (née Narracott; 25 August 1933 – 27 January 2011) was a British author and journalist. She is best known for her historical crime fiction. Life and work Norman was born in London. She was moved to Devon by her family to es ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartstonge, John 1654 births 1717 deaths People from Old Catton Younger sons of baronets Anglican bishops of Derry Anglican bishops of Ossory People educated at Kilkenny College Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Archdeacons of Limerick