Footnotes

• Whilst attending Trinity College, Cambridge, Adam's keen mind and oratory skills attracted the notice of the future Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). This early acquaintance saw the gestation of a lifelong friendship throughout which the monarch never wavered as Adam's devoted patroness. Although Adam was ordained in the Catholic Church and was, at one time, gifted a living in Norfolk by Queen Mary, he pronounced himself Anglican in 1558 upon Elizabeth's succession to the throne.
  
  Adam first arrived in Ireland in 1560, having been appointed chaplain to Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex (c.1525-1583). Having held several minor offices within the Church, Adam became Archbishop of Armagh aged just twenty-eight years old. Adam's ability as a consummate politician soon became apparent through his role as Elizabeth's ecclesiastical champion during the two Desmond Rebellions (1569-1583) and was further evidenced by his involvement in the execution of Dermot O'Hurley (c.1530-1584), one of the pre-eminent Irish Catholic Martyrs. Appointed Archbishop of Dublin in 1567, Adam held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1581-1605) and founded Trinity College, Dublin after his old college at Cambridge, the primary nexus between the Queen and her favourite.