Robert Bealknap
Encyclopedia
His Worship Sir Robert Bealknap (or, more commonly, Belknap) JP
(died 19 January 1401) was a British justice. He is first mentioned in June 1351 in a papal register of indults
issued to inhabitants of Great Britain
, where he is called a "clerk
, of the diocese of Salisbury
" in Wiltshire
. He next appears in 1353 as a member of a commission to survey Battle Abbey
. This commission was followed by an extensive number of others, as evidenced by extant patent rolls
, until 1388, most of which related to oyer and terminer
, walliis et fossatis, gaol delivery, sewer, and the peace primarily, but not exclusively, in Kent
and other parts of southeastern England
. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace
for Kent on 18 May 1362, and at the same time began serving as legal counsel. In July 1362 he served on a commission with William of Wykeham
investigating lands granted to the Bishopric of Winchester
, which Wykeham at that time held. From this point Belknap's career as a lawyer began to prosper; from 1371 he was retained as a lawyer by Westminster Abbey
, and from 1374 by John of Gaunt
. He was sent along with John Wycliffe
and John Gilbert
to Bruges
in July 1374 to negotiate papal provisions; he returned in September and on 10 October he was made Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
, and was Knighted on 28 December of that same year. From 1375 to 1388 he served as a Trier of Petitions in Parliament, and in 1376 he was involved in investigating Richard Lyons in Essex
and Sussex
after complaints of embezzlement.
Following the death of Edward III
he was reappointed as Chief Justice under Richard II
but was widely unpopular; at the time of the Peasants' Revolt
he was in Essex conducting a court of trailbaston
and was forced to promise not to conduct such courts again, as well as physically attacked; When the rebels reached London he was one of 15 people whose deaths they demanded. He also offended the people of London itself by suggesting that their claim to the position of Chief Butler of England
for Richard's coronation should be rejected; in response they placed a model of his head on a water fountain in the marketplace so that it would vomit wine when Richard walked by. Belknap's downfall began when he advised the commission created in Parliament on 19 November 1386 to reform the government. The king and his advisers saw this commission as infringing on royal authority, and on 25 August 1387 Belknap and the other justices involved were summoned to Nottingham
and asked whether such a commission was lawful and, if not, how the summoners should be punished. The justices responded that such a commission was unlawful, and that the summoners should be punished as traitors. Belknap reportedly refused to seal the answers until threatened with death by Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland
, and Michael de la Pole
.
In response to this the Lords Appellant
seized power on 17 November. After the Merciless Parliament
began on 30 January 1388 Robert Charleton
was made Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and Belknap was arrested along with his fellow justices. The group were brought to trial on 27 February due to their answers in relation to the legality of the parliamentary commission, and were sentenced to death. After many high-ranking figures including William Courtenay
and Queen Anne pleaded on their behalf, the sentence was changed to that of forfeiture and attainder
, including exile to Drogheda
, Ireland
.
At the time of his attainder, Belknap held extensive manorial properties in Kent (Beachborough Manor
, Orpington
, Seintling or Saint Mary Cray
, Westcombe Manor, Kingsnoth, among others), Sussex
(Knelle Manor, Wilting Manor), Hampshire (Crux Easton
, Penton Mewsey
), Hertfordshire
(Rushden
, La More Manor), Cambridgeshire
(Gamlingay
, Caldecote
), Norfolk
(Salthouse
), Bedfordshire
(Little Holwell), and Oxfordshire
(Hoo Manor). The attainder and exile were revoked in the January 1397 parliament. Some of Belknap's land holdings were returned to him or members of his immediate family with the first parliament of Henry IV
in October 1399, although his wife Juliana in a noted case was allowed to bring suit as feme sole
for certain lands. Belknap died less than two years later on 19 January 1401, and was buried in Rochester Cathedral
.
, Hertfordshire. Belknap presumably had all of his five known children through Juliana:
Robert Belknap is the great grandfather of Sir Edward Belknap
, Privy Councillor to Henry VII
and Henry VIII
, through Sir Hamon Belknap's son Sir Henry Belknap (died June 20, 1488). Belknap's descendants married into a number of notable English families, including, among others, the families of Stonor, Hampden, Boteler, Beauchamp, Sudeley, Avenel, Kymbell, Knollys, Ferrers
, Finche, Cooke, Hende, Wotton, Danett, Shelley, Carryll, Scott, and Bishop.
