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Michael Boyle, the younger (c. 1609 – 10 December 1702) 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 who served as
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 ...
from 1663 to 1679 and
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 ...
from 1679 to his death. He also served as
Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...
, the last time a bishop was appointed to that office.


Early career

Boyle was born circa 1609, the eldest son of Richard Boyle,
Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church. Histor ...
and Martha Wright. His uncle was Michael Boyle the elder. It was through the descendants of his cousin Lieutenant Colonel Richard Boyle that the Boyle name became ennobled over the centuries with multiple peerages, including
Earl of Cork Earl of Cork is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, held in conjunction with the Earldom of Orrery since 1753. It was created in 1620 for Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County ...
,
Earl of Orrery Earl of Orrery is a title in the Peerage of Ireland that has been united with the earldom of Cork since 1753. It was created in 1660 for the soldier, statesman and dramatist Roger Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle, third but eldest surviving son of Richar ...
and
Earl of Shannon Earl of Shannon is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1756 for the prominent Irish politician Henry Boyle, who served as Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer. The earldom is named a ...
. Boyle was educated at
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 proceeded M.A., and on 4 November 1637 was incorporated M.A. of Oxford. In 1637 he obtained a rectory in the diocese of
Cloyne Cloyne () is a small town to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese. St Colman's Ca ...
, received the degree of D.D., and became Dean of Cloyne in 1640. During the
war in Ireland This is a list of conflicts in Ireland, including wars, armed rebellions, battles and skirmishes. Irish Warriors participated in many wars in Europe and “England” as well and are not completely recognized on this page. List of wars and rebel ...
acted as chaplain-general to the English army in Munster. In 1650, the Protestant royalists in Ireland employed Boyle, in conjunction with Sir Robert Sterling and Colonel John Daniel, to negotiate on their behalf with
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
. The
Marquess of Ormonde A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
resented the conduct of Boyle in conveying Cromwell's passport to him, which he rejected.


Restoration

At the
Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
, Boyle became a member of the
Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...
, and was appointed
Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Province of Dublin. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Paul Colton BCL, DipTh, MPhil, LLM, PhD. He was consecrated ...
. In addition to the episcopal revenues, he continued to receive for a time the profits of six parishes in his diocese, on the ground of being unable to find clergymen for them. For Boyle's services in England in connection with the Irish
Act of Settlement 1662 The Act of Settlement 1662 was passed by the Parliament of Ireland, Irish Parliament in Dublin. It was a partial reversal of the Oliver Cromwell, Cromwellian Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652, which punished Irish Catholics and Royalists f ...
, the
Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...
at Dublin ordered a special memorial of thanks to be entered in their journals in 1662. Boyle was translated to
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 ...
in 1663, and appointed
Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...
in 1665. Though the appointment of a cleric as Lord Chancellor had previously been common, Boyle's was the last such appointment and it appears he was offered the position only because no professional lawyer of repute could be found to take it: the aged and ineffective Sir Maurice Eustace had remained in office as Chancellor until his death simply because of the difficulty in finding a suitable replacement. In the event Boyle proved to be a hard-working and incorruptible Chancellor, who earned the regard of successive Lord Lieutenants. While he undoubtedly used his influence to advance the career of his son-in-law,
Sir William Davys Sir William Davys (before 1633 – 1687) was an Irish barrister and judge who held the offices of Recorder of Dublin, Prime Serjeant and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was suspected of Roman Catholic sympathies and was threatened with remova ...
, who was appointed
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge i ...
in 1680, such use of patronage was an accepted part of seventeenth-century politics. In the county of
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
Boyle established a town, to which he gave the name of
Blessington Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname ''Ó Coimín''), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is situ ...
, and at his own expense erected there a church, which he supplied with plate and bells. In connection with this town, he in 1673 obtained the title of
Viscount Blessington Viscount Blesington, in the County of Wicklow, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 23 August 1673 for Murrough Boyle. He was the son of Michael Boyle, Archbishop of Armagh, eldest son of Richard Boyle, Archbishop of Tuam. He ...
for his only surviving son, Murrough Boyle. In 1675 Boyle was promoted from the see of Dublin to that of Armagh. On the accession of James II, Boyle was briefly continued in office as Lord Chancellor, and appointed for the third time as Lord Justice, in conjunction with the
Earl of Granard Earl of Granard is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1684 for Arthur Forbes, 1st Viscount Granard. He was a lieutenant-general in the army and served as Marshal of the Army in Ireland after the Restoration and was later Lord ...
, and held that post until Henry, Earl of Clarendon, arrived as
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 ...
in December 1685. Clarendon had formed a very high opinion of Boyle, and is said to have objected to his dismissal from the Chancellorship, despite his lack of legal training, and his increasing infirmities, of both body and mind.


