Maurus Scott
Encyclopedia
Blessed Maurus Scott born William Scott, was an English lawyer who became a Benedictine
monk and priest, serving as a missionary
in England
during the period of recusancy
. He was executed at Tyburn
, and is a Catholic martyr
.
, Essex
around 1579, and was baptised into the Church of England
. He was sent to school in London
, and entered the University of Cambridge
during Lent term
1593-94. At first he joined Trinity College
, however, after a year he decided to migrate to Trinity Hall
, which at the time was particularly noted for its excellence in the field of civil law
, which Scott described as "a branch of study which was more comformable with my disposition and interested me more". He received the degree of LL.B. in 1600, and proceeded to London and the Inner Temple
to train as a barrister
.
It was at this time that he began to seriously consider his religious faith. He had been firmly of the position that Catholicism
and its claims were both false and treasonable, however, while visiting a Catholic friend, he began casually flicking through a book of theology
and was struck by the force of an argument he read there. This caused him to enter into a period of intensive study and prayer, and it was only after two years of intellectual and spiritual struggle that he finally decided to be received into the Catholic Church.
prior
John Roberts
(now a Saint of the Catholic Church), who had come to London as a missionary
. It was Roberts who received Scott into the Catholic Church, and also Roberts who accepted him as a Benedictine postulant
. Scott was to be taken to Valladolid
, Spain
for his monastic formation in the Lent
of 1604, but on attempting to leave England, he was arrested along with Roberts and a group of other postulants on suspicion of being Catholic. However, this arrest proved only a temporary delay, as immediately after his release he was taken to Valladolid by Augustine Bradshaw
, where it was agreed that he should serve his novitiate
at the Abbey of San Facundo, Sahagún
.
As a Benedictine monk
he took the name Maurus
, and in 1610, he was ordained priest
. He begged to be sent on the mission to England, and his request was granted. He was sent to St. Gregory's monastery, Douai
(which still survives as Downside Abbey
, having moved to England in the 19th century), where he was to make his preparations, and arrived in England in December 1610.
After the execution, wishing to preserve Roberts' body as a relic
, Scott watched to see where it was thrown. The limbs had been thrown into a large trench, and upon them were heaped the bodies of 16 criminals executed at the same time. Nonetheless, two days later Scott was part of a group which successfully recovered the body parts from the trench, although one quarter was lost when the party was disturbed by watchmen, and Scott was subsequently arrested. Following this, he was imprisoned for a year, until in December 1611 the ambassador
for Savoy
negotiated the release of imprisoned Catholic priests. Scott was banished
from the country and went back to Douai. Nonetheless, he was extremely keen to return to England. Around the Easter week of 1612 he was arrested on a boat on the River Thames
before he was even able to set foot in London.
, who had been Bishop of London
at the time of the execution of John Roberts and Scott's arrest in 1610, and was now Archbishop of Canterbury
. Abbot offered Scott an oath of loyalty to King James I
. However, seeing that the oath was constructed in such a way that it implied disloyalty to the Pope
and the Catholic Church, Scott instead suggested his own formula, declaring "that I am a loyal servant to His Majesty... also for the past and for the future, that I have been and to the last moment of my life will ever be loyal to my King; which is more than you exact by your statute". However, this was not accepted and Scott was placed in close confinement (although not before drawing on his legal expertise to insist that Abbot did not have jurisdiction to hand down such a punishment).
Scott was tried on the 28 May 1612 at the Old Bailey
. Again, his legal training was in evidence, as he skillfully avoided the questioning of those accusing him of being a priest, and insisted that it was the business of the prosecutor
to bring evidence against him, not for him to convict himself. He entered a plea of not guilty. Only after the jury
had found him guilt
y did he fall to his knees, crying out Deo Gratias, and admitted to his being a priest. He then addressed the people in the court
, explaining that the only reason that he had not yet confessed himself as a priest was to see if the law would take its course, or whether he would be condemned on presumption of guilt without any proof.
On the morning of May 30 he was to be executed with Richard Newport, another Catholic priest. He appeared wearing his Benedictine habit
and declared himself once again a loyal subject of the King, before being tied to a horse and dragged through the streets to the gallows at Tyburn
. Before being executed, he made a declaration of his life, his faith and his conversion to the Catholic Church, and gave the small number of gold coins he had in his purse to the executioner, saying, "Take these, friend, for love of me. I give them to you with good will and gladly do I forgive you my death". He was then hanged, drawn and quartered.
by Pope Pius XI in 1929.
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...
monk and priest, serving as a missionary
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
in England
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...
during the period of recusancy
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
. He was executed at Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
, and 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:...
.
Early life and conversion
Scott was born in ChigwellChigwell
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
around 1579, and was baptised into the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. He was sent to school in 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...
, and entered the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
during Lent term
Lent term
Lent term is the name of the spring academic term at the following British universities:*University of Cambridge*Kings College London*London School of Economics and Political Science*Exeter University*University of Lancaster...
1593-94. At first he joined Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, however, after a year he decided to migrate to Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, which at the time was particularly noted for its excellence in the field of civil law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
, which Scott described as "a branch of study which was more comformable with my disposition and interested me more". He received the degree of LL.B. in 1600, and proceeded to London and the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
to train as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
.
