CITY OF LONDONDERRY. 
was born at Antrim on the 1st of May, 1650, and was descended of an ancient and respectable 
family of the house of Burras, in the North of Scotland, whence his father removed in the reign 
of Charles the 1st, to avoid engaging in the solemn league and covenant, and settled his family 
and effects in the North of Ireland, and had the happiness to live to see his son promoted to the 
bishopric of Derry. He was sent in 1662 for his education, to the Latin school of Dungannon, 
and on the 18th of April, 1667, was admitted into Trinity College, Dublin, where his extraordi¬ 
nary talents and application were soon noticed, and rewarded with a scholarship and native’s place. 
On February 23d, 1670, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and in 1673, that of Master ; 
and, in the same year was put into deacon’s orders, by Dr. Mossom, bishop of Derry. The ho¬ 
nour he obtained by a fellowship examination, on a week’s preparation, though unsuccessful, ob¬ 
tained him the notice of John Parker, archbishop of Tuam, who in 1674 took him under his protec¬ 
tion, ordained him a priest on the 12th of April in the same year, and admitted him into his family 
as a domestic chaplain, on the 10th of January, 1676. The same year he was collated to the 
prebend of Kilmainmore, in the cathedral of Tuam, and afterwards to the provostship of that 
church, and, to the rectory and vicarage of Ivillaseran, Aghicert, and others, united October 26, 
1627, by the same. 
While in the archbishop’s family he diligently applied himself to the study of all useful 
learning, and acquired that store of knowledge which subsequently enabled him to become so emi¬ 
nently serviceable to church and state, and to raise himself to such a distinguished elevation. On 
the translation of his patron to the see of Dublin, Mr. King was collated to the chancellorship of 
Saint Patrick, to which the parish of Saint Werburgh’s is annexed, and was installed therein on 
the 29th of October, 1679. 
He remained here zealously employed in preaching, writing, and keeping his flock together, 
till the Irish took up arms in the cause of James the 2d, and in the disastrous times which fol¬ 
lowed, continued courageously at his post without any relaxation of his exertions. By this daring 
exhibition of zeal he made himself very obnoxious to the Roman Catholic party, by whom he was 
twice imprisoned during the years 1689 and 1690, but released each time without other injury 
than personal indignities. It was during this period that he wrote his chief work :—“The State 
of the Protestants in Ireland under King James’s Government;” an able but partisan production. 
The victory of the Boyne put an end to his dangers, and opened the door to his ecclesiastical 
advancements. The see of Derry having been kept vacant by king James till the revolution, Dr. 
King was promoted to it by letters patent of king William and queen Mary, dated the 9th of Ja¬ 
nuary, 1690, and was consecrated in Christ’s Church, Dublin, on the 25th of the same month, 
by Francis, archbishop of Dublin, assisted by the bishops of Meath, Kildare, Killaloe, and Leighlin 
and Ferns. He immediately repaired to his diocese, which he found in a miserable and distressed 
condition, but which, during the three years in which he remained there, he restored to a state of 
order and security. He built, it is said, a capacious house in Derry—the under rooms to serve 
for a school-house and conveniences for a master, and the upper rooms for a library. He 
also bought from the executors of bishop Hopkins the library of that bishop, or a great part of it, 
which by his will, dated the 6th of May, 1726, he devised to William Nicholson, then 
bishop of Derry, and his successors in trust, to remain in the said library for the use of the clergy 
and gentlemen of the said diocese for ever. 
The promotion of archbishop Marsh from Dublin to the primacy in 1702, opened the way to 
the former for bishop King, to which he was translated by letters patent, dated the 1 1th of March 
following, and which he governed with his usual zeal and diligence for upwards of 26 years. He 
died at his palace of Saint Sepulchre’s, Dublin, on the 8th of May, 1729, having just attained 
the 80th year of his age, and was interred on the north side of the church yard of Donnybrook, 
as he had previously directed. 
The character of this prelate, as given by Harris, from wdiom this sketch of his life is 
drawn, is enthusiastically laudatory, and assigns him all the qualities of head and heart that should 
belong to a Christian bishop. 
Charles Hickman succeeded 1702, died 1713. The successor of Doctor King was a native 
of Northamptonshire, and Doctor of Divinity in the university of Oxford. He was rector of Saint 
Ebbs, in Oxford, for sometime afterwards chaplain to Charles, duke of Southampton, and in 1680 
to James lord Chandos, then going as ambassador to Constantinople. In 1680 he was 
made domestic chaplain to Laurence, earl of Rochester, lord lieutenant of Ireland, and the year 
following took his degree of Doctor of Divinity. Upon the revolution he was made chaplain in 
ordinary 0 to king William and queen Mary, and in July, 1692, lecturer of Saint James’ Church, 
Westminster, and afterwards rector of Hogs-Norton, in Leicestershire, and chaplain in ordinary 
, to queen Anne, by. whom he was promoted to this see by letters patent, dated the 19th of March, 
1702, and was consecrated at Dunboyne, on the 10th of June following, by Narcissus, archbishop 
of Armagh, assisted by the bishops of Kilmore, Ardagh, Ossory, and Killaloe. He died on the 
28th of November, 1713, and left by his will £20 to the poor of Derry. There is a small tablet 
erected to his memory on the left of the chancel-table, in the cathedral. 
