Richard Hill (martyr)
Encyclopedia
Richard Hill, Richard Holiday, John Hogg and Edmund Duke (all died 27 May 1590) were English Roman Catholic priests and martyr
s.
Not much is known of their early lives. Duke was born in Kent
in 1563. The other three came from Yorkshire
(Hogg from Cleveland
) but their dates of birth are unknown. They all arrived in the mid-1580s at the English College at Rheims
to study for the priesthood.
Duke arrived on 3 March 1583 and was ordained to minor orders there on 23 September 1583. He was subsequently was sent to Rome and entered the English College there on 22 August 1584. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Lateran Basilica on 3 September 1589. Leaving the city for England, he set out on 15 September and on 15 October reached Rheims.
Holiday arrived at Rheims on 6 September 1584, Hill on 15 May 1587, and Hogg on 15 October 1587. The three were together ordained subdeacons at Soissons
on 18 March 1589, by Bishop Jérôme Hennequin, deacons 27 May and priests 23 September at Laon
by Bishop Valentine Douglas, O.S.B..
Hill, Holiday, Hogg and Duke were all sent on the English mission on 22 March 1590 but aroused suspicion by keeping together as a band and were arrested in County Durham
soon after landing in the North of England. Given the 1585 Act making it a capital offence to be a Catholic priest in England the terrible sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering was inevitable. The trial was at Durham and the sentence was carried out there at Dryburne. With the priests were executed four common criminals felons, who declared that they, too, died Catholics. In the crowd were a good number of Catholics and reportedly when the priests' heads were as customary cut off and held up, only the officers and a Protestant minister or two would say "God save the Queen". It is also said that two Protestant spectators, Robert Maire and his wife Grace Maire, were converted to the Catholic faith.
Unusually the record of the event has survived in the registers of St Oswald's parish, Durham.
All four were declared Blessed (the last stage prior to sainthood) by Pope John Paul II
on 22 November 1987.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s.
Not much is known of their early lives. Duke was born in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1563. The other three came from 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...
(Hogg from Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
) but their dates of birth are unknown. They all arrived in the mid-1580s at the English College at Rheims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
to study for the priesthood.
Duke arrived on 3 March 1583 and was ordained to minor orders there on 23 September 1583. He was subsequently was sent to Rome and entered the English College there on 22 August 1584. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Lateran Basilica on 3 September 1589. Leaving the city for England, he set out on 15 September and on 15 October reached Rheims.
Holiday arrived at Rheims on 6 September 1584, Hill on 15 May 1587, and Hogg on 15 October 1587. The three were together ordained subdeacons at Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
on 18 March 1589, by Bishop Jérôme Hennequin, deacons 27 May and priests 23 September at Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
by Bishop Valentine Douglas, O.S.B..
Hill, Holiday, Hogg and Duke were all sent on the English mission on 22 March 1590 but aroused suspicion by keeping together as a band and were arrested in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
soon after landing in the North of England. Given the 1585 Act making it a capital offence to be a Catholic priest in England the terrible sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering was inevitable. The trial was at Durham and the sentence was carried out there at Dryburne. With the priests were executed four common criminals felons, who declared that they, too, died Catholics. In the crowd were a good number of Catholics and reportedly when the priests' heads were as customary cut off and held up, only the officers and a Protestant minister or two would say "God save the Queen". It is also said that two Protestant spectators, Robert Maire and his wife Grace Maire, were converted to the Catholic faith.
Unusually the record of the event has survived in the registers of St Oswald's parish, Durham.
All four were declared Blessed (the last stage prior to sainthood) by 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 ...
on 22 November 1987.