It was at this time that he began to seriously consider his religious faith. He had been firmly of the position that Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and its claims were both false and treasonable, however, while visiting a Catholic friend, he began casually flicking through a book of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and was struck by the force of an argument he read there. This caused him to enter into a period of intensive study and prayer, and it was only after two years of intellectual and spiritual struggle that he finally decided to be received into the Catholic Church.
Entry into Benedictine life
A notable catalyst in the process of Scott's conversion was the BenedictineBenedictine
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...
prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
John Roberts
Saint John Roberts
Saint John Roberts was a Benedictine monk and priest, and was the first Prior of St. Gregory's, Douai, France...
(now a Saint of the Catholic Church), who had come to London as a missionary
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
. It was Roberts who received Scott into the Catholic Church, and also Roberts who accepted him as a Benedictine postulant
Postulant
A postulant was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a monastery or a convent, both before actual admission and for the length of time preceding their admission into the novitiate...
. Scott was to be taken to Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for his monastic formation in the Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
of 1604, but on attempting to leave England, he was arrested along with Roberts and a group of other postulants on suspicion of being Catholic. However, this arrest proved only a temporary delay, as immediately after his release he was taken to Valladolid by Augustine Bradshaw
Augustine Bradshaw
Dom Augustine Bradshaw was a Benedictine monk. Born John Bradshaw near Worcester in 1575 to recusant Roman Catholic parents, he was sent to Royal Grammar School Worcester . He was sent to St...
, where it was agreed that he should serve his novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
at the Abbey of San Facundo, Sahagún
Sahagún
Sahagún can refer to:*Sahagún, Spain, a town and monastery in Léon, Spain. Cradle of the Mudéjar architecture*Sahagún, Córdoba, the second town in population in Córdoba Department, Colombia, also called "The Cultural City of Cordoba"People...
.
As a Benedictine monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
he took the name Maurus
Saint Maurus
Saint Maurus was the first disciple of St. Benedict of Nursia . He is mentioned in St. Gregory the Great's biography of the latter as the first oblate; offered to the monastery by his noble Roman parents as a young boy to be brought up in the monastic life. Four stories involving Maurus recounted...
, and in 1610, he was ordained 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...
. He begged to be sent on the mission to England, and his request was granted. He was sent to St. Gregory's monastery, Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
(which still survives as Downside Abbey
Downside Abbey
The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...
, having moved to England in the 19th century), where he was to make his preparations, and arrived in England in December 1610.
Witness to the martyrdom of John Roberts
Immediately after arriving in England, he was to discover that John Roberts, who had had such a profound influence upon him, had been arrested for serving as a priest. He was able to join Roberts for his last supper the night before he was put to death. The next day Scott watched as John Roberts was hanged, drawn, and quartered.After the execution, wishing to preserve Roberts' body as a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
, Scott watched to see where it was thrown. The limbs had been thrown into a large trench, and upon them were heaped the bodies of 16 criminals executed at the same time. Nonetheless, two days later Scott was part of a group which successfully recovered the body parts from the trench, although one quarter was lost when the party was disturbed by watchmen, and Scott was subsequently arrested. Following this, he was imprisoned for a year, until in December 1611 the ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
for Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
negotiated the release of imprisoned Catholic priests. Scott was banished
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
from the country and went back to Douai. Nonetheless, he was extremely keen to return to England. Around the Easter week of 1612 he was arrested on a boat on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
before he was even able to set foot in London.
Arrest, trial and martyrdom
After his arrest, he was examined by George AbbotGeorge Abbot (Archbishop of Canterbury)
George Abbot was an English divine and Archbishop of Canterbury. He also served as the fourth Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, between 1612 and 1633....
, who had been Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
at the time of the execution of John Roberts and Scott's arrest in 1610, and was now Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. Abbot offered Scott an oath of loyalty to 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...
. However, seeing that the oath was constructed in such a way that it implied disloyalty to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and the Catholic Church, Scott instead suggested his own formula, declaring "that I am a loyal servant to His Majesty... also for the past and for the future, that I have been and to the last moment of my life will ever be loyal to my King; which is more than you exact by your statute". However, this was not accepted and Scott was placed in close confinement (although not before drawing on his legal expertise to insist that Abbot did not have jurisdiction to hand down such a punishment).
Scott was tried on the 28 May 1612 at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. Again, his legal training was in evidence, as he skillfully avoided the questioning of those accusing him of being a priest, and insisted that it was the business of the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
to bring evidence against him, not for him to convict himself. He entered a plea of not guilty. Only after the jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
had found him guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
y did he fall to his knees, crying out Deo Gratias, and admitted to his being a priest. He then addressed the people in the court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
, explaining that the only reason that he had not yet confessed himself as a priest was to see if the law would take its course, or whether he would be condemned on presumption of guilt without any proof.
On the morning of May 30 he was to be executed with Richard Newport, another Catholic priest. He appeared wearing his Benedictine habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
and declared himself once again a loyal subject of the King, before being tied to a horse and dragged through the streets to the gallows at Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
. Before being executed, he made a declaration of his life, his faith and his conversion to the Catholic Church, and gave the small number of gold coins he had in his purse to the executioner, saying, "Take these, friend, for love of me. I give them to you with good will and gladly do I forgive you my death". He was then hanged, drawn and quartered.
Beatification
Scott was one of a number of English martyrs beatifiedBeatification
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...
by Pope Pius XI in 1929.