Maurus Corker
Encyclopedia
Maurus Corker was an English Benedictine
who was accused and imprisoned as part of the Popish Plot
.
. He took the name Maurus when he entered the Benedictine order. On 23 April 1656, he took vows at the English Benedictine Lamspringe Abbey
near Hildesheim
, in Germany, and returned to England as missionary in 1665. Being accused by Titus Oates
of implication in the Popish Plot, he was imprisoned in Newgate Prison
, but was acquitted of treason
by a London jury, 18 July 1679. Then he was arraigned for being a priest and sentenced to death, 17 January 1680. Through influential friends he was granted a reprieve and detained in Newgate. While thus confined he is said in some reports to have converted more than a thousand Protestants to Catholicism.
One of his fellow-prisoners at Newgate was Oliver Plunkett
, Archbishop of Armagh
, with whom he formed a close friendship, and whom he prepared for his execution, which took place on 15 June 1681. Some correspondence which was carried on in prison between these two was later published. On the accession of James II of England
in 1685, Father Corker was released and kept at the court as resident ambassador of Prince-Bishop Ferdinand of Bavaria
, the Elector
of Cologne
. In 1687 he erected the little convent
of St. John at Clerkenwell
, where religious services were held for the public, but which was destroyed by a mob, 11 November 1688, during the Glorious Revolution
. Father Corker himself was obliged to seek refuge on the continent. In 1691 he was made Abbot of Cismar Abbey
near Lübeck
and, two years later, of Lamspringe, where he had made his religious profession. In 1696 he resigned as abbot and returned to England to continue his missionary work. He died in Paddington
.
A treatise Roman Catholick Principles in reference to God and the King ran to dozens of editions and caused a controversy among English Catholics in the nineteenth century, over the issue of the accuracy with which it represented Catholic doctrine. It first appeared as a small pamphlet in 1680, and at least two other editions of it were published in that year. It is reprinted in Stafford's Memoires. Six editions of the Principles were published before 1684, and six were published by Goter in 1684-6 at the end of his Papist misrepresented and represented. William Coppinger gave at least twelve editions of the Principles, first in his Exposition, and afterwards in his True Piety. Eleven or twelve more editions were published between 1748 and 1813, and a reprint appeared in the Pamphleteer in 1819, and again with the title of The Catholic Eirenicon, in friendly response to Dr. Pusey, London 1865. On reading it Dr. Leland, the historian, is said to have declared that if such were the principles of Catholics no government had any right to quarrel with them. Charles Butler, who reprinted it, declared it to be a clear and accurate exposition of the Catholic creed on some of its most important principles. John Milner
, however, asserted in an official charge to his clergy in 1813 that it "is not an accurate exposition of Roman catholic principles, and still less the faith of catholics". Butler clained that John Joseph Hornyold
had used Corker's work in his The Real Principles of Catholicks (1749), but Milner denied this. In consequence of some exceptions taken against the accuracy of the 'Propositions' which form the heading of The Faith of Catholics by Joseph Berington
and John Kirk, Kirk reprinted Corker's treatise in 1815.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
who was accused and imprisoned as part of the Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
.
Life
He was born in YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He took the name Maurus when he entered the Benedictine order. On 23 April 1656, he took vows at the English Benedictine Lamspringe Abbey
Lamspringe Abbey
Lamspringe Abbey is a former religious house of the English Benedictines in exile, at Lamspringe near Hildesheim in Germany.-First foundation:...
near Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
, in Germany, and returned to England as missionary in 1665. Being accused by Titus Oates
Titus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
of implication in the Popish Plot, he was imprisoned in Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
, but was acquitted of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
by a London jury, 18 July 1679. Then he was arraigned for being a priest and sentenced to death, 17 January 1680. Through influential friends he was granted a reprieve and detained in Newgate. While thus confined he is said in some reports to have converted more than a thousand Protestants to Catholicism.
One of his fellow-prisoners at Newgate was Oliver Plunkett
Oliver Plunkett
Saint Oliver Plunkett was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland....
, Archbishop of Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, with whom he formed a close friendship, and whom he prepared for his execution, which took place on 15 June 1681. Some correspondence which was carried on in prison between these two was later published. On the accession of James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
in 1685, Father Corker was released and kept at the court as resident ambassador of Prince-Bishop Ferdinand of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, the Elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. In 1687 he erected the little convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of St. John at Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, where religious services were held for the public, but which was destroyed by a mob, 11 November 1688, during the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
. Father Corker himself was obliged to seek refuge on the continent. In 1691 he was made Abbot of Cismar Abbey
Cismar Abbey
Cismar Abbey was a Benedictine monastery located at Cismar near Grömitz, Schleswig-Holstein, in Germany.It was founded in 1238 by Count Adolf IV of Holstein as alternative accommodation for Benedictine monks from Lübeck. In the mid-15th century it was one of the six original members of the...
near Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and, two years later, of Lamspringe, where he had made his religious profession. In 1696 he resigned as abbot and returned to England to continue his missionary work. He died in Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
.
Works
He was the author of various pamphlets on the innocence of those condemned for implication in the Popish Plot.A treatise Roman Catholick Principles in reference to God and the King ran to dozens of editions and caused a controversy among English Catholics in the nineteenth century, over the issue of the accuracy with which it represented Catholic doctrine. It first appeared as a small pamphlet in 1680, and at least two other editions of it were published in that year. It is reprinted in Stafford's Memoires. Six editions of the Principles were published before 1684, and six were published by Goter in 1684-6 at the end of his Papist misrepresented and represented. William Coppinger gave at least twelve editions of the Principles, first in his Exposition, and afterwards in his True Piety. Eleven or twelve more editions were published between 1748 and 1813, and a reprint appeared in the Pamphleteer in 1819, and again with the title of The Catholic Eirenicon, in friendly response to Dr. Pusey, London 1865. On reading it Dr. Leland, the historian, is said to have declared that if such were the principles of Catholics no government had any right to quarrel with them. Charles Butler, who reprinted it, declared it to be a clear and accurate exposition of the Catholic creed on some of its most important principles. John Milner
John Milner (bishop)
John Milner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and writer who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1803 to 1826.-Early life:...
, however, asserted in an official charge to his clergy in 1813 that it "is not an accurate exposition of Roman catholic principles, and still less the faith of catholics". Butler clained that John Joseph Hornyold
John Joseph Hornyold
John Joseph Hornyold was an English Catholic bishop, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District, England, and titular Bishop of Phiomelia.-Life:...
had used Corker's work in his The Real Principles of Catholicks (1749), but Milner denied this. In consequence of some exceptions taken against the accuracy of the 'Propositions' which form the heading of The Faith of Catholics by Joseph Berington
Joseph Berington
Joseph Berington was one of the prominent British Catholic writers of his day.- Life :Joseph Berington, born at Winsley, Herefordshire, was educated at the English College at Douai. After his ordination to the priesthood he was promoted to the chair of philosophy in the university there...
and John Kirk, Kirk reprinted Corker's treatise in 1815.