Edward Worth (c. 1620–2 August 1669) was a Church of Ireland Bishop of Killaloe, mainly remembered nowas the founder of the Blue Coat School for the poor boys of Cork.
He was born in County Cork, son of James Worth; his grandfather Jasper Worthcame to Ireland from Prestbury, Cheshire, where the family had lived for several centuries.He was awarded a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) by the University of Dublin. He was appointed Dean of Cork in 1645. During the political and religious conflicts of the 1640s and 1650s, Worth wasdescribed as "an adroit political player", who made his peace with the change of regime, butemerged at theRestoration of Charles IIwith his reputation forloyalty to theEnglish Crownunquestioned.He was raised to the episcopacyas Bishop of Killaloe in 1660 by Letters Patent of King Charles II. He was consecrated in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin on 27 January 1661.
He died in Hackney, London,in 1669 and was buried in St. Mildred's Church, Bread Street, London.
He married Susannah Pepper, daughter of Dennis Pepper, and sister of Captain George Pepper of Ballygart, County Meath. The Peppers were relatives of the Earl of Cork.The marriage was a troubled one as Susannah became a Quaker in 1656, and was arrested for attending a Quaker meeting in Dublin in 1664. This led to an estrangement which wasseemingly never made up, as herhusband in his last willurged her sternly to consider "how she had fallen", and to "perform her first act" (i.e. of repentance).
They had fourssons:
- William Worth (c.1646-1721),lawyerand judge,who held office as Recorder of Cork and Baron of theCourt of Exchequer (Ireland),
- Edward Worth junior,a doctor,
- Michael, who seems to have died young,
- John Worth (1648-1688),Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, who was the father of:
- Edward Worth, the notedpolitician, physician and book collector.
Theyalso had a daughter:
- Susannah, who married Epinetus Crosse: their descendants includedJohn Wandesford, 1st Earl Wandesford.
He left lands and money to found St Stephen's Hospital in Cork,popularly known as the Blue Coat School for poor boys, for which act of benevolence he is now mainly remembered.