diocese to

Tuam.

Enaghdun Florence Mac Flin, archbishop of Tuam, [A.D. 1250-1256,] resisting the appointment, entered on possession of the see, and retained it against him, representing to the king, (Henry III., in A.D. 1251,) that the church of Enaghdune was but a parish church belonging to the archbishopric of Tuam, but was made a bishopric by the king's presenting two bishops to it; and that he, the archbishop, had procured a bull from the pope to reduce it to a parish church as before, which bull he begged of the king to confirm. And the king was induced to do so, and complied with his wish in A.D. 1252: notwithstanding which, however, controversies were carried on concerning the bishopric of Enaghdun for 76 years after, and the king's assent was given, during that interval, to many elections to the see.*

J. de Ufford appointed bishop of

loses again

the possession of the see.

Thus on the death of Archbishop Thomas O'Connor, who governed the see of Tuam, and Enaghdun, with it Enaghdun, for 20 years, (from A.D. 1259 to A.D. 1279,) part of the canons of Tuam having elected for their archbishop a Franciscan friar named Malachy, his election was confirmed by the king. The pope however nulled it, and by his bull, dated July 12, 1286, translated Stephen of Fulburn, bishop of Waterford, to the archbishopric of Connaught, who was restored

Harris's Ware, pp. 605, 606.

to the temporalities of his new charge on the 15th of September in the same year. Meanwhile the people of Enaghdun, taking advantage of the vacancy in Tuam, had elected for their bishop John de Ufford, a learned and amiable person, who, through the influence of his relative, Sir Robert Ufford, then Lord Justice of Ireland, obtained the royal assent on the 16th of March, 1282, and was thereupon consecrated. Stephen, however, succeeding to the archbishopric of Tuam about four years afterward, commenced an action against the bishop of Enaghdun, who lost the suit, and surviving it not long, left his antagonist in undisputed possession of the see.*

*

elected bi

resists the

of the abp.

The next archbishop of Tuam, William de Gilbert, Bermingham, having succeeded to his office with shop in 1306, the approbation of both King Edward I. and successfully Pope Nicholas IV., received possession of the pretensions temporalities on Sep. 29, 1289, and took care, of Tuam. like his predecessors, to annex the church of Enaghdun to his archbishopric. It seems that by his directions also, (to remove the insignia of authority out of the reach of any rival in the latter place,) Philip le Blound, archdeacon of Tuam, took away the mitre, the pastoral staff, and other pontificalia of the bishop of Enagh

⚫ib., p. 607.

and in despite of his

dune, from a convent of friars at Clare, where they had been deposited for safe custody until the creation of a new bishop. However, in the year 1306,* the dean and chapter of Annadown assembled and proceeded to elect for their bishop a Franciscan friar named Gilbert, without applying, as was usual, for the king's licence to elect in the first instance, or for the royal assent afterwards; for which offence Bishop Gilbert was obliged to pay a fine of £300 before he was restored to the temporalities of his see, and the dean and chapter passed security by letters patent that for the time to come they would never again, upon the occurrence of a vacancy, shew such a disrespect for the royal authority.

Archbishop Bermingham steadfastly resisted utmost op- the appointment of Gilbert to Enaghdun, claiming it as a parish church of his diocese; and even passed over into France with a complaint to the pope of the injury done to him. But he lost his labour: for Gilbert meanwhile, on appeal to

position gains possession of Enaghdun;

The papal Taxation, commenced in this year, (see Art. XXI. sup.) mentions the diocese of Enaghdun as then recently separated from Tuam, and assigns to it in addition to the cathedral and two monasteries, twelve parish churches, included in the deanry of Maydrig, viz.;-1. Mecheri. (or Meray;) 2. Foranmore, (Oranmore ;) 3. Foranbeg, (Oranbeg ;) 4. Roscom, (now a townland in Oranmore, with a round tower, about two miles S.E. of Galway;) 5. Galvy, (Galway ;) 6. Killeny; 7. Kellfynsyt, (Killursa?) 8. Donnaghpa trike; 9. Killawyr, (Killower;) 10. Rathmyalid, (Rawyn, or Ra hoon ?) 11. Struthir, in Muntircuda, (Shrule, in Muntir-murroghoe, now the barony of Clare;) 12. Kilkelwyll, (Kilkelvery.)

the primatial court of Armagh, was confirmed in his bishopric, consecrated thereto by the Lord Primate, John Taaf, and restored to the temporalities on the 15th July, 1308.*

tinues inde

years.

The see of Enaghdun continued after this in- which condependent of Tuam for about twenty years, un- pendent of der Gilbert and three of his immediate succes- Tuam 20 sors, viz., James O'Kerney, who was advanced to the bishopric by provision of the pope, John XXII., and held it to 1324 or 1325;-Robert Petit, "then late Bishop of Clonfert ;"-and Thomas O'Maley, who died beyond sea in 1328 or 1330.

Mac Eda's

Gilbert, and

nadown to

Tuam,

Means had however been provided ere this for Malachy subjugating the see of Enaghdun to Tuam once exertions to more. Malachy Mac Æda, " of West Connaught displace extraction," (i. e. one of the sept of the O'Fla- reannex Anherties,) having been elected archbishop of Tuam, (in 1312,) approved of by the king, and confirmed by the pope, was restored to the temporalities of his archbishopric on the 1st of April, 1313, and appears to have commenced his career with a determination to reduce the lead to a Anglicans of Annadown to his obedience. The complaint systematic hostility and opposition with which from the he assailed Bishop Gilbert above mentioned was such as to cause the king, Edward II., to address the pope.

• Harris's Ware, 608.

against him

King of

England to

Malachy adopts a crafty po

licy for ob

taining the

object of his

desire.

a letter to the pope, in 1321, complaining grievously of his injuries. It sets forth, among other things, that the bishop, on receipt of his majesty's letters, had repaired to his diocese, and had now been for many years there, laudably fulfilling the duties of his pastoral office;" but that Malachy's grasping ambition was causing this exemplary prelate much annoyance and injury; for that he, (Malachy,) "by suppressing the true circumstances of the case, and making false representations, had obtained certain apostolic letters addressed to certain judges, who were said to be of his own family or connections, and who did their endeavour to disturb, in many ways, the peace of the bishop aforesaid, and by means of processes, false and erroneous, to alter the condition of his church, and apply its revenues to the uses of the archbishop above mentioned."

These open assaults failing, however, to crush the liberties of Annadown, or to procure the suppression of the see, Malachy appears in his next step to have had recourse to craft and policy for effecting his object; using for his instrument in the business a distinguished individual named Philip of Slane, who was, by the pope's provision, made bishop of Cork, and put

Rymer, Fœd. Lond. 1818, vol. 2, pars 1, p. 457.