The archdeacon of Meath is a senior
ecclesiastical officer within the united
Diocese of Meath and Kildare
The United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare is a diocese in the Church of Ireland located in the Republic of Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Alone of English and Irish bishops who are not also archbishops, the Bis ...
.
The
archdeaconry can trace its history from
Helias, the first known incumbent, who held the office in the twelfth century to the last discrete incumbent
Thomas George Corrigan. who retired in 1996 when his role was merged with that of
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...
. As such he was responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy and the upkeep of diocesan property within his half of the
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
.
["ABCD: a basic church dictionary" Meakin, T: Norwich, Canterbury Press, 2001 ]
Thomas Bache, Archdeacon of Meath for many years (c.1365-1410) was a leading judge and statesman, who served as
Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron ( judge) who presided over the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). The Irish Court of Exchequer was a mirror of the equivalent court in England and was one of the four courts which sat in the build ...
, and
Lord Treasurer of Ireland in 1400-1402. His successor
William Yonge, or Young (died c.1437), who was appointed Archdeacon in 1412, and was still in office in 1435, was like Bache a political and judicial figure of considerable importance, who held office as
Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
[Ball, F.Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meath, Archdeacons of
Lists of Anglican archdeacons in Ireland
Diocese of Meath and Kildare