Philip Norris (–1465), was born in Dundalk , and graduated from

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

, of which he was briefly Principal. He was

Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin The Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral is the senior cleric of the Protestant St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, elected by the chapter of the cathedral. The office was created in 1219 or 1220, by one of several charters granted to the cathedral by A ...

from 1457 until 1465, having previously been

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 Yagoe within the cathedral. He began his clerical career 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 St Nicholas, Dundalk, where he was largely an absentee pastor."Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae: The succession of the prelates Volume 2" Cotton,H. p139 Dublin, Hodges & Smith, 1848-1878 He was a famously eloquent preacher ("a resounding trumpet of sacred eloquence"), and a fine scholar.Walsh, Katherine "Norris, Philip" ''Cambridge Dictionary of Irish Biography'' However he was also a notably controversial figure, due to his repeated attacks on the Orders of mendicant friars, which began when he was at Oxford. In particular, he denied the friars' right to exercise priestly authority or to hear

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

. This was a long-standing controversy, on which other Irish clerics like Archbishop Fitzralph also had strong views. His attacks became so vehement that at the request of the mendicant Orders, who accused him of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

, Pope

Eugenius IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

in 1440

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Norris. Norris fought vigorously to clear his name, and in 1443 he succeeded in having the sentence of excommunication reversed. The Orders were enjoined not to worry Norris in future, and if they had concerns about his

orthodoxy Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...

, to engage in debate with him. His position was no doubt strengthened by the fact that the

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 ...

Richard Fitzralph Richard FitzRalph (also Fitz Ralph; c. 1300 – 16 December 1360) was a scholastic philosopher, theologian, and Norman Irish Archbishop of Armagh during the 14th century. His thought exerted a significant influence on John Wycliffe's. Life ...

, held similar views which if possible he expressed even more vehemently. Norris' last years seem to have been tranquil enough, though he had chronic ill health. He received a number of further

benefices A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

, including Prebendary of

Mulhuddart Mulhuddart () is an outer suburb situated 12 km (7.456 miles) north-west of Dublin, Ireland. The River Tolka passes near the village. Mulhuddart is also a civil parish in the barony of Castleknock in the historic County Dublin. Histor ...

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 the wealthy living of St Patrick's Church, Trim,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

(now Trim Cathedral).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Philip Deans of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin 15th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests 1400s births 1465 deaths Alumni of University College, Oxford People from Dundalk Christian clergy from County Louth Year of birth uncertain