fingal county council

One of the most divisive figures in Irish history, the Rev. Matthew Pilkington once allegedly attempted to sell his children into slavery and pimp out his wife to his libertine friends in order to procure a divorce. For almost thirty-three years, he laboured as Anglican Vicar of Donabate, his time and attention frequently absorbed less in the spiritual needs of his ever-diminishing flock, than in the creation of his famous Dictionary of Painters - the first handbook of connoisseurship to be written in English. He also helped to establish the famous Cobbe Art Collection at Newbridge House.

Latterly regarded by Jonathan Swift (his former mentor) as ’the falsest rogue’ in the kingdom, Matthew Pilkington’s story has historically been overshadowed by that of his wife, Laetitia, a woman who, for more than two centuries, has provoked more than her fair share of scandal, folklore and academic debate. Matthew, however, had a life after Laetitia and left a legacy of his own. This is his story.