Turner of Preston, famous for his warlike exertions against the rebel army in 1715. During the reign of Anne, Coningham was several times prosecuted for keeping an academy; and though a man who combined strict orthodoxy with a catholic spirit, he was not strong enough to cope with the divergences of theological opinion in his flock. He left Manchester for London in 1712, being called to succeed Richard Stretton, M.A. (d. 3 July 1712, aged 80), at Haberdashers' Hall. His health was broken, and he died on 1 Sept. 1716, leaving the remembrance of a graceful person and an amiable character.
Coningham published three sermons, 1705, 1714, and 1715, and wrote a preface to the second edition of Henry Pendlebury's ‘Invisible Realities,’ originally published 1696, 12mo.
[Wright's Funeral Sermon, 1716; Toulmin's Hist. View, 1814, p. 246; Calamy's Hist. Acc. of my own Life, 2nd ed. 1830, ii. 31 sq. 257, 523; Cat. of Edinburgh Graduates (Bannatyne Club), 1858; Baker's Mem. of a Diss. Chapel, 1884, pp. 19, 61, 140; Extracts from records of the Presbyterian Fund, per W. D. Jeremy.]
CONINGSBURGH, EDMUND, LL.D. (fl. 1479), archbishop of Armagh, in all probability received his education at Cambridge, where he took the degrees of bachelor and doctor of laws. He became rector of St. Leonard, Foster Lane, London, 12 Jan. 1447–1448, vicar of South Weald, Essex, 13 Oct. 1460, and rector of Copford in the same county, 3 Nov. 1451 (Newcourt, Repertorium, i. 394, ii. 192, 945). In 1455 and frequently afterwards he was employes ion university business at Cambridge. He was one of the syndics for building the philsophical and law schools in 1457. It appears that he was a proctor in the Bishop of Ely's court. If he were not originally a member of Benet (now Corpus Christi) College, he occupied chambers there as early as 1469, when he and Walter Buck, M.A., had a joint commission from Bishop Gray of Ely to visit, as that prelate's proxies, the holy see and 'limina apostolorum.' He became rector of St. James, Colchester, 1 Jan. 1469–70 (Newcourt, ii. 169). On 10 Aug. 1471 Edward IV addressed a letter of congratulation to Sixtus IV on his being elected pope, and sent his councillor, James Goldwell, bishop of Norwich, and Coningsburgh to Rome, to beseech his holiness to grant them certain things concerning his honour and dignity (Calendar of State Papers, Venetian, i. 130). In 1472 Coningsburgh styles himself president, that is, representative of the chancellor, of the university of Cambridge (Cole's MSS. xii. 168).
In 1477 he was promoted to the archbishopric of Armagh (Cotton, Fasti Eccl. Hibern. iii. 17, v. 196), and on 3 July in that year he obtained the custodium of all the temporalities of the see then in the king's hands. On 1 Jan. 1477–8 he and Alvared Connesburgh, esquire of the body to Edward II had a commission from the king to hear and determine all controversies, suits, and debates depending between any of the great men or peers of Ireland (Rymer, Fœdera, edit. 1711, 44, 45, 58). But although the king had engaged to support him, and laid an injunction (2 May 1478) upon the lord deputy and all his subjects not to admit any other person to the to the see, yet the pope having been against his promotion, and being desirous of displacing him, appointed Octavian de Palatio administrator-general of the see, both in spirit and temporals, on the pretence that the payment of the fees for the papal bulls had been neglected (Ware, Bishops of Ireland ed. Harris, pp. 87, 88). This not only gave Coniugsburgh much uneasiness, but kept him so poor that in 1479 he was glad to resign after having covenanted with the administrator, who was his successor, for the discharge of all the debts contracted at Rome, and for an annual pension of fifty marks during his life. Of his subsequent career nothing is known (Masters, Corpus Christi College, ii. 273; Cole, Athenæ Cantab. C. p. 230).
[Authorities cited above.]
CONINGSBY, Sir HARRY (fl. 1664), translator, was son of Thomas Coningsby of North Mimms, Hertfordshire. The family was descended from John, third son of Sir Humphrey Coningsby, a judge under Henry VIII [see Coningsby, Sir William]. John Coningsby married Elizabeth, daughter and coheiress Henry Frowick of North Mimms. Sir Harry's grandfather was Sir Ralph, who was sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1591. His father, Thomas, born in 1591, was high sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1638 and in 1642; avowed himself a supporter of Charles I; was arrested by the parliamentarians at St. Albans early in while endeavouring to execute a commission of array; was imprisoned first in London House, and afterwards in the Tower; was deprived of most of his property; was released from the Tower after seven years suffering in 1650; translated into English Justus Lipsius's 'Discourse on Constancy,' of which nothing has survived; and died on 1 Oct. 1654. Harry, Thomas's only son, sold the North Mimms estate to Sir Nicholas Hide in 1658, retired with his mother to Weild or Wold Hall, Shenley, Hertfordshire, married Hester Cambell, and was knighted
