Francis Tregian the Elder
Encyclopedia
Francis Tregian the Elder (1548–1608) was the son of Thomas Tregian of Wolvenden of Probus, Cornwall
and Catherine Arundell. A staunch Catholic
, he inherited substantial estates on the death of his father, including the manors of Bedock, Landegy, Lanner and Carvolghe, and the family home, 'Golden', in the parish of Probus, near Truro
. He was the father of Francis Tregian the Younger
.
In 1576 Tregian harboured a Catholic seminary priest
, Cuthbert Mayne
, who passed as his steward. On 8 June 1577, the Sheriff
of Cornwall, Sir Richard Grenville
surrounded the house with some hundred men and arrested both Tregian and Mayne, who was executed later that year. Tregian was also condemned to death, but this sentence was remitted to imprisonment. He was incarcerated at Windsor
and then in various London
prisons for twenty-eight years, until he was released by King James I
.
The execution of Cuthbert Mayne marked the beginning of the Elizabethan’s regime’s violent onslaught against Catholic dissent, a violence whose most famous victim would be Edmund Campion
, executed in 1581. Tregian was in the Fleet Prison
at the time of Campion's execution, but his close friend the Jesuit lay brother
Thomas Pounde
was in the Tower of London
with Campion. The sufferings of Tregian and Campion make up part of the story of Catholic persecution told in the first part of Pounde's long poem of that year, "A Challenge unto Foxe
the Martyrmonger...with a comfort unto all afflicted Catholics," confiscated in 1581 and surviving in a unique manuscript in The National Archives. The poem was probably dedicated to Tregian. It is preceded by a cover letter that begins, “To the ryght worshipfull my loving brother Mr F health & welthe in our Savyor.” For nineteenth-century Catholic scholars like Richard Simpson
and Henry Foley
, "Mr F" was Francis Tregian. There is an element of conjecture in the identification," but it is certain that Pounde and Tregian were together for nine months in the loose confinement of the Marshalsea
, Pounde from March 1576 to Sept. 1580 and Tregian from Sept 1577 until at least June 1578, and that given their shared literary interests they would have known each other there. The Tower and the Fleet were separated by little more than the width of the Thames, and Tregian had the privilege of receiving visitors. Clandestine manuscripts and books circulated among all the London prisons, so that there is nothing surprising in Pounde’s manuscript being conveyed from the Tower to the Fleet.
After his pardon by King James, Tregian retired to Madrid
, where he enjoyed a pension from King Philip III of Spain
. He died at the Jesuit hospice at St Roque
, Lisbon
, where he was buried upright under the west pulpit
, symbolic of his stand against Queen Elizabeth
.
Probus, Cornwall
Probus is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is famous for having the tallest church tower in Cornwall. The tower is high, and richly decorated with carvings...
and Catherine Arundell. A staunch 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"...
, he inherited substantial estates on the death of his father, including the manors of Bedock, Landegy, Lanner and Carvolghe, and the family home, 'Golden', in the parish of Probus, near Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
. He was the father of Francis Tregian the Younger
Francis Tregian the Younger
Francis Tregian the Younger was the son of the Catholic exile Francis Tregian the Elder .He was educated in France, and in 1592 obtained a position in Rome as chamberlain to Cardinal William Allen...
.
In 1576 Tregian harboured a Catholic seminary priest
Seminary priest
Seminary priests were Roman Catholic priests who were trained in English seminaries or houses of study on the European Continent after the introduction of laws forbidding Roman Catholicism in Britain. Such Seminaries included that at Douay, from 1568, and others at Rome from 1579, Valladolid from...
, Cuthbert Mayne
Cuthbert Mayne
'Saint Cuthbert Mayne was an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.- Early life :...
, who passed as his steward. On 8 June 1577, the Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Cornwall, Sir Richard Grenville
Richard Grenville
Sir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...
surrounded the house with some hundred men and arrested both Tregian and Mayne, who was executed later that year. Tregian was also condemned to death, but this sentence was remitted to imprisonment. He was incarcerated at Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
and then in various London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
prisons for twenty-eight years, until he was released by 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...
.
The execution of Cuthbert Mayne marked the beginning of the Elizabethan’s regime’s violent onslaught against Catholic dissent, a violence whose most famous victim would be Edmund Campion
Edmund Campion
Saint Edmund Campion, S.J. was an English Roman Catholic martyr and Jesuit priest. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Protestant England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason by a kangaroo court, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn...
, executed in 1581. Tregian was in the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
at the time of Campion's execution, but his close friend the Jesuit lay brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
Thomas Pounde
Thomas Pounde
Thomas Pounde was an English Jesuit lay brother.-Life:Pounde was born at Belmont , Farlington, Hampshire. He was the eldest son of William Pounde and Helen/Anne, the sister or half-sister to Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. He is reported to have been educated at Winchester College...
was in 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...
with Campion. The sufferings of Tregian and Campion make up part of the story of Catholic persecution told in the first part of Pounde's long poem of that year, "A Challenge unto Foxe
Foxe
Foxe may refer to:* Richard Foxe , English churchman* John Foxe , martyrologist* Luke Foxe, Arctic explorer** Foxe Channel, Nunavut, Canada** Dunne Foxe Island, Nunavut, Canada** Foxe Peninsula...
the Martyrmonger...with a comfort unto all afflicted Catholics," confiscated in 1581 and surviving in a unique manuscript in The National Archives. The poem was probably dedicated to Tregian. It is preceded by a cover letter that begins, “To the ryght worshipfull my loving brother Mr F health & welthe in our Savyor.” For nineteenth-century Catholic scholars like Richard Simpson
Richard Simpson
Richard Simpson may refer to:* Richard Simpson , English Catholic priest, martyred during the reign of Elizabeth I* Richard Simpson Catholic writer and literary scholar...
and Henry Foley
Henry Foley
Brother 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...
, "Mr F" was Francis Tregian. There is an element of conjecture in the identification," but it is certain that Pounde and Tregian were together for nine months in the loose confinement of the Marshalsea
Marshalsea
The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...
, Pounde from March 1576 to Sept. 1580 and Tregian from Sept 1577 until at least June 1578, and that given their shared literary interests they would have known each other there. The Tower and the Fleet were separated by little more than the width of the Thames, and Tregian had the privilege of receiving visitors. Clandestine manuscripts and books circulated among all the London prisons, so that there is nothing surprising in Pounde’s manuscript being conveyed from the Tower to the Fleet.
After his pardon by King James, Tregian retired to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, where he enjoyed a pension from King Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
. He died at the Jesuit hospice at St Roque
Igreja de São Roque (Lisbon)
The Igreja de São Roque in Lisbon was the earliest Jesuit church in the Portuguese world, and one of the first Jesuit churches anywhere. It served as the Society’s home church in Portugal for over 200 years, before the Jesuits were expelled from that country...
, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, where he was buried upright under the west pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, symbolic of his stand against Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
Biographies
- P. A. Boyan and G. R. Lamb, Francis Tregian, Cornish Recusant (London and New York, 1955)
- Raymond Francis Trudgian, Francis Tregian, 1548-1608: Elizabethan recusant, a truly Catholic Cornishman (Brighton and Portland, 1998)
- Francis Plunkett, Life of Francis Tregian. Written in the seventeenth century by Francis Plunkett, Cistercian monk. In: Catholic Record Society (Great Britain) vol. 32 (1932) p. 1-44. Each section of Latin text followed by English translation.