Nicholas French

Nicholas French ( – 23 August 1678) was an Irish bishop, political activist and pamphleteer. He was a key founder of the Irish Catholic Confederation, and served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ferns from 1645 until his death in 1678.

Early life Nicholas French was born in 1603 or 1604 in the town of Wexford, Ireland. His father John French came from a landed family in Ballytory, and his mother Christina Rossiter was from a family of similar status from Rathmacknee. and was consecrated on 23 November.

Death and legacy

French died in Ghent, Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium) on 23 August 1678. He is buried there in Saint Nicholas Church.

The Historical Works of Bishop French, comprising his three pamphlets and some letters, were published by SH Bindon at Dublin in 1846.

Authorities Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Irish Writers of the 17th Century (Dublin, 1846) John Thomas Gilbert, Contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, 1641-1652 (Dublin, 1879–1880) Thomas Carte, Life of James, Duke of Ormond (new ed., Oxford, 1851) "The Oxford Companion to Irish History", ed. S.J. Cannon, Oxford, 1999.