Francis Walsingham (Jesuit)
Encyclopedia
Francis Walsingham was an English Jesuit priest, who assumed the name John Fennell.
, near Alcester
, Warwickshire
, he was born at Hawick, Northumberland. His father died before his birth, and his mother, who was a Roman Catholic, brought him to London. His uncle, Humphrey Walsingham, who was a relation of Sir Francis Walsingham, placed him at St Paul's School, London. As the part of his instruction there he read the Protestant divines John Foxe
, John Jewell
, John Calvin
, and Theodore Beza
, and in 1603 he was ordained deacon
by Martin Heton
, bishop of Ely
.
Doubts were raised in Walsingham's mind as to the validity of his orders and of his belief, by reading the Manual of Robert Parsons, and in October 1606 he entered the English College, Rome. He was ordained priest on 12 April 1608, and early next year, having entered the Society of Jesus, he visited England. In 1616 he was formally attached to the English mission, and served in Leicestershire
.
In 1633 he moved to the college of the Immaculate Conception, Derbyshire
, and there he died on 1 July 1647.
it was frequently commended to those showing an inclination to Roman Catholicism, and was often reprinted and abridged. In the controversial parts, and especially in the attack on the ‘falsities’ of Matthew Sutcliffe
, Walsingham perhaps worked with Parsons. In 1618 he published his ‘Reasons for embracing the Catholic Faith’ (London).
Life
The son of Edward Walsingham of ExhallExhall
Exhall is a suburban settlement in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England.- Geography :Exhall is an area south of Bedworth located 4.3 miles north-north-east of Coventry and 3.8 miles south of Nuneaton...
, near Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, he was born at Hawick, Northumberland. His father died before his birth, and his mother, who was a Roman Catholic, brought him to London. His uncle, Humphrey Walsingham, who was a relation of Sir Francis Walsingham, placed him at St Paul's School, London. As the part of his instruction there he read the Protestant divines John Foxe
John Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
, John Jewell
John Jewell
John Edmund Valentine Jewell was a cricketer who played 27 times for Orange Free State between 1910-11 and 1925-26. He also played a handful of times for Surrey's Second XI...
, John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, and Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza was a French Protestant Christian theologian and scholar who played an important role in the Reformation...
, and in 1603 he was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
by Martin Heton
Martin Heton
-Life:His father George Heton was prominent in the London commercial world and as a church reformer. His mother Joanna was daughter of Martin Bowes, Lord Mayor of London in 1545. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford....
, bishop of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
.
Doubts were raised in Walsingham's mind as to the validity of his orders and of his belief, by reading the Manual of Robert Parsons, and in October 1606 he entered the English College, Rome. He was ordained priest on 12 April 1608, and early next year, having entered the Society of Jesus, he visited England. In 1616 he was formally attached to the English mission, and served in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
In 1633 he moved to the college of the Immaculate Conception, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, and there he died on 1 July 1647.
Works
He published ‘Search made into Matters of Religion, by F. W., before his change to the Catholike’ (s. l. 1609; 2nd edit. St. Omer, 1615). The work was dedicated to James I, to whom the author states he had formerly submitted his religious difficulties. Down to the time of Alban ButlerAlban Butler
Alban Butler , English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer, was born at Appletree, Northamptonshire.He was educated at the English College, Douai, where on his ordination to the priesthood in 1735 he held successively the chairs of philosophy and divinity...
it was frequently commended to those showing an inclination to Roman Catholicism, and was often reprinted and abridged. In the controversial parts, and especially in the attack on the ‘falsities’ of Matthew Sutcliffe
Matthew Sutcliffe
Matthew Sutcliffe was an English clergyman, academic and lawyer. He became Dean of Exeter, and wrote extensively on religious matters as a controversialist. He served as chaplain to His Majesty King James I of England. He was the founder of Chelsea College, a royal centre for the writing of...
, Walsingham perhaps worked with Parsons. In 1618 he published his ‘Reasons for embracing the Catholic Faith’ (London).