Philip Bisse established contacts that greatly advanced his career– a cousin of Robert Harley, earl of Oxford, he married Bridget Osborne, daughter of the first Duke of Leeds and widow of the Earl of Plymouth, an illegitimate son of Charles II. Described by Harley as ‘my urbane and socially-minded cousin, whose talents as a genial matchmaker for the aristocratic young were unsurpassed’, Bisse became bishop of St Davids and later, in 1713, bishop of Hereford – no doubt proposed by Harley in return for political support. He was a favourite of Queen Anne and many saw him as a likely successor to the archbishop of York, John Sharp, on his death in 1714. For all his political angling, Bisse was an exemplary diocesan bishop. He undertook his episcopal duties efficiently and with great care. His visitation articles were very thorough and he was a great supporter of diocesan charities. In particular, he supported his brother, Thomas, in his aim to make the fledgling Three Choirs Festival, into a significant means of support for poor clergy and their dependents. At a time when most bishops were enthroned using a proxy, Bisse attended in person and, also unusual for the time, conducted most of the ordinations in his own cathedral. He was a great supporter of Hereford Cathedral and made substantial alterations to the Quire, providing panelling, galleries for his family and prebendaries and a huge reredos, with realistically painted curtains with tassels. The central tower was causing anxiety, and Bisse ordered to supports to be inserted - these were ineffectual and actually weakened the structure by lateral pressure. On arrival in the diocese, he found the bishop’s palace ‘incommodious and unwholesome’ and practically rebuilt it at a cost of about £3,000 of his own money. He divided the great hall into five compartments and re-faced the walls with stone from the ruinous chapter house.
