Mark Barkworth facts for kids

Mark Barkworth (also known as Mark Lambert) was a brave Catholic priest who lived a long time ago, from about 1572 to 1601. He is remembered as a martyr. This means he died for his strong religious beliefs.

Early Life and Faith Journey

Mark Barkworth was born around 1572 in a place called Searby, Lincolnshire. He studied for a short time at Oxford University. He was raised as a Protestant. However, in 1593, he decided to become a Catholic. This happened in Douai, a city in France. He then joined a college there to study and become a priest.

Becoming a Priest

Due to a sickness called the plague, Mark Barkworth moved to Valladolid, Spain, in 1596. There, he joined the English College. On his way to Spain, he believed he saw St Benedict. St. Benedict told him he would die as a martyr, wearing a Benedictine monk's robe.

While in Spain, Mark Barkworth became more interested in the Benedictine Order. He became a priest at the English College before July 1599. After that, he set off for England with another priest, Father Thomas Garnet. On his journey, he stayed at the Benedictine Monastery of Hyrache in Navarre. There, he was allowed to join the Benedictine Order as an Oblate. This meant he could formally join the order at the time of his death.

Arrest and Imprisonment

Mark Barkworth managed to escape from a group called the Huguenots in La Rochelle. But when he arrived in England, he was arrested. He was then put in Newgate prison. During this time, it was seen as an act of treason for someone to be a priest in England if they had been ordained abroad.

He was held in prison for six months. After that, he was moved to Bridewell prison. While there, he wrote a letter to Robert Cecil. People said he acted very bravely and cheerfully during his questioning. After being found guilty, he was sent to a terrible underground prison cell at Newgate. He was said to remain "very cheerful" there until his death.

Final Moments and Legacy

Mark Barkworth was executed at Tyburn on February 27, 1601. He was executed along with a Jesuit priest named Roger Filcock and a woman named Anne Line. On his way to Tyburn, he sang a joyful song.

When he arrived, he kissed Anne Line's robe, as she had already died. He said, "Ah, sister, you have got the start of us, but we will follow you as quickly as we may." He told the people that Pope St. Gregory had sent Benedictine monks to teach Christianity in England. He also said, "I am come here to die, being a Catholic, a priest, and a religious man, belonging to the Order of St Benedict; it was by this same order that England was converted."

People described him as a tall and strong man with brown hair and a yellow beard. He was known for his cheerful personality. He wore the Benedictine habit when he died. It was noticed that his knees were hardened from constant kneeling, like those of St. James. This showed how much he prayed. Unlike what usually happened, his body parts were buried near the scaffold instead of being displayed.

Mark Barkworth was honored by Pope Pius XI on December 15, 1929. This process is called beatification.

See also

• Douai Martyrs

Sources

• See: Godfrey Anstruther, Seminary Priests, St Edmund's College, Ware, 1968, vol. I, pp. 21–22, 116, 274-275.