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Meet the 18th century Irish gents obsessed with plates and dishes
Updated / Monday, 15 Feb 2021
16:00
Analysis: this preoccupation with elegant tableware was designed to draw attention to the gentlemen s good taste and wealth
In mid 18th-century Ireland, Edward Synge, the Bishop of Elphin, spent a lot of time thinking about dishes. He needed dishes for two homes and he knew exactly what he wanted in terms of both design and function. One of these houses was a grand Bishop s Palace at his diocese in Elphin, Co Roscommon, and the other was a townhouse in Dublin.
Synge spent part of each year in Elphin and, from there he sent regular letters to his daughter, Alicia. She and her governess, a Mrs Jourdan, stayed in Dublin where they received constant enquiries, instructions and advice from the bishop. The bishop valued Mrs. Jourdan’s opinions and he frequently told Alicia to ask Mrs. Jourdan to act for him in domestic matters.