Some of the Forgotten Catholic Martyrs of Britain

Some more forgotten Blessed Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales between 1584 and 1679

There are English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irishmen and women here:-

-- [Religious order priests:]
----- Bl. Arthur Bell of Temple Broughton (English, Franciscan, died at age 53 in 1643)
----- Bl. Thomas Bullaker of Chichester (English, Franciscan, died at about age 40 in 1642)
----- Bl. Roger Filcock of Sandwich (English, Jesuit, died at about age 30 in 1600)
----- Bl. Henry Heath of Peterborough (English, Franciscan,died at about age 44 in 1643)
----- Bl. Charles Meehan (Irish, Franciscan shipwrecked on Welsh coast, died at about age 39 in 1679)
----- Bl. Robert Middleton of Yorkshire (English, Jesuit, died at about age 31 in 1601)
----- Bl. Robert Nutter of Burnley Lanes (English, Dominican, d.1600)
----- Bl. John Woodcock of Leyland (English, Franciscan, died at age
43 in 1646)

-- [Diocesan priests:]
----- Bl. John Adams of Martinstavn(English, died at about age 43 in 1586)
----- Bl. Thomas Atkinson of East Riding (English, d. 1616)
----- Bl. Edward Bamber of The Moor (English,died at age 46 in 1646)
----- Bl. George Beesley of Goosnarck Hill(English, died at about age 28 in 1591)
----- Bl. Edward Burden of Durham(English, died at about age 48 in 1588)
----- Bl. Roger Cadwallador of Stretton Sugwas[alias Rogers] (English, died at about age 44 in 1610)
----- Bl. Alexander Crow of South Douffield (English, died at age 36)
----- Bl. William Davies of Caernavonshire (Welsh, d. 1593)
----- Bl. Robert Dibdale of Worcestershire (English, died at about age 28 in 1586)
----- Bl. George Douglas (Scottish, d. 1587)
----- Bl. Robert Drury of Egerley (English,died at about age 39 in 1607)
----- Bl. Edmund Duke of Kent (English, d. 1590)
----- Bl. John Fingley of Barnley [also known as Finglow] (English,d. 1586)
----- Bl. Matthew Flathers of Weston (English, died at about age 48 in 1608)
----- Bl. Nicolas Garlick (English, died at about age 33 in 1588)
----- Bl. John Hambley of Oxford (English, died at about age 27 in 1587)
----- Bl. George Haydock of Cottam Hall (English, died at about age 27 in 1584)
----- Bl. Richard Hill of Yorkshire (English, d. 1590)
----- Bl. John Hogg of Ugthorphe (English, d. 1590)
----- Bl. Richard Holiday of Yorkshire (English, d. 1590)
----- Bl. Thomas Hunt of Norfolk [alias Benstead] (English, died at about age 26 in 1600)
----- Bl. Thurstan Hunt of Carlton Hall (English, died at about age 46 in 1601)
----- Bl. Francis Ingleby (English, d. 1586)
----- Bl. Joseph Lambton of Yorkshire (English,died at about age 24 in 1592)
----- Bl. John Lowe of London (English, died at about age 33 in 1586)
----- Bl. Robert Ludlam of Radborne (English, died at about age 37 in 1588)
----- Bl. George Nichols of Oxford (English, died at about age 39 in 1589)
----- Bl. Edward Osbaldeston of Lancashire(English, d. 1594)
----- Bl. Anthony Page of Harrow (English, died at about age 28 in 1593)
----- Bl. Thomas Palaser of Elerton [also known as Palasor and Pallicer] (English, died at about age 30 in 1600)
----- Bl. Thomas Pilcher of Battle [also known as Pilchard] (English, died at about age 30 in 1587) ----- Bl. Thomas Pormont (English, died at about age 22 [seminarian?]in 1592)
----- Bl. Nicolas Postgate of Kirkdale (English, died at about age 79 in 1679)
----- Bl. Christopher Robinson of Woodside (English, d.1598)
----- Bl. Stephen Rowsham of Oxfordshire (English, died at about age 35 in 1587)
----- Bl. John Sandys of Chester (English, d. 1586)
----- Bl. Montford Scott of Suffolk (English, died at about age 41 in 1591)
----- Bl. Richard Sergeant of Gloucester [alias Lee or Long] (English, d.1586)
----- Bl. Richard Simpson of Wells (English, died at about age 35 in 1588)
----- Bl. Peter Snow of Ripon (English, d. 1598)
----- Bl. William Southerne of Ketton (English, died at about age 39 in 1618)
----- Bl. William Spenser of Gisburn (English, died at about age 34 in 1589)
----- Bl. Thomas Sprott of Skelsmergh (English, died at about age 29 in 1600)
----- Bl. John Sugar of Wambourne (English, died at about age 46 in 1604)
----- Bl. Robert Sutton of Burton (English, died at about age 43 in 1588)
----- Bl. Edmund Sykes of Leeds (English, d. 1587)
----- Bl. Hugh Taylor of Durham (English, died at about age 25 in 1585)
----- Bl. William Thomson of Blackburn (English, died at about age 26 in 1586)
----- Bl. Robert Thorpe of Yorkshire (English, d. 1591)
----- Bl. John Thules of Upholland (English, died at about age 48 in 1616)
----- Bl. Edward Thwing of Hurst (English, died at about age 35 in 1600)
----- Bl. Christopher Wharton of Middleton (English, died at age 60 in 1600)
----- Bl. Nicholas Wheeler of Leominster [alias Woodfen] (English, died at about age 36 in 1586)
----- Bl. Thomas Whitaker of Burnley (English, died at about age 35 in 1646)
----- Bl. Richard Yaxley of Boston (English, died at about age 19[seminarian?] in 1589)

