John Jebb

John Jebb (7 September 1775 – 9 December 1833) was an Irish churchman and writer. Biography John Jebb was born in Drogheda, younger son of John Jebb senior, an alderman of the town of Drogheda, and his second wife Alicia Forster. His father had an estate at Leixlip in County Kildare: his grandfather Richard Jebb had come to Ireland from Nottinghamshire. His father was in reduced financial circumstances for a time, but later recovered his fortunes, and at his death in 1796 he left John £2000 He was educated at the local school in Celbridge, then at Free Grammar School, Derry (later renamed Foyle College, now part of Foyle and Londonderry College) where he formed a lifelong friendship with the theologian Alexander Knox, and at Trinity College Dublin. Ordained in 1799, he became curate of Swanlinbar, County Cavan; and in 1801 of Mogorbane, County Tipperary. In 1805 he became private chaplain to Charles Brodrick, Archbishop of Cashel, and in 1809 he became rector of Abingdon, County Limerick, where his curate was Charles Forster, his lifelong friend and first biographer. He spent some time in England, where he became a friend of William Wilberforce and of Hannah More. In 1812 he was seriously injured in a carriage accident; the injuries were poorly treated by his medical advisers, and he probably never fully recovered his health. In 1821 he became archdeacon of Emly. For his services in maintaining order in the district of Emly during the disturbances that followed the outbreak of famine in the west of Ireland in 1822, he was made Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe in that year. As bishop, he is credited with raising the academic standard for candidates for holy orders: he often quoted an old saying that candidates might deceive him about their Godliness, but not about their scholarship.