Meredith, descended from
Gruffudd ap Cynan, was from
Denbighshire,
Wales. He was the son of Robert Meredith of
Llanfair Talhaiarn and the nephew of George Smith, Chancellor of
St. Asaph. He was educated at the
University of Oxford,
matriculating in 1568 and obtained degrees of
Bachelor of Arts and
Master of Arts in 1573 and 1575 respectively from
Jesus College, Oxford. In 1578, he was
prebendary at
Brecon collegiate church and the
rector of
Barton,
Pembrokeshire; in the following year, he became
vicar of his native
Llanafan Fawr in
Brecknockshire and in 1580 the rector of
Nangle, Pembrokeshire, and prebendary of
St David's Cathedral, where his father's first cousin,
Richard Davies, was bishop. In the same year as his marriage he was appointed chaplain to
Sir John Perrot,
Lord Deputy of Ireland and
Dean of
St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. He was appointed
Bishop of Leighlin in 1589 (but not also, as is sometimes thought,
Bishop of Ferns; the two sees not being merged until after his death). Meredith continued as Dean of St Patrick's, given the poverty of his diocese. He was accused of treasonous correspondence once Perrot had returned to England in 1588, but Meredith showed the evidence to be forgeries. His support for Perrot led to his imprisonment in the
Fleet Prison and an appearance before the
Star Chamber, leading to a fine of £2,000 (later remitted in return for an annual payment to the queen of 300 marks for 10 years). He was in ill-health by 1593 and died in 1597; he was buried in St Patrick's. ==Family and descendants==