John Marshall (priest) facts for kids
John Marshall (born in Worcestershire in 1534, died in Lille on April 3, 1597) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He was one of the first six people who helped William Allen start the English College at Douai in 1568. This college was an important place for English Catholics living outside of England.
A Young Scholar's Life
John Marshall began his education at Winchester College from 1545 to 1549. After that, he studied at New College, Oxford for seven years, from 1549 to 1556. He earned a degree in civil law there in 1556.
After finishing his studies, he became an assistant teacher at Winchester College, his old school. However, when Elizabeth I of England became queen, John Marshall and his colleague, Thomas Hyde, felt they needed to leave England.
Marshall moved to Leuven, a city where many English Catholics had gone to live. Later, he moved to Douai, where a new university had just opened. He continued his studies there and earned another degree in 1567.
When William Allen arrived in Douai to set up his new college, John Marshall was already living there. He joined the new college, which later became very famous. He didn't stay at the college for a very long time, mainly because they couldn't pay him much. Later, he got a special job as a canon in the church of St. Peter in a nearby city called Lille.
Because of problems in the country, he wasn't able to start this job until 1579. He enjoyed this important position for eighteen years. John Marshall died on April 3, 1597, in Lille. He was buried in St. Peter's Church.
His Writings
While he was living in Leuven, John Marshall wrote two important books. His first book, Treatise of the Cross, was published in Antwerp in 1564. In this book, he explained why Catholics honored the Cross. He even dedicated it to Queen Elizabeth, who kept a crucifix in her chapel.
A Calvinist named James Calfhill disagreed with Marshall's book and wrote against it. So, Marshall wrote another book called Reply, published in Louvain in 1566, to answer Calfhill's arguments. He also wrote a book about the Tonsure of Clerks, but this one was never published.