-- [Laymen:]----- Bl. Thomas Belson of Oxfordshire (English, died at about age 24)
----- Bl. Robert Bickerdike of Lowhale (English, d. 1586)
----- Bl. Alexander Blake (English, d.1590)
----- Bl. Marmaduke Bowes of Angram (English, d. 1585)
----- Bl. John Bretton of Bretton (English, died at about age 69 in 1598)
----- Bl. William Carter (English, d. 1584)
----- Bl. George Errington of Herst(English, died at about age 42)
----- Bl. Richard Flower of Anglesey(Welsh, d. 1588)
----- Bl. William Gibson of Ripon (English, d.1596)
----- Bl. Ralph Grimston of Yorkshire (English, d. 1598)
----- Bl. Robert Grissold of Rowington (English, d. 1604)
----- Bl. Robert Hardesty (English, d. 1589)
----- Bl. Nicolas Horner of Grantley (English, d.1590)
----- Bl. William Knight of South Douffield (English, died at about age 24 in 1596)
----- Bl. William Lampley (English, d. 1588)
----- Bl. John Norton of Yorkshire (English, d. 1600)
----- Bl. William Pike of Dorsetshire (English, d. 1591)
----- Bl. Humphrey Pritchard of Galles [also known as H. Richard] (Welsh, d. 1589)
----- Bl. John Talbot of Thornton-le-Street (English, d. 1600)
----- Bl. Thomas Watkinson of Yorkshire (English, d. 1591)
----- Bl. Henry Webley of Gloucester (English,died at about age 30 in 1588)
----- Bl. Roger Wrenno of Chorley [also known as Roger Warren] (English, died at about age 40 in 1616)

Blessed John Sugar and Blessed Robert Grissold - Forgotten Heroes

If we think that things are bad in the Church at the moment, with Priests (and even Bishops) openly disobeying the will of the Holy Father etc. then just spare a thought for our spiritual forefathers. Their problems were nigh on insurmountable, but they displayed a courage and strength of faith that would put us to shame. Two such forgotten heros are Blessed John Sugar and Blessed Robert Grissold.

Blessed Robert Grissold (or Greswold) came from a village called Rowington, which is approximately 2 miles from Baddesley Clinton, which is a small village in Warwickshire.

