Edward Oldcorne
Encyclopedia
Blessed Edward Oldcorne or Oldcorn alias Hall (b. 1561; executed 7 April 1606 at Red Hill
, Worcester
) was an English
Jesuit priest
. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot
to destroy the Parliament of England
and kill King James I
, and, although his involvement is unclear, he was caught up in the subsequent investigation. He is a Catholic martyr
, and was beatified
in 1929.
in 1561, the son of John Oldcorne, a bricklayer, and his wife Mary. His father was a Protestant
, and his mother a Catholic who had spent some time in prison due to her faith. He was educated at St Peter's School in York; school friends were John
and Christopher Wright and Guy Fawkes
.
Oldcorne was educated as a doctor, but later decided to enter the priesthood. He went to the English College at Reims
, then to Rome
, where, after ordination, in 1587, he became a Jesuit in 1588.
Next year he returned to England in the company of John Gerard. He worked chiefly in Worcestershire
for seventeen years. He sometimes stayed with Thomas Abington
, whose house at Hindlip Hall
was adapted by Nicholas Owen to help conceal Catholic priests. Abington's wife Mary was the sister of William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle
; Lord Monteagle was later to become a pivotal figure in the capture of the gunpowder plotters.
at Holywell
in north Wales to obtain a cure for a cancer of the throat. The cancer cleared up and in 1605 about thirty people returned with him to give thanks for his recovery. Amongst this group were the priests Oswald Tesimond
, Ralph Ashley
, and Henry Garnet
, as well as Nicholas Owen and John Gerard .
Also in the group was plotter Everard Digby
and his wife, whose priest was Oldcorne. The timing of this second pilgrimage and the people involved later aroused suspicion. The government investigation used this gathering as circumstantial evidence to implicate some of those there in the plot.
was discovered, as a result of Lord Monteagle's letter, Oldcorne was at Hindlip Hall
as this had been his base for fourteen years. The authorship of Monteagle's letter has been a significant problem to historians. One of the suspects put forward is Edward Oldcorne. Oldcorne recounted later under interrogation that on the 8 November 1605 there arrived Tesimond from Robert Wintour's who told Mr (H)Abington and himself that "he brought them the worst news that they had ever heard, and they were all undone." Tesimond said that certain people had intended to blow up the parliament house but they had been discovered a few days before.
In December, he was joined by Nicholas Owen, Garnet and Ashley who were hiding because they were under suspicion of involvement. Hindlip was searched in January but the four were not discovered, even though Garnet and Oldcorne were in one hiding place whilst the two lay brothers were in another. Their conditions were poor, and after eight days they surrendered. It has been said that Bromley would have abandoned his search much earlier but he had information from Humphrey Littleton that Oldcorne and possibly Garnet were hiding there.
Oldcorne was arrested with Henry Garnet by Sir Henry Bromley and held briefly at the castle at Holt
in Worcestershire before being taken to the Tower of London
.
Despite torture being applied to Oldcorne, no evidence was found to connect him to the Gunpowder Plot. Some believe that he was executed just for his priesthood. Others suppose that it may have been because he was notorious or because he had provided safe refuge through Father Jones for the plotters, Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton for providing a hiding place for his superior Henry Garnet at Hindlip. At his trial, Humphrey Littleton asked for his forgiveness and it was said that he believed he deserved to die for revealing his friend's whereabouts. Two letters of his are at Stonyhurst
, the second written from prison. On the day before his execution John Floyd
, a fellow Jesuit, was arrested for trying to visit him.
Oldcorne was executed at Red Hill, together with John Wintour, Humphrey Littleton
and Ralph Ashley
. He was accompanied at his execution by Ashley, his servant. It is said that, as Oldcorne waited on the ladder to die, Ashley kissed his feet and said, "What a happy man am I to follow in the steps of my sweet father". Oldcorne died with the name of St Winifred on his lips. When Ashley came to die he prayed and asked for forgiveness and noted that like Oldcorne he was dying for his religion and not for being a traitor.
Oldcorne's portrait, painted after his death for the Gesù (This may mean the Society of Jesus
), survived, as well as a number of his relics. A particularly grisly relic is one of his eye
s which he lost when the executioner decapitated him: it is said that the force of the blow was so great that his eye flew out of its socket. There is a secondary school, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
, named in his honour, in Worcester
.
Red Hill, Worcester
Red Hill is an area of Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It is in the south-east of the city on the A44. It has historically been used as high ground to attack the city and as a place of execution.-History:...
, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Jesuit priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
to destroy the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
and kill King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, and, although his involvement is unclear, he was caught up in the subsequent investigation. He is a Catholic martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
, and was beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
in 1929.
Early life
Oldcorne was born in YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in 1561, the son of John Oldcorne, a bricklayer, and his wife Mary. His father was a Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, and his mother a Catholic who had spent some time in prison due to her faith. He was educated at St Peter's School in York; school friends were John
John Wright (Gunpowder Plot)
John Wright , and Christopher Wright , were members of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a conspiracy to assassinate King James I by blowing up the House of Lords. Their sister married another plotter, Thomas Percy...
and Christopher Wright and Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
.
Oldcorne was educated as a doctor, but later decided to enter the priesthood. He went to the English 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....
, then to 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...
, where, after ordination, in 1587, he became a Jesuit in 1588.
Next year he returned to England in the company of John Gerard. He worked chiefly in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
for seventeen years. He sometimes stayed with Thomas Abington
Thomas Abington
Sir Thomas Habington was an English antiquarian, son of John Habington and Catherine Wykes, and the brother of Edward Habington...
, whose house at Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall is in Worcestershire. The first major hall was built before 1575. It played a significant role in both the Babington and the Gunpowder plots . It was Humphrey Littleton who told the authorities that Edward Oldcorne was hiding here after he had been heard saying Mass at Hindlip Hall...
was adapted by Nicholas Owen to help conceal Catholic priests. Abington's wife Mary was the sister of William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle
William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle
William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle was an English peer, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, the eldest son of Edward Parker, 12th Baron Morley , and of Elizabeth Stanley, daughter and heiress of William Stanley, 3rd Baron Monteagle .When quite a youth he...
; Lord Monteagle was later to become a pivotal figure in the capture of the gunpowder plotters.
From 1601 to 1605
On 3 November 1601, Oldcorne went on a pilgrimage to St Winefride's WellSt Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well is a holy well located in Holywell, in Flintshire in North Wales. It is the oldest continually visited pilgrimage site in Great Britain....
at Holywell
Holywell
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...
in north Wales to obtain a cure for a cancer of the throat. The cancer cleared up and in 1605 about thirty people returned with him to give thanks for his recovery. Amongst this group were the priests Oswald Tesimond
Oswald Tesimond
Oswald Tesimond was a Jesuit born in either Northumberland or York who, while not a direct conspirator, had some involvement in the Gunpowder Plot....
, Ralph Ashley
Ralph Ashley
Blessed Ralph Ashley was an English Jesuit lay-brother who became involved with the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.-Life:...
, and Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet , sometimes Henry Garnett, was a Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester College, before moving to London in 1571 to work for a publisher...
, as well as Nicholas Owen and John Gerard .
Also in the group was plotter Everard Digby
Everard Digby
Sir Everard Digby was a member of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Although he was raised in a Protestant household, and married a Protestant, Digby and his wife were converted to Catholicism by the Jesuit priest John Gerard...
and his wife, whose priest was Oldcorne. The timing of this second pilgrimage and the people involved later aroused suspicion. The government investigation used this gathering as circumstantial evidence to implicate some of those there in the plot.
After the Plot
When the Gunpowder PlotGunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
was discovered, as a result of Lord Monteagle's letter, Oldcorne was at Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall is in Worcestershire. The first major hall was built before 1575. It played a significant role in both the Babington and the Gunpowder plots . It was Humphrey Littleton who told the authorities that Edward Oldcorne was hiding here after he had been heard saying Mass at Hindlip Hall...
as this had been his base for fourteen years. The authorship of Monteagle's letter has been a significant problem to historians. One of the suspects put forward is Edward Oldcorne. Oldcorne recounted later under interrogation that on the 8 November 1605 there arrived Tesimond from Robert Wintour's who told Mr (H)Abington and himself that "he brought them the worst news that they had ever heard, and they were all undone." Tesimond said that certain people had intended to blow up the parliament house but they had been discovered a few days before.
In December, he was joined by Nicholas Owen, Garnet and Ashley who were hiding because they were under suspicion of involvement. Hindlip was searched in January but the four were not discovered, even though Garnet and Oldcorne were in one hiding place whilst the two lay brothers were in another. Their conditions were poor, and after eight days they surrendered. It has been said that Bromley would have abandoned his search much earlier but he had information from Humphrey Littleton that Oldcorne and possibly Garnet were hiding there.
Holt, Worcestershire
Holt Fleet is a village in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. The church is dedicated to St. Martin, and dates from about the 12th century. Holt Bridge, over the River Severn, was designed by Thomas Telford, and opened in 1830.-Early history:Holt saw archaeological...
in Worcestershire before being taken to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
.
Despite torture being applied to Oldcorne, no evidence was found to connect him to the Gunpowder Plot. Some believe that he was executed just for his priesthood. Others suppose that it may have been because he was notorious or because he had provided safe refuge through Father Jones for the plotters, Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton for providing a hiding place for his superior Henry Garnet at Hindlip. At his trial, Humphrey Littleton asked for his forgiveness and it was said that he believed he deserved to die for revealing his friend's whereabouts. Two letters of his are at Stonyhurst
Stonyhurst
Stonyhurst is the name of a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is dominated by Stonyhurst College, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish Church of St Peter's.-The Estate:...
, the second written from prison. On the day before his execution John Floyd
John Floyd (Jesuit)
John Floyd was an English Jesuit, known as a controversialist. He is known under the pseudonyms Daniel à Jesu, Hermannus Loemelius, and George White John Floyd (1572 – September 15, 1649) was an English Jesuit, known as a controversialist. He is known under the pseudonyms Daniel à Jesu, Hermannus...
, a fellow Jesuit, was arrested for trying to visit him.
Oldcorne was executed at Red Hill, together with John Wintour, Humphrey Littleton
Humphrey Littleton (plotter)
Humphrey Littleton died on 7 April 1606 at Red Hill outside Worcester. He was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder plot. Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton who had escaped from the fight at Holbeche House were captured at Hagley Park on the 9 January 1606 despite Littleton's protests...
and Ralph Ashley
Ralph Ashley
Blessed Ralph Ashley was an English Jesuit lay-brother who became involved with the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.-Life:...
. He was accompanied at his execution by Ashley, his servant. It is said that, as Oldcorne waited on the ladder to die, Ashley kissed his feet and said, "What a happy man am I to follow in the steps of my sweet father". Oldcorne died with the name of St Winifred on his lips. When Ashley came to die he prayed and asked for forgiveness and noted that like Oldcorne he was dying for his religion and not for being a traitor.
Oldcorne's portrait, painted after his death for the Gesù (This may mean the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
), survived, as well as a number of his relics. A particularly grisly relic is one of his eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
s which he lost when the executioner decapitated him: it is said that the force of the blow was so great that his eye flew out of its socket. There is a secondary school, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is a school in Worcester, England. It is a co-educational school, in which there are about 1050 students enrolled, aged between 11 and 16...
, named in his honour, in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
.