Anthony Dopping

Who was Anthony Dopping?

Anthony Dopping was the Anglican Bishop of Meath, Ireland.

He was born in Dublin, the son of Anthony Dopping, Clerk of the Privy Council of Ireland, who originally came from Frampton in Gloucestershire, but had bought an estate in co. Meath in 1636. Anthony junior was educated at St Patrick's Cathedral School and entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1655.

He was a Fellow of Trinity College and consecrated as Bishop of Kildare on 2 February, 1679 . He was translated to the Diocese of Meath on 14 January 1681 and made vice-Chancellor of Trinity College and a Privy Councillor. He served as Bishop of Meath until his death in 1697. When the Archbishop of Dublin fled during the reign of the catholic King James II he remained in Dublin as the main Protestant spokesman. Although assuring King James of his loyalty, he strongly advocated the Protestant minority viewpoint. and after the Battle of the Boyne, immediately proceeded to William's camp to declare his allegiance to the new king.

He died in Dublin in 1697 and was buried in St Andrew's. He had married Jane, the daughter of Samuel Molyneux, with whom he had two sons and four daughters. The elder son, Samuel, became MP for Armagh and his younger son, Anthony, became Bishop of Ossory.