Bishop Richard Meredith

Bishop Richard Meredith

The earliest ancestor of this family line was Richard Meredith, who moved from Wales to Ireland in 1584 as the chaplain of the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, and who subsequently became Bishop of Leighlin. His descendants in Ireland were associated primarily with the counties of Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Kilkenny. Later branches were established in England and Australia as a result of emigration from Ireland.

Some of his immediate descendants played a significant role in Irish politics in the 17th century. Both his sons, Robert and Thomas, were Members of the Irish Parliament and were knighted. Robert served as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer, and there is also a single reference to Thomas having done so too. Three of Bishop Meredith's grandchildren were Irish MPs.

A pedigree from the 19th century, still in circulation, asserted that Bishop Meredith’s immediate ancestors were a Meredith family from Llangynllo in Radnorshire. However, this claim has been thoroughly debunked through extensive research, particularly the work of P. C. Bartrum in his published Welsh Genealogies. In fact, Bishop Meredith’s ancestry traces back through Denbighshire to a former King of Wales, Rhodri Mawr, who died in 878. It has been discovered that the Llangynllo Merediths and Merediths from Stansty, Wrexham also descend from Rhodri Mawr, but this common ancestor is distant by some 20 generations. More details can be found in this website comparing the three lineages.

The names of Bishop Meredith’s immediate ancestors demonstrate how the Welsh naming patterns, specifically the patronymic system, render it erroneous to presume that all Merediths share a common ancestor through that surname. His father, Robert Meredith, was the first generation in the family to adopt an English surname. Robert’s father, Maredudd ap Gronwy, had given the name Maredudd as his personal name, and Robert adopted this name as an English-style surname and spelling. A similar process transpired across Wales at various points over a span of over a century, with other families adopting the Meredith surname from a father or grandfather who had a given name of Maredudd. While some of these Meredith families may have shared a common ancestor, it is likely that many will not.

Navigation: 

The names of people in this particular  Family Line can be found in the Bishop Meredith Surname Index. For an index of all individuals included in this website click on Surnames in the menu bar at the top of each page.

The family history can also be explored through different types of chart:

• an Indented Chart and a Box Chart that show the relationships and family groups visually. Each name on the charts is linked to a separate biographical page for that person.
• a Dropline Chart and a Fan Chart that show the descendancy on a single page, but with the names not linked to biographical entries.

A Schematic Diagram shows the connections between the various Meredith Family Lines documented on this website, and their possible connections back to Wales.

The two types of chart and the schematic diagram can be accessed directly from any page on the website by means of the Charts menu item and its sub-items.