Bewley, Henry
Bewley, Henry (1804–76), businessman and evangelist, was born 4 July 1804, fifth of ten sons of Samuel Bewley, Dublin businessman, and Elizabeth Bewley (née Fayle); they also had three daughters. An older brother, who had been named Henry, died aged two in January 1804, and the name…...
Bewley, Victor Ernest Henry
Bewley, Victor Ernest Henry (1912–2000), quaker businessman and philanthropist, was born on 24 May 1912, at Danum, the family estate in Rathgar, one of five children to Ernest Bewley (qv) and Susan Emily Bewley (née Clarke) from Doncaster.…...
Bielenberg, Christabel Mary Harmsworth
Bielenberg, Christabel Mary Harmsworth (1909–2003), writer, was born on 18 June 1909 at the Old House, Totteridge, Hertfordshire, England, the second of four children (two boys and two girls) of Percy Collingwood Burton (1879–1953) of Totteridge, a British army officer and advertising…...
Blachford, Theodosia
Blachford, Theodosia (1744–1817?), philanthropist and leading methodist, was born at her father's residence in Rosanna, Co. Wicklow, only daughter of William Tighe (qv), landowner and MP, and Lady Mary Tighe of Rathmore, Co. Meath,…...
Blackley, William Lewery
Blackley, William Lewery (1830–1902), clergyman, social reformer, and linguist, was born 30 December 1830 at Dundalk, Co. Louth, second son of Travers Robert Blackley, physician, and Eliza Blackley (née Lewery). From 1843 to 1845 he was educated in Brussels by Dr Carl Martin…...
Blomfield, Sara Louisa
Blomfield, Sara Louisa , Lady (1859–1939), Bahá'í pioneer and humanitarian, was born in Knockanevin, Borrisoleigh, near Thurles, Co. Tipperary, the daughter of Matthew (Matthias) John Ryan and his wife Emily (née Crowe). Religious tension between her catholic father and anglo-…...
Bodkin (Bodekin, Bodikin), Christopher
Bodkin (Bodekin, Bodikin), Christopher (c.1505–1572), catholic and Church of Ireland archbishop of Tuam, was born in Galway, the son of John Bodkin, mayor of Galway in 1518. Said to have been educated at Oxford, he was provided to the see of Kilmacduagh 3 September 1533…...
Bolton, Theophilus
Bolton, Theophilus (c.1678–1744), archbishop and benefactor, was born in Borisool, Co. Mayo, and graduated BA (1698), MA (1701), BD and…...
Bonnell, James
Bonnell, James (1653–99), government official and exemplar of the pious life, was born 14 November 1653 in Genoa, Italy, only son and one of two children of Samuel Bonnell, merchant, and his wife Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Sayer of Norwich, England. Samuel's grandfather had…...
Booth, Eva Selina Gore-
Booth, Eva Selina Gore- (1870–1926), poet, mystic, trade unionist and suffragist, was born on 22 May 1870 at Lissadell, Co. Sligo, the second of three daughters (and two sons) of Sir Henry Gore-Booth, 5th baronet and Arctic explorer, and his wife, Georgina (née Hill) of Tickhill castle…...
Bouhéreau, Élie (Elias)
Bouhéreau, Élie (Elias) (1643–1719), huguenot bibliophile, librarian, cleric, diarist, and administrator, was born 5 May 1643 at La Rochelle, France, son of Élie Bouhéreau, pastor of Fontenay, and Blandine Bouhéreau (née Richard). The family was of the upper middle class. He was…...
Boulter, Hugh
Boulter, Hugh (1672–1742), Church of Ireland archbishop of Armagh, was born 4 January 1672, the son of John Boulter of the parish of St Katharine Cree in the city of London. Educated at Merchant Taylors’ School, he matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1687, but transferred to…...
Boyd, Henry
Boyd, Henry (1749?–1832), clergyman, poet, and translator, was born in Co. Tyrone, son of Charles Boyd, farmer; nothing is known of his mother. Educated by Mr Davison, he entered TCD as a sizar (June 1770), gained a scholarship (1773),…...
Boyle (Bole), John
Boyle (Bole), John (fl. 1596–1639), minister, was born in Scotland, graduated MA from Edinburgh in 1596, and must have been ordained a minister in Scotland. In 1600, being blind, he was discharged by the general assembly from all…...
Boyle, Michael
Boyle, Michael (1615?–1702), Church of Ireland archbishop of Armagh, lord chancellor and lord justice, was probably born c.1615 (he gave his age as 64 in April 1679), the elder son among two sons and nine daughters of Richard Boyle (…...
Boyle, Richard
Boyle, Richard (d. 1645), Church of Ireland archbishop of Tuam, was the second son of Michael Boyle, merchant, of London, and his wife, Jane, daughter of William Peacock, and was elder brother of Michael Boyle, bishop of Waterford (1619–35). He appears to have been admitted to…...
Boyle, Roger
Boyle, Roger (c.1617–1687), Church of Ireland bishop of Clogher, was perhaps the son of Thomas Boyle, vicar of Timoleague and a relative of Richard Boyle (qv), earl of Cork, or of Robert Boyle, vicar of Carrickmacross and…...
Boyton, Charles
Boyton, Charles (1799?–1844), clergyman and political campaigner, was born in Dublin, son of John William Boyton, a prominent doctor and king's professor (1792–1826) of the institutes of medicine in TCD; it is possible that his mother…...
Brady, Hugh
Brady, Hugh (c.1527–1584), protestant bishop of Meath, was born in Trim, Co. Meath, son of a landowner in Dunboyne, Co. Meath; no more details of his parents are known. He is said to have studied at Oxford, but there is no evidence of this in the college registers. His…...
Brady, Nicholas
Brady, Nicholas (1659–1726), Church of Ireland clergyman and writer, was born on 28 October 1659 in Bandon, Co. Cork, the second son of Major Nicholas Brady of Richmond, Surrey, and also of Bandon, and his wife, Martha, daughter of Luke Gernon, a Munster provincial judge. The…...
Brady, William Maziere
Brady, William Maziere (1825–94), clergyman and historian, was born 8 January 1825 in Dublin, son of Sir Nicholas William Brady (1791–1843), manufacturer of gold and silver lace, of Willow Park and Killiney Park, Co. Dublin, and Catherine Anne Brady (d. 1839), daughter of Peter…...
Bramhall, John
Bramhall, John (1594–1663), Church of Ireland bishop, was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire, England, and baptised there in St Giles's church on 18 November 1594, eldest among six children of Peter Bramhall, Carleton, Pontefract. His mother's name is not known. He attended Pontefract…...
Brenon, Edward St John (Brennan, Edward John)
Brenon, Edward St John (Brennan, Edward John) (1842/3–1916), journalist and poet, was born Edward John Brennan in Dublin, son of William Brennan, master of St Mathias's Church of Ireland school; his mother was mistress of St Mathias's girls’ school. William Brennan also acted as tutor…...
Brinkley, John
Brinkley, John (1766?–1835), astronomer and bishop, was born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, and baptised 31 January 1767, illegitimate son of John Toler and Sarah Brinkley, who later married James Boulter. He was educated by clergymen in Suffolk (it is not known at whose expense…...
Bristow, William
Bristow, William (1736–1808), clergyman and sovereign of Belfast, was born 24 October 1736 in Wiltshire, son of Skeffington Bristow, Church of Ireland clergyman, and Elizabeth Bristow (née Grattan), clergyman's daughter and cousin of Henry…...