William Bailie, D.D. (''William Bailey, Baily, or Bayly''; died 1664) was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of Ireland as Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh from 1644 to 1664.

Early life and family

Born in Scotland, he was named after his father,

William Bailie William Bailie (died ) was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland. In 1610, under the Ulster Plantation, William was given a grant of in the proportion of Toneregie, now Tandragee, in the Barony of Clankee in County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Co ...

, a native of

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

., ''The Province of Connaught'', p. 167., ''Bailieborough: A Pictorial Past'', p. 12. He was educated at Glasgow University, but graduated with a Doctorate of Divinity from Oxford University. He and his family were driven out of Scotland by the

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

s, and fled to Ireland, where his father was granted the lands of Toneregie (now Tandragee) in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

by King James I in 1610., ''The Province of Connaught'', pp. 167–168. His father had the construction of a fortified house, completed in 1613, and enclosed the

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

by 1629. The estate became known as the Manor of Bailieburrow, which was later known as Bailieborough. On the death of his father in , Dr Bailie inherited the estate. Little is known about his wife, but it is certain that they had a daughter Jane, who married James Hamilton of Coroneary and had issue. The Hamilton family remained at Bailieborough for another two generations: they included John Hamilton MP.

Ecclesiastical career

From the Rolls of Chancery, 18–20 Charles I, it appears that Dr Bailie had been designed for the see of Kilmore, upon Bishop Bedell's death; for there is a revocation of several

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

made to him, dated 3 March 1643-4., ''The Province of Connaught'', p. 168. Instead, Dr Bailie was nominated Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh on 22 December 1643 and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

at Oxford on 2 May 1644 by James Ussher,

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 ...

, assisted by John Maxwell,

Bishop of Killala and Achonry The Bishop of Killala and Achonry was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Killala and Achonry in the Ecclesiastical Province of Tuam. The diocese comprised part of Counties Mayo and Sligo in Ireland. The Episcopal see was a union o ...

and Henry Leslie, Bishop of Down and Connor., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 383., ''A New History of Ireland'', volume IX, p. 434. However, Bishop Bailie had little enjoyment of his see until after the monarchy was restored in Ireland in 1660. He died at Clonfert,

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

on 11 August 1664, and was buried in Clonfert Cathedral.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailie, William Year of birth unknown 1664 deaths 17th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland Bishops of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh