Christopher Bales
Encyclopedia
The Venerable Christopher Bales, also spelled Christopher Bayles, alias Christopher Evers (1564? - 1590), was an English
Catholic
priest
and martyr
.
, County Durham
, England, about 1564. He entered the English College at Rome
on 1 October 1583, but owing to ill-health was sent to the College at Reims
, where he was ordained 28 March 1587. Sent to England 2 November 1588, he was soon arrested, racked and tortured by Topcliffe
, and hung up by the hands for twenty-four hours at a time,it was said that "he bore all most patiently". Bales was tried and condemned for high treason
, on the charge of having been ordained beyond seas and coming to England to exercise his office. He asked Judge Anderson whether St. Augustine
, Apostle of the English (who did the same), was also a traitor; the judge said no, but that the act had since been made treason by law.
He was executed on the 4 March 1590, "about Easter", in Fleet Street
(London), opposite Fetter Lane
. On the gibbet
was set a placard
: "For treason and favouring foreign invasion". He spoke to the people from the ladder, showing them that his only "treason" was his priesthood. On the same day, Nicholas Horner
was executed in Smithfield
for having made Bales a jerkin
, and Alexander Blake in Gray's Inn Lane for lodging him in his house.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
.
Biography
Christopher was born at Coniscliffe near DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England, about 1564. He entered the English College at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on 1 October 1583, but owing to ill-health was sent to the College at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, where he was ordained 28 March 1587. Sent to England 2 November 1588, he was soon arrested, racked and tortured by Topcliffe
Richard Topcliffe
Richard Topcliffe was a landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. He became notorious as a priest-hunter and torturer and was often referred to as the Queen's principal "interrogator"....
, and hung up by the hands for twenty-four hours at a time,it was said that "he bore all most patiently". Bales was tried and condemned for high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
, on the charge of having been ordained beyond seas and coming to England to exercise his office. He asked Judge Anderson whether St. Augustine
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
, Apostle of the English (who did the same), was also a traitor; the judge said no, but that the act had since been made treason by law.
He was executed on the 4 March 1590, "about Easter", in Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
(London), opposite Fetter Lane
Fetter Lane
Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in London England. It runs from Fleet Street in the south to Holborn in the north.The earliest mention of the street is "faitereslane" in 1312. The name occurs with several spellings until it settles down about 1612. There is no agreement...
. On the gibbet
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
was set a placard
Placard
A placard is a notice installed in a public place, like a small card, sign, or plaque. It can be attached to or hung from a vehicle or building to indicate information about the vehicle operator or contents of a vehicle or building.- Buildings :...
: "For treason and favouring foreign invasion". He spoke to the people from the ladder, showing them that his only "treason" was his priesthood. On the same day, Nicholas Horner
Nicholas Horner
Nicholas Horner was an English Roman Catholiclayman, hanged, drawn and quartered because he had relieved and assisted Christopher Bales, a seminary priest...
was executed in Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
for having made Bales a jerkin
Jerkin
The word jerkin can mean:* Jerkin * Falconer's term for a male gyrfalcon* In architecture, a half-hip roof* Jerkin' - a hip hop dance movement that originated in Los Angeles....
, and Alexander Blake in Gray's Inn Lane for lodging him in his house.
Sources and references
- John Gibbons, Concertatio Ecclesiae Catholicae in Anglia (Trier, 1589). (Formerly attributed to John BridgewaterJohn BridgewaterJohn Bridgewater, known also as Aquapontanus, was an English clerical historian of the Catholic Confessors under Queen Elizabeth I Tudor.-Biography:...
). - Richard ChallonerRichard ChallonerRichard Challoner was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. He is perhaps most famous for his revision of the Douay Rheims translation of the Bible.-Early life:Challoner was born in the Protestant town of Lewes,...
, Memoirs - John Hungerford Pollen, Acts of English Martyrs (London, 1891)
- Northern Catholic Calendar
- Thomas Francis KnoxThomas Francis KnoxFather Francis Knox Father Francis Knox Father Francis Knox (born as Thomas Francis Knox; 24 December 1822 — 20 March 1882, LondonKnox, whose profile in the claims he was born in County Armagh, not Brussels, was an Anglo-Irish ultramontane Roman Catholic priest and author, known for his historical...
, Douay Diaries (London, 1878) - John MorrisJohn Morris (Jesuit)John Morris was an English Jesuit and historical writer.-Life:He was educated partly in India, partly at Harrow School, partly in reading for Cambridge with Dean Alford, the New Testament scholar. Under him a great change passed over Morris's ideas...
, Catholics of York under Elizabeth (London, 1891) - Henry FoleyHenry FoleyBrother Henry Foley, S.J., was an English Jesuit Roman Catholic church historian.-Biography:He was born at Astley in Worcestershire, England on 9 August 1811. His father was the Protestant curate in charge at Astley...
, Records S. J., Roman Diary (London, 1880).