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Bishop Edward Synge of Elphin. (1691 - 1762.) |
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A letter dated 23 May 1750 from Elphin to Dublin. The letter is addressed to Synge's Lawyer Anthony Foster. Anthony Foster (1705 - 1779), entered Trinity in 1721 and took BA in 1726. A Kings Council, he later became Chief Baron of the Exchequer. He practiced in King St., St. Stephen's Green, Dublin but this letter is addressed to his home in Mary Street.
Bishop Edward Synge's signatures Edw: Elphin and Bishop of Elphin and the date 23 May 1750.
Bishop Edward Synge's almost complete wax seal from the letter. The seal bears a crown and hawks foot.
Images are not to scale. Images © Copyright: Roscommon Historical Research. |
Edward Synge was born in Inishshannon, Co. Cork, in 1691, eldest son of Edward Synge, of Inishannon and grandson of Edward Synge of Bridgenorth, Shropshire, England. After private education in Cork he entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1706 and took BA in 1709. He was briefly a Fellow of TCD (1710) and Junior Dean (1715). He became vicar of St. Audoen's (1719) and St. Werburgh's (1727), in Dublin, was Chancellor of St. Patricks Cathedral, Dublin (1726 to 1730) and was installed as Bishop of Clonfert in 1730. He transferred to Cloyne (1732), to Ferns & Leighlin (1734) and finally to Elphin in 1740. He married Jane Curtis, daughter of Robert & Sarah Curtis of Roscrea, Co. Tipperary in 1720. They had six children but only one, Alicia, survived. Jane died in 1737. He retained his house in Kevin Street, Dublin. He died in 1762 and is buried in St. Patricks Cathedral, Dublin.
Enhanced copy of the letter, the original has the text showing through the page. Nonetheless it is very legible and easy to understand. He says "I frightened Hickes horribly about this lease. I said wth a very grave and angry Countenance that I never would renew it and bid him tell Burke yt I said so ..." Two persons of the name of Hickes are mentioned in the Elphin Census of 1749 (see below). they are George Hickes & his wife, Papists, tenants of the Bishop since 1740 in "Dingowan" and Matthew Hickes, Papist, a doctor, in "Camoge". He also wrote a very long letter to his daughter the same day (see "The Synge Letters" (below)).
Two books by Marie-Louise Legg about Bishop Edward Synge. Both were commissioned by the Irish Manuscripts Commission. "The Census of Elphin - 1749" (2004) & "The Synge Letters. Bishop Edward Synge to His Daughter Alicia, Roscommon to Dublin 1746 - 1752" (1996).
The main Synge collections are in the National Archives (Elphin Census) and Trinity College (Letters to his daughter Alicia). Further information is contained in the "Wicklow Papers" in the National Library of Ireland.
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