' Frederick Augustus Hervey
(1730-1803), Fourth Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry '
Shane Leslie
(From Northern Ireland)
Frederick Augustus Hervey , Earl of Bristol, whose sumptuous travels are said to have been the origin of the numerous Hotels Bristol all over the Continent, was as queer a bishop as ever presided over a see. He filled his palace at Downhill with so many curates that a whole wing was set aside for them and christened ' The Curates' Corridor '. One of the curates had a toast which he regularly drank, to the great joy of the Bishop : ' A Rot amongst Rectors! '.
One evening after dinner, the Bishop-who was no bigot-obliged the Presbyterian and Church of Ireland clergy to ride races on some sands near the Palace. The next day he preached a sermon on the evils of horse-racing, illustrating his argument with references to the previous day's sport.