Hugh Boulter

The Most Reverend Hugh Boulter
Archbishop of Armagh

In office	1724–1742
Predecessor	Thomas Lindsay
Successor	John Hoadly
Other posts	Bishop of Bristol (1719–1724)
Personal details
Born	(1672-01-04)4 January 1672 London^[1]
Died	27 September 1742(1742-09-27) (aged 70) London^[1]
Buried	Westminster Abbey^[1]
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Education	Merchant Taylors' School
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford Magdalen College, Oxford

Hugh Boulter (4 January 1672 – 27 September 1742) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, the Primate of All Ireland, from 1724 until his death. He also served as the chaplain to George I from 1719.

Background and education

Boulter was born in London and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School before attending Christ Church, Oxford. However, after only a year at Christ Church he transferred to Magdalen College.

Career

Hugh Boulter, mezzotint by John Brooks after Francis Bindon.

After leaving the university in 1700 Boulter served as a chaplain to several prominent individuals, including Sir Charles Hedges, the Secretary of State for the North, and Thomas Tenison, the Archbishop of Canterbury, before being awarded his D.D. in 1708.

After spending seven years working as a rector, Boulter was appointed as the archdeacon of Surrey in 1715. In 1719 Boulter was announced as the successor to George Smalridge as both the Dean of Christ Church and as the Bishop of Bristol. Boulter was controversially offered the primacy of the Church of Ireland in 1724, William King, as Archbishop of Dublin the natural successor to the title, being passed over due to his opposition to the Toleration Act. As Archbishop of Armagh Boulter was a keen supporter of the so-called English interest, the filling of top judicial, political, and ecclesiastical posts in Ireland with Englishmen in order to maintain English power in the country, a position that made him unpopular in Ireland.

His policy was to leave the Roman Catholics in Ireland subjected to penal legislation. By a statute enacted through Boulter's influence Catholics were excluded from the legal profession, and disqualified from holding offices connected with the administration of law. Under another act passed through Boulter's exertions they were deprived of the right of voting at elections for members of parliament or magistrates—the sole constitutional right which they had been allowed to exercise.^[2] His actions were often viewed with suspicion by the people of Ireland, including Jonathan Swift.

When the harvest failed in 1729 in Ulster he bought food and supplied it to the region. He did much good work in trying to alleviate the Great Irish Famine (1740-1741).

In 1731 he submitted the findings of the Inquiry into Illegal Popish Schools by the House of Lords, which was set up "to prevent the growth of Popery, and to secure this Kingdom from any dangers from the great Number of Papists in this Nation."^[3] He supported the setting up of the charter school system, "to teach the children of the papists the English tongue, and the principles of the Christian religion", as long as they converted to Protestantism. In 1731 George II was petitioned for a charter to set up these schools, which was granted in 1733.^[4] Boulter contributed £400 towards the construction of a charter school for girls at Santry, Dublin.^[5]

He was responsible for forcing through a bill that revalued the price of gold in 1738, to the benefit of the poor.

References

1 2 3 Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Boulter, Hugh". Dictionary of National Biography. 6. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
↑ Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Boulter, Hugh". Dictionary of National Biography. 6. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
↑ Reports, P.R.O., Ireland, (i) Printed. Lot 50 ; No. 5 : (2) MS. Lot 72 ; Nos. 90, 91, 100, 105, 113, 131, 132, 133, 136, 160, 161, 162, 163, 170, 171, 181, 209, 211, 212, 226.
↑ Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in Letters written by his Excellency, Hugh Boulter, D.D., Lord Primate of Ireland, to several Ministers of State in England, and some others. Dublin, 1770.
↑ John D'Alton: History of the County of Dublin, 1835, p. 259

Stuart, James (1900). Historical memoirs of the city of Armagh. Dublin, Browne & Nolan

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Boulter, Hugh (DNB00)

Academic offices
Preceded by George Smalridge	Dean of Christ Church, Oxford 1719–1724	Succeeded by William Bradshaw
Church of England titles
Preceded by George Smalridge	Bishop of Bristol 1719–1724	Succeeded by William Bradshaw
Church of Ireland titles
Preceded by Thomas Lindsay	Archbishop of Armagh 1724–1742	Succeeded by John Hoadly

Deans of Christ Church, Oxford

Predecessors	John Hygdon* John Oliver* John London Richard Cox

Early modern	Richard Cox Richard Marshall George Carew Thomas Sampson Thomas Godwin Thomas Cooper John Piers Tobias Matthew William James Thomas Ravis John King William Goodwin Richard Corbet Brian Duppa Samuel Fell Edward Reynolds John Owen Edward Reynolds George Morley John Fell John Massey Henry Aldrich Francis Atterbury George Smalridge Hugh Boulter William Bradshaw John Conybeare David Gregory William Markham Lewis Bagot Cyril Jackson

Late modern	Charles Hall Samuel Smith Thomas Gaisford Henry Liddell Francis Paget Thomas Strong Julian White Alwyn Williams John Lowe Cuthbert Simpson Henry Chadwick Eric Heaton John Drury Christopher Lewis Martyn Percy

* – Academic deans only; prior to the establishment of Christ Church Cathedral; ** – Cathedral deans at Osney.

Bishops of Bristol

for the sole Bishop suffragan of Brisol, see Henry Holbeach

1542 see	Paul Bush John Holyman Richard Cheyney John Bullingham Richard Fletcher John Thornborough Nicholas Felton Rowland Searchfield Robert Wright George Coke Robert Skinner Thomas Westfield Thomas Howell Gilbert Ironside (Er) Guy Carleton William Gulston John Lake Gilbert Ironside (Yr) John Hall John Robinson George Smalridge Hugh Boulter William Bradshaw Charles Cecil Thomas Secker Thomas Gooch Joseph Butler John Conybeare John Hume Philip Yonge Thomas Newton Lewis Bagot Christopher Wilson Spencer Madan Reginald Courtenay Folliott Cornewall George Pelham John Luxmoore William Mansel John Kaye Robert Gray Joseph Allen

1897 see	Forrest Browne George Nickson Clifford Woodward Frederick Cockin Oliver Tomkins John Tinsley Barry Rogerson Mike Hill

Anglican Archbishops of Armagh

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 37985121 LCCN: n85099754 ISNI: 0000 0000 6322 6294 GND: 128957581 NLA: 35149979

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