Edward Oldcorne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BlessedEdward Oldcorne SJ |
|
|---|---|
Flemish engraving of Edward Oldcorne (1561–1606), English Jesuit priest.
|
|
| Martyr | |
| Born | c. 1561 York, North Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 7 April 1606 (aged 44 - 45) Red Hill, Worcester, Worcestershire, England |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI |
| Feast | 7 April |
Edward Oldcorne (1561 – 7 April 1606) was an English Jesuit priest. He was connected to people who knew about the Gunpowder Plot. This was a plan to blow up the Parliament of England and kill King James I. Although his part in the plot is not fully clear, he was caught in the investigation that followed. He is a Roman Catholic martyr and was beatified in 1929.
Contents
Early Life of Edward Oldcorne
Oldcorne was born in York, England, in 1561. His father, John Oldcorne, was a Protestant. His mother, Mary, was a Catholic who had been in prison for her faith.
Edward went to St Peter's School, York. Some of his school friends were John and Christopher Wright, and Guy Fawkes. These names would later become famous due to the Gunpowder Plot.
Oldcorne first studied to become a doctor. However, he later decided to become a priest. He traveled to the English College in Reims, then to Rome. He became a priest in 1587 and joined the Jesuits in 1588.
Edward Oldcorne's Mission in England
In late 1588, Oldcorne returned to England. He came with another priest, Father John Gerard. In early 1589, he went to the West Midlands with Father Henry Garnet. He visited Coughton, Warwickshire and then settled at Baddesley Clinton.
For 17 years, he worked mainly in Worcestershire. Another Jesuit, Oswald Tesimond, helped him after 1596. Father Thomas Lister also supported Oldcorne's work.
Oldcorne often stayed with Thomas Abington at his house, Hindlip Hall. This house was near Baddesley Clinton. While there, he helped Thomas's sister, Dorothy, become a Catholic. The house was later changed by Nicholas Owen. Owen added secret hiding places to help keep Catholic priests safe.
Pilgrimage and Suspicions (1601-1605)
On 3 November 1601, Oldcorne went on a special trip. He visited St Winefride's Well in Holywell, north Wales. He hoped to find a cure for a throat cancer. The cancer did clear up.
In 1605, about thirty people went back with him to give thanks for his recovery. This group included priests Oswald Tesimond, Henry Garnet, and John Gerard. It also included Jesuit brothers Nicholas Owen and Ralph Ashley.
Everard Digby, one of the plotters, and his wife were also in this group. Oldcorne was their priest. The timing of this second trip and the people involved later made authorities suspicious. The government used this gathering as evidence to connect some of those present to the Gunpowder Plot.
After the Gunpowder Plot was Discovered
When the Gunpowder Plot was found out, Oldcorne was at Hindlip Hall. This had been his main base for fourteen years. In December, Nicholas Owen, Henry Garnet, and Ralph Ashley joined him there. They were hiding because they were suspected of being involved in the plot.
Hindlip Hall was searched in January. The four men were not found at first. Garnet and Oldcorne were in one hiding place. Owen and Ashley were in another. Their conditions were very difficult. After eight days, they gave up.
Oldcorne was arrested with Garnet by Sir Henry Bromley. They were held briefly at Holt Castle in Worcestershire. Then, they were taken to the Tower of London. It is believed that Bromley knew Oldcorne and Garnet were hiding there from information given by Humphrey Littleton.
Trial and Execution of Edward Oldcorne
Oldcorne was questioned very strictly. However, no clear proof was found to connect him directly to the Gunpowder Plot. During his questioning, he said that on 8 November 1605, Tesimond arrived. Tesimond told Mr. Abington and Oldcorne that "he brought them the worst news that they had ever heard, and they were all undone." Tesimond explained that some people had planned to blow up Parliament. But they had been discovered a few days before it was supposed to happen.
Some people believe Oldcorne was executed simply because he was a Catholic priest. Others think it was because he was well-known, or because he had given a safe place to hide for plotters Robert Wintour and Stephen Lyttelton. He also hid his superior, Henry Garnet, at Hindlip.
At his trial, Humphrey Littleton asked Oldcorne for forgiveness. It was said that Littleton believed he deserved to die for telling where his friend was hiding. Two letters written by Oldcorne from prison are kept at Stonyhurst College. The day before Oldcorne's execution, John Floyd, another Jesuit, was arrested for trying to visit him.
Edward Oldcorne was executed at Red Hill, Worcester. He was put to death along with John Wintour, Humphrey Littleton, and Ralph Ashley. He died in a harsh way that was common at the time. It is said that as Oldcorne waited to die, Ashley kissed his feet. Ashley said, "What a happy man am I to follow in the steps of my sweet father." Oldcorne died saying the name of St Winifred. When Ashley died, he prayed and asked for forgiveness. He noted that, like Oldcorne, he was dying for his religion, not as a traitor.
Edward Oldcorne's Legacy
After his death, a portrait of Oldcorne was painted for the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Some items connected to him survived. These include one of his eyes, which was lost during his execution. It is said the force of the blow was so great that his eye came out of its socket.
A secondary school in Worcester is named in his honor: Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College. His right eye is kept at Stonyhurst College. People there believe that a Catholic supporter took the eye while his body was being prepared after his execution.
