Nicholas Postgate
Encyclopedia
Blessed Nicholas Postgate (1596 or 1597 – 7 August 1679) was an English, Catholic priest. He is one of the 85 English Catholic Martyrs of England and Wales, beatified
by Blessed Pope John Paul II
, in November 1987.
He was born at Kirkdale House, Egton
, Yorkshire
, England
. He entered Douay College, in France
, 11 July 1621. Further to that, he took the college oath, 12 March 1623, received minor orders
, 23 December 1624, the subdiaconate, 18 December 1627, the diaconate, 18 March 1628, and the priesthood two days later. He was sent to the mission, 29 June 1630, and laboured in England for the Catholic religion, finally settling back to Ugthorpe, not far from his birthplace, in the 1660s. Thomas Ward
, who later wrote about him, knew him well.
in which he claimed there was a conspiracy to install a Catholic king
, and he managed to ferment a renewed and fierce persecution of English Catholics. It was to be the last time that Catholics were put to death in England for their faith; one of the last victims - but not the very last - was Nicholas Postgate.
During the panic engineered by Oates, a prominent Protestant magistrate in London, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, was murdered and Oates loudly blamed the Catholics; Sir Edmund's manservant, John Reeves, set out to get his revenge. For reasons which are not clear, he decided to base his actions in the Whitby area, possibly because he knew that priests arrived there from France.
, near Whitby
. Reeves, with a colleague called William Cockerill, raided the house during the ceremony and caught the priest, then aged 82. Father Postgate was condemned under 27 Elizabeth, c. 2, for being a priest. He was hanged, disembowelled and quartered at York
, His quarters were given to his friends and interred. One of the hands was sent to Douay College.
hangs at the front of the altar at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Pickering, where it is now venerated.
Every year since 1974 an open air service has been held – alternatively in Egton Bridge and Ugthorpe – in honour of Fr Postgate.
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...
by Blessed Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, in November 1987.
He was born at Kirkdale House, Egton
Egton
Egton is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England about west of Whitby. There is a nearby village called Egton Bridge which is home to Egton railway station. The village was included in the Survey of English Dialects. Unlike the other sites, a full book...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
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...
, 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...
. He entered Douay College, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 11 July 1621. Further to that, he took the college oath, 12 March 1623, received minor orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
, 23 December 1624, the subdiaconate, 18 December 1627, the diaconate, 18 March 1628, and the priesthood two days later. He was sent to the mission, 29 June 1630, and laboured in England for the Catholic religion, finally settling back to Ugthorpe, not far from his birthplace, in the 1660s. Thomas Ward
Thomas Ward
Thomas or Tommy Ward may refer to:*Thomas Ward , English author who converted to Catholicism*Thomas Ward , British Minister to Russia 1730-1731*Thomas Ward , U.S. Congressman from New Jersey...
, who later wrote about him, knew him well.
Background to arrest
Although anti-Catholic feeling in England had subsided a good deal at that time, it flared up again due to the fake Popish Plot of 1678; this followed a false testimony from Titus OatesTitus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
in which he claimed there was a conspiracy to install a Catholic king
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...
, and he managed to ferment a renewed and fierce persecution of English Catholics. It was to be the last time that Catholics were put to death in England for their faith; one of the last victims - but not the very last - was Nicholas Postgate.
During the panic engineered by Oates, a prominent Protestant magistrate in London, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, was murdered and Oates loudly blamed the Catholics; Sir Edmund's manservant, John Reeves, set out to get his revenge. For reasons which are not clear, he decided to base his actions in the Whitby area, possibly because he knew that priests arrived there from France.
The arrest and execution of Nicholas Postgate
Nicholas Postgate was apprehended by the exciseman Reeves, while carrying out a baptism at the house of Matthew Lyth, Little BeckLittlebeck, North Yorkshire
Littlebeck is a hamlet, near Whitby, in North Yorkshire, England. It stands on the Little Beck - a minor tributary of the River Esk.The hamlet is located in the bottom of a deep valley, with road names such as "Blue Bank", "Goathland Banks" and "Lousy Hill Lane" giving an indication of the local...
, near Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
. Reeves, with a colleague called William Cockerill, raided the house during the ceremony and caught the priest, then aged 82. Father Postgate was condemned under 27 Elizabeth, c. 2, for being a priest. He was hanged, disembowelled and quartered at York
York
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...
, His quarters were given to his friends and interred. One of the hands was sent to Douay College.
Nicholas Postgate's legacy
His portable altar stoneAltar stone
An altar stone is a piece of natural stone containing relics in a cavity and intended to serve as the essential part of an altar for the celebration of Mass in the Latin Church. Consecration by a bishop of the same rite was required...
hangs at the front of the altar at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Pickering, where it is now venerated.
Every year since 1974 an open air service has been held – alternatively in Egton Bridge and Ugthorpe – in honour of Fr Postgate.
External links
- In Father Postgate's steps - Gazette & Herald