Michael Cox (2 November 1689 – 28 May 1779) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

archbishop 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 archdi ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

during the 18th century. He is now chiefly remembered for building one of Ireland's most magnificent remaining mansions, Castletown Cox, near

Carrick-on-Suir Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the so ...

. A younger son of

Sir Richard Cox, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Cox, 1st Baronet PC (25 March 1650 – 3 May 1733) was an Irish lawyer and judge. He served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland from 1701 to 1703, Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1703 to 1707 and as Lord Chief Justice ...

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 ...

from 1703 to 1707, and his wife Mary Bourne, he was born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. He was educated at

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

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

and

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 ...

in 1713. He became

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 ...

Charles Butler, 1st Earl of Arran Lieutenant-General Charles Butler, 1st Earl of Arran (of the second creation), ''de jure'' 3rd Duke of Ormonde (1671–1758) was an Anglo-Irish peer. His uncle Richard was the 1st Earl of Arran of the first creation. The titles were re-create ...

, then

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 ...

Calan Calan may refer to * Calan (band), a Welsh band * Calan, Morbihan, a town in Brittany, France * Calan, a trade name for the drug Verapamil * Călan Călan (; ; ) is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania. Twelve villages are administered by the to ...

and

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

. In 1743 he became

Bishop of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Provinces of Ireland, Province of Leinster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remain ...

; and in 1754,

Archbishop of Cashel The Archbishop of Cashel ( ga, Ard-Easpag Chaiseal Mumhan) was an archiepiscopal title which took its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. Following the Reformation, there had been parallel apostolic successions to the title ...

. He was married (possibly a second marriage) in 1744 to Anne O'Brien, daughter of

James O'Brien (1695-1771) Hon. James O'Brien (died 18 December 1771) was an Irish nobleman and politician. Life James O'Brien was the son of William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin, and his wife, Mary Villiers, daughter of Sir Edward Villiers. He married Mary Jephson, th ...

and his wife Mary Jephson, and granddaughter of

William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin William MacWilliam O'Brien, 8th Baron of Inchiquin, 3rd Baron O'Brien of Burren, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin PC (1662 – 24 December 1719) was an Irish nobleman. Life William O'Brien was the son of William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin and Lady Ma ...

and his wife Mary Villiers. She died the following January, aged 22, giving birth to their only son. The marriage though short-lived is said to have been happy, and he did not remarry.Hawkins, Richard "Cox, Michael" ''Cambridge Dictionary of Irish Biography ''2009 He spent his last years building a magnificent mansion, Castletown Cox, in south

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

. Designed by the Sardinian-born architect Davis Ducart, it was completed in 1776. It still exists and was extensively restored in the early 2000s by its then owner

George Magan, Baron Magan of Castletown George Morgan Magan, Baron Magan of Castletown (born 14 November 1945), is a former Conservative member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom who was declared bankrupt in September 2020. He comes from an Anglo-Irish family, and is the son ...

."Tory Peer handed £505k Rent Bill" Evening Standard 26 November 2018 The Archbishop died in 1779, aged ninety, and was buried beside his wife in

St. Canice's Cathedral St Canice's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, ), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Dio ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Michael 1689 births 1779 deaths Clergy from Cork (city) People educated at Kilkenny College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 18th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland Anglican bishops of Ossory Anglican archbishops of Cashel Members of the Irish House of Lords Younger sons of baronets Irish Anglican archbishops