The Grissold’s were devout Catholics in a troubled time, because in the early 1600’s in England, it was against the law for anyone to attend Mass. Instead they were forced to attend vernacular communion services, introduced by Archbishop Cramner (a few years earlier), which were very different to the Traditional Latin Masses that Catholics were used to. For a start the service was entirely in English, the pastor faced the congregation, any references the Mass as a sacrifice had been banished and there were vernacular hymns sung throughout the ceremony to emphasise the communal sense of the service. Stained glass windows and images had either been destroyed or whitewashed over; and Communion was offered under both kinds, inline with the Hussite and Protestant belief , which maintained that Communion under both kinds was necessary for salvation.

In 1603 the authorities were searching for Priests, who because of the impossible legal situation, led double lives, often taking on alias names and hiding for hours in secret hiding places (constructed in houses) called Priest holes.

On Sunday, 8th July, Robert Grissold was found on a road near Baddesley Clinton House, a place notorious for ‘popery’, with Father John Sugar – it is quite possible that Fr. Sugar had just come back from celebrating Mass. Both Fr. Sugar and Robert Grissold were arrested and then imprisoned in Warwick Gaol for one a year.

On 13th July 1604 John Sugar was convicted of being a Catholic Priest and was condemned to be hung drawn and quartered, which was the punishment for being a Priest in England at that time. Robert Grissold was told that he would be freed if he would recant and attend the communion services of the Established Church , at one point an exasperated Justice shouted at him ‘Grissold, Grissold, go to Church or else thou shalt be hanged’. He refused to accept this and was found guilty of being in the company of and of assisting a Catholic Priest. Being a layman he was sentenced to be hung.

On 16th July 1604 both men were taken to a place called Gallows Hill - to their execution. Both prayed in Latin before courageously meeting their death in the most horrific manner . Blessed John Sugar was hung first and then Blessed John Grissold who told the multitude (who had come to watch the execution) ‘Bear witness, good people, that I die here not for theft, nor for felony, but for my conscience.’ Fr. Sugar’s head and quarters were hung on the gates of Warwick, while Blessed Robert Grissold was buried beneath the gallows.

Blessed John Sugar was 42 years old and Robert Grissold was just 29 years of age. They were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987.

It's a Small World - New Consultors of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff

I noticed the following headline yesterday in the Vatican Bollettino:- The Holy Father has nominated as consultors of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: Msgr. Nicola Bux, professor at the Theological Faculty of Puglia, Italy; Fr. Mauro Gagliardi, professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum", Rome; Fr. Juan Jose Silvestre Valor, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. Fr. Uwe Michael Lang C.O., official of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Fr. Paul C. F. Gunter O.S.B., professor at the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum, Rome.

I have come across two of the above Priests before. Fr. Lang intervened and stopped me from getting into hot water with a German security guard at World Youth Day in Cologne Germany (I was a completely innocent bystander by the way); and I used to be one of Fr. Gunter’s Altar Servers at St. Gregory’s in Cheltenham – in fact I spoke to him a few months ago when I was in Rome. Fr. Gunter is, in fact, a Priest of Douai Abbey in Berkshire and has been in Rome for many years, I am very pleased for him as he has deserved it for all his hard work!

Douai Abbey have an Abbot in Rome too, Fr. Edmund Power is the Abbot of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, he’s also 33-1 to be the next Archbishop of Westminster.

YCA Local Group(s)

Cheltenham (Gloucestershire)
New Joint Local YCA Meeting

YCA are sponsoring the catechetical materials of Cheltenham Catholic Adults. The meeting takes place on the 2nd Tuesday of the month on the 1st floor of the Old Priory at St. Gregory's Church Cheltenham. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 9th September 2008 at 8.15pm on the 1st floor (upstairs) of the Old Priory. Please ring 07908 105787 for more details.

A new group will start at St. Peter's Gloucester in the next few weeks.

Extraordinary Mass

As per the last blog entry a traditional Low Mass is being celebrated at St. Gregory's every 2 weeks, the next Mass being Saturday 6th September.