Robert Clayton (bishop)

In his own lifetime, he was notorious for his unorthodox beliefs, which led his critics to question whether he could properly be called a Christian at all, and at the time of his death, he was facing charges of heresy.

John Clayton, minister of St. Michan's Church, Dublin, and dean of Kildare, and Juliana Edmundson.

[3] He made a tour of Italy and France, and on his father's death in 1728 came into possession of a good estate and married Katherine, daughter of Lord Chief Baron Nehemiah Donnellan and his second wife Martha Ussher.

80) that make up the current Iveagh House was designed for Clayton by Richard Castle, and built in 1736–7.

Queen Caroline, hearing from Clarke of Clayton, had him appointed bishop of Killala and Achonry in 1729–1730.

[6] Despite the controversy this aroused, no proceedings were taken against him until the publication of the third part of the 'Vindication of ... the Old and New Testament,' Dublin, 1757, when he renewed his attack on the Trinity and advanced doctrines contrary to the Thirty-nine Articles.

Horace Walpole, in a satirical sketch of the Bishop's life, attributes his death to panic at the thought of having to defend his religious notions, but acknowledges that he was at least sincere in his beliefs, even if nobody else was able to understand what they were.

His wife Katherine Donnellan had a reputation for arrogance: the artist and letter-writer Mary Delaney described her as giving herself "the airs of a Queen" after her husband was made a bishop.

In 1747 appeared 'The Chronology of the Hebrew Bible vindicated ... to the Death of Moses,' London, pp. 494.

In 1751 appeared the most notable work written by him (though often asserted to be that of a young clergyman of his diocese), 'Essay on Spirit .

The Duke of Dorset, the lord-lieutenant of Ireland, refused on account of this work to appoint him to the vacant archbishopric of Tuam.

In Company with some Missionaries de propaganda Fide,' &c., translated from a manuscript which had been mentioned by Edward Pococke in his 'Travels.'

Edward Wortley Montagu, however, was induced to visit the spot and give an account of the inscriptions.

Thomas Barnard, later bishop of Limerick, who married Clayton's niece, and was his executor, had several of his works in manuscript, but they were not published.

He gave the copyright of all Clayton's works for England to the printer Bowyer, who issued the three parts of the 'Vindication' and the 'Essay on Spirit,' with additional notes and index to the scripture texts, London, 1759.