Ralph Sherwin
Encyclopedia
Saint Ralph Sherwin was an English Roman Catholic martyr
and saint
. He was born at Rodsley
, Derbyshire
, and was educated at Eton College
. In 1568, he was nominated by Sir William Petre
to one of the eight fellow
ships which he had founded at Exeter College, Oxford
, probably influenced by Sherwin's uncle, John Woodward, who from 1556 to 1566 had been rector
of Ingatestone
, Essex
, where Petre lived. A talented classical
scholar, Sherwin graduated Master of Arts
on 2 July 1574, and the following year converted to Roman Catholicism and fled abroad to the English College at Douai
, where he was ordained a priest by the Bishop of Cambrai on 23 March 1577. On 2 August 1577, he left for Rome
, where he stayed at the English College, Rome for nearly three years.
On 18 April 1580, Sherwin and thirteen companions left Rome for England. On 9 November 1580, he was arrested while preaching in the house of Nicholas Roscarrock in London
and imprisoned in the Marshalsea
, where he converted many fellow prisoners, and on 4 December was transferred to the Tower of London
, where he was tortured on the rack and then laid out in the snow. He is said to have been personally offered a bishopric
by Elizabeth I
if he converted, but refused. After spending a year in prison he was finally brought to trial with St. Edmund Campion on a trumped up charge of treasonable conspiracy. He was convicted in Westminster Hall on 20 November 1581. Eleven days later he was taken to Tyburn
on a hurdle along with St. Alexander Briant
and St. Edmund Campion, where the three martyrs were hanged, drawn and quartered
. Sherwin's last words were "Iesu, Iesu, Iesu, esto mihi Iesus!"
Ralph Sherwin was the first member of the English College in Rome to be martyred. He was beatified on 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII
. Blessed Ralph Sherwin was canonized on 25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI
as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
with a common feast day of 25 October. His individual feast day is celebrated on 1 December, the day of his martyrdom.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. He was born at Rodsley
Rodsley
Rodsley is a small village about four miles south of Ashbourne in Derbyshire.-History:Nearby Hollington and Rodsley are included as manors in the 1086 Domesday Survey as belonging to Henry de Ferrers, who was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire. His descendants became the Earls of Derby...
, 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 was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. In 1568, he was nominated by Sir William Petre
William Petre
Sir William Petre was a secretary of state to Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.Educated as a lawyer at Oxford, he became a public servant, probably through the influence of the Boleyns, one of whom, George, he had tutored at Oxford and another of whom, Anne, was married to the king...
to one of the eight fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ships which he had founded at Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, probably influenced by Sherwin's uncle, John Woodward, who from 1556 to 1566 had been rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Ingatestone
Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a small town in Essex, England, with a population of about 4500 people. To the immediate north lies the village of Fryerning, and the two form the civil parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning....
, 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...
, where Petre lived. A talented classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
scholar, Sherwin graduated Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
on 2 July 1574, and the following year converted to Roman Catholicism and fled abroad to the English College at 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...
, where he was ordained a priest by the Bishop of Cambrai on 23 March 1577. On 2 August 1577, he left for Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he stayed at the English College, Rome for nearly three years.
On 18 April 1580, Sherwin and thirteen companions left Rome for England. On 9 November 1580, he was arrested while preaching in the house of Nicholas Roscarrock 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 imprisoned in 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...
, where he converted many fellow prisoners, and on 4 December was transferred to 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...
, where he was tortured on the rack and then laid out in the snow. He is said to have been personally offered a bishopric
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
by Elizabeth I
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...
if he converted, but refused. After spending a year in prison he was finally brought to trial with St. Edmund Campion on a trumped up charge of treasonable conspiracy. He was convicted in Westminster Hall on 20 November 1581. Eleven days later he was taken to 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...
on a hurdle along with St. Alexander Briant
Alexander Briant
Saint Alexander Briant was an English Jesuit and martyr, executed at Tyburn.He was born in Somerset, and entered Hart Hall, Oxford , at an early age...
and St. Edmund Campion, where the three martyrs were hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
. Sherwin's last words were "Iesu, Iesu, Iesu, esto mihi Iesus!"
Ralph Sherwin was the first member of the English College in Rome to be martyred. He was beatified on 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. Blessed Ralph Sherwin was canonized on 25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of men and women who were executed for treason and related offences in the Kingdom of England between 1535 and 1679...
with a common feast day of 25 October. His individual feast day is celebrated on 1 December, the day of his martyrdom.
External links
- "Blessed Ralph Sherwin" in Lives of the English Martyrs Declared Blessed by Pope Leo XIII by Edward S. Keogh, Dom Bede Camm. Vol. 2 (1905). (Vol. 1 has list of 63 martyrs and beatification decrees in English).