Last years

In Boyle's last years his faculties are stated to have been much impaired: "his memory gone, deaf and almost blind, a mere wreck of the past". After about 1683 he was unable to personally perform the functions of his office,According to the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
in'' Read v Bishop of Lincoln'' (1889) 14 PD 88
and he stepped down as Lord Chancellor in 1686. He died in Dublin on 10 December 1702, in his ninety-third year, and was interred in St. Patrick's Cathedral there. Little of the wealth accumulated by Boyle was devoted to religious or charitable uses. Letters and papers of Boyle are extant in the Ormonde archives at
Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of N ...
and in the
Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
. Portraits of Archbishop Boyle were engraved by Loggan and others.


Family

He married firstly Margaret Synge, daughter of Rt. Rev. George Synge,
Bishop of Cloyne The Bishop of Cloyne is an episcopal title that takes its name after the small town of Cloyne in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is a separate title; but, in the Church of Ireland, it has been united with other ...
and his first wife Anne Edgeworth: she died in a shipwreck in 1641, along with their infant daughter Martha. He married secondly Mary O'Brien, daughter of
Dermod O'Brien, 5th Baron Inchiquin Dermod McMurrough O'Brien, 5th Baron Inchiquin (October 1594 – 29 December 1624) was an Irish baron. cites Biography Dermod, who was born in October 1594, was the son of Murrough O'Brien, 4th Baron Inchiquin (1562 – 24 July 1597), the son ...
and Ellen FitzGerald. In addition to his son, who was created Lord Blessington, he had six daughters by his second marriage, named Elizabeth, Mary (who died young), Margaret, Eleanor, Martha, and Honora. Elizabeth married Denny Muschamp of Horsely,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, the Muster Master-General for Ireland, and was the grandmother of
John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton John Denny Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton (died 1761), was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Vesey was the son of Sir Thomas Vesey, 1st Baronet, and his wife and cousin Mary Muschamp, only surviving daughter and heiress of Denny Muschamp of Horsley, ...
. Margaret married Samuel Synge,
Dean of Kildare The Dean of Kildare is based at The Cathedral Church of St Brigid, Kildare in the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare within the Church of Ireland. The current Dean is the Very Reverend Tim Wright. List of deans of Kildare *1272 - after 1279 St ...
, who was the elder brother of Edward Synge,
Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church. Histor ...
. Eleanor married William Hill of Hillsborough: they were the parents of
Michael Hill (1672-1699) Michael Hill may refer to: * Michael Hill (bishop), Bishop of Bristol * Michael Hill (1672–1699), MP in England and Ireland * Michael Hill (diplomat), administrator of Ascension Island * Michael Hill (entrepreneur) (born 1938), New Zealand jew ...
. Martha married
Sir William Davys Sir William Davys (before 1633 – 1687) was an Irish barrister and judge who held the offices of Recorder of Dublin, Prime Serjeant and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was suspected of Roman Catholic sympathies and was threatened with remova ...
,
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge i ...
. Honora married three times: firstly to
Thomas Cromwell, 3rd Earl of Ardglass Thomas Cromwell, 3rd Earl of Ardglass (29 November 1653 – 11 April 1682), was an English nobleman, the only son of Wingfield Cromwell, 2nd Earl of Ardglass of Ilam, Staffordshire and Mary Russell. He held the subsidiary titles of 3rd Viscount L ...
; secondly Francis Cuffe MP; and thirdly
Sir Thomas Burdett, 1st Baronet, of Dunmore Sir Thomas Burdett, 1st Baronet (14 September 1668 – 14 April 1727) was an Irish politician and baronet. Born at Garrahill in County Carlow, he was the son of Thomas Burdett and his wife Catherine Kennedy, daughter of Sir Robert Kennedy, ...
.


Notes


References

* Attribution: * endnotes: **Carte's Life of Ormonde, 1736; ** Anthony Wood's Fasti (Bliss), i. 498; **Ware's Works (Harris), i. 130; **Journals of Lords and Commons of Ireland; **Peerage of Ireland; **'' Biographia Dramatica'', 1812; **
Richard Mant Richard Mant (12 February 1776 – 2 November 1848) was an English churchman who became a bishop in Ireland. He was a prolific writer, his major work being a ''History of the Church of Ireland''. s:Mant, Richard (DNB00) Life He was born at ...
, ''History of Church of Ireland'', 1840; **Granard Archives, Castle Forbes; **Elrington's Life of Ussher, 1848; **Cotton's Fasti Ecclesiæ Hibernicæ, 1851; **Reports of Royal Commission on Hist. MSS. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Michael 1600s births 1702 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Deans of Cloyne Bishops of Cork, Cloyne and Ross Anglican archbishops of Dublin Anglican archbishops of Armagh
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Members of the Irish House of Lords 17th-century Anglican archbishops Irish Anglican archbishops