St. George Ashe

St. George Ashe (1658 – 27 February 1718), D.D., was a Church of Ireland cleric who served successively as Bishop of Cloyne, Clogher and Derry in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is remembered now chiefly for his alleged role in performing a secret marriage between Jonathan Swift and Esther Johnson (Stella) .

Ashe was born in County Roscommon in 1658, younger son of Thomas Ashe and his wife Mary St George, daughter of Richard St George of Athlone. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he became a Fellow, and Professor of Mathematics; he afterwards acted as secretary and chaplain to the British Embassy at Vienna. Returning to Ireland in 1692, he was made Provost of Trinity College, Dublin.

He was consecrated Bishop of Cloyne in 1695, and promoted to the see of Clogher in 1697, and to that of Derry in 1717. He spent a large sum on refurbishing the episcopal palace at Clogher. He refused to become Archbishop of Tuam in 1716, on the ground that the stipend was inadequate. He had a reputation for being an absentee bishop and was sharply reprimanded on that account by William King, Archbishop of Dublin, who wrote that the enemies of the church were led by his conduct to conclude that "bishops are not necessary, since they can so long be spared", and pleaded with him to "think of coming home as soon as possible".

He occasionally contributed to the proceedings of the Royal Society, of which he was a member. He died in Dublin, 27 February 1718, and was buried in Christ Church. He bequeathed his mathematical library to the College.

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