Thomas Bell (Catholic priest) facts for kids

Thomas Bell was an English priest who lived a long time ago, from about 1573 to 1610. He started as a Roman Catholic priest but later became a writer who spoke out against Catholicism.

Life Story

He was born in a place called Raskelf, near Thirsk in Yorkshire, in 1551. When he was young, he worked as a clergyman in Lancashire. Later, he became a Roman Catholic and was put in prison in York around 1573.

In 1576, he went to a college in Douay. Then, in 1579, when he was 28, he studied philosophy at the English College in Rome. By 1581, he was a priest in Rome. In March 1582, he was sent back to England.

Around 1586, he worked with other priests in places like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. In 1592, people thought he was against the government. He was arrested, like many other priests at the time. He was sent to London.

However, he changed his mind and decided to help the authorities. He was sent back to Lancashire to help find Jesuits, who were a group of Catholic priests. After this, he went to Cambridge. There, he started writing books that argued against Catholic beliefs.

After leaving Catholicism, he helped the authorities find Catholics. He would lead searches of Catholic homes at night. He also made a list of Catholics who had given him money before. He also listed houses in Lancashire where Catholicism was still practiced.

His Writings

Thomas Bell wrote many books and pamphlets. These writings were often about his views on religion and his arguments against Catholicism. Some of his most known works include:

• Thomas Bels Motives: concerning Romish Faith and Religion, published in Cambridge in 1593.
• A Treatise of Usurie, published in Cambridge in 1594.
• The Survey of Popery, published in London in 1596.
• Hunting of the Romish Fox, published in 1598. This book was officially recorded in the Stationers' Register.
• The Anatomie of Popish Tyrannie, published in London in 1603. This book talked about letters and books published by priests and Jesuits.
• The Golden Balance of Tryall, published in London in 1603. It also included A Counterblast against the Vaine Blast of a Masked Companion.
• The Downefall of Poperie, published in London in 1604 and 1605. This book was later reprinted as The Fall of Papistrie in 1628. Other writers, like Robert Parsons, wrote replies to this work.
• The Woefull Crie of Rome, published in London in 1605.
• The Popes Funerall, published in London in 1606. This was a reply to another book.
• The Jesuites Ante-past, published in London in 1608. This was another reply to a book called The Downefall of Poperie.
• The Tryall of the New Religion, published in London in 1608.
• A Christian Dialogue between Theophilus, a Deformed Catholike in Rome, and Remigius, a Reformed Catholike in the Church of England, published in 1609.
• The Catholique Triumph, published in London in 1610. This was a reply to another book published against The Tryall of the New Religion.

In his book Jesuites Ante-past, Thomas Bell mentioned that Queen Elizabeth I gave him a yearly payment of fifty pounds. This payment was continued by King James I.