Belknap's direct descendants include many notable persons, including William Shakespeare
, Lady Jane Grey
, Sir Francis Bacon
, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
(through 2 known lines), Diana, Princess of Wales
(through 3 known lines), and England's current reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (through 7 known lines). One descendant, Father Robert Southwell, is officially venerated as a Catholic Jesuit saint
. Another married Sir Adrian Fortescue
, a martyr, who was later beatified by Pope Leo XIII
in 1895. Still others affiliated with Puritanism
and emigrated to America
.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(died 19 January 1401) was a British justice. He is first mentioned in June 1351 in a papal register of indults
Indult
An indult in Catholic canon law is a permission, or privilege, granted by the competent church authority – the Holy See or the diocesan bishop, as the case may be – for an exception from a particular norm of church law in an individual case, for example, members of the consecrated life seeking to...
issued to inhabitants of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, where he is called a "clerk
Clerk
Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white-collar worker who conducts general office or, in some instances, sales tasks. It is also occasionally used to refer to third-year medical students completing a medical clerkship. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record...
, of the diocese of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
" in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. He next appears in 1353 as a member of a commission to survey Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
. This commission was followed by an extensive number of others, as evidenced by extant patent rolls
Patent Rolls
The Patent Rolls are primary sources for English history, a record of the King of England's correspondence, starting in 1202....
, until 1388, most of which related to oyer and terminer
Oyer and terminer
In English law, Oyer and terminer was the Law French name, meaning "to hear and determine", for one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat...
, walliis et fossatis, gaol delivery, sewer, and the peace primarily, but not exclusively, 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...
and other parts of southeastern 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 was appointed a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Kent on 18 May 1362, and at the same time began serving as legal counsel. In July 1362 he served on a commission with William of Wykeham
William of Wykeham
William of Wykeham was Bishop of Winchester, Chancellor of England, founder of Winchester College, New College, Oxford, New College School, Oxford, and builder of a large part of Windsor Castle.-Life:...
investigating lands granted to the Bishopric of Winchester
Diocese of Winchester
The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England.Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in England.The area of the diocese incorporates:...
, which Wykeham at that time held. From this point Belknap's career as a lawyer began to prosper; from 1371 he was retained as a lawyer by Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, and from 1374 by John of Gaunt
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
. He was sent along with John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
and John Gilbert
John Gilbert (bishop)
John Gilbert was a medieval Bishop of Bangor, Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of St. David's.Gilbert was nominated to Bangor on 17 March 1372.Gilbert translated to Hereford on 12 September 1375....
to Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
in July 1374 to negotiate papal provisions; he returned in September and on 10 October he was made Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord...
, and was Knighted on 28 December of that same year. From 1375 to 1388 he served as a Trier of Petitions in Parliament, and in 1376 he was involved in investigating Richard Lyons in 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...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
after complaints of embezzlement.
Following the death of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
he was reappointed as Chief Justice under Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
but was widely unpopular; at the time of the Peasants' Revolt
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
he was in Essex conducting a court of trailbaston
Trailbaston
Trailbaston was a special type of itinerant judicial commission first created during the reign of Edward I of England and used many times thereafter during the reigns of Edward II and Edward III, primarily to punish felonies and trespass at the king's suit.The first trailbaston commissions date...
and was forced to promise not to conduct such courts again, as well as physically attacked; When the rebels reached London he was one of 15 people whose deaths they demanded. He also offended the people of London itself by suggesting that their claim to the position of Chief Butler of England
Chief Butler of England
The Chief Butler of England is an office of Grand Sergeanty associated with the feudal Manor of Kenninghall in Norfolk. The office requires service to be provided to the Monarch at the Coronation, in this case the service of Pincera Regis, or Chief Butler at the Coronation banquet.The manor of...
for Richard's coronation should be rejected; in response they placed a model of his head on a water fountain in the marketplace so that it would vomit wine when Richard walked by. Belknap's downfall began when he advised the commission created in Parliament on 19 November 1386 to reform the government. The king and his advisers saw this commission as infringing on royal authority, and on 25 August 1387 Belknap and the other justices involved were summoned to Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and asked whether such a commission was lawful and, if not, how the summoners should be punished. The justices responded that such a commission was unlawful, and that the summoners should be punished as traitors. Belknap reportedly refused to seal the answers until threatened with death by Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, and 9th Earl of Oxford KG was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England.-Royal favour:...
, and Michael de la Pole
Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Michael de la Pole, 1st Baron de la Pole, later 1st Earl of Suffolk was an English financier and Lord Chancellor of England.- Life :...
.
In response to this the Lords Appellant
Lords Appellant
The Lords Appellant were a group of nobles in the reign of King Richard II who sought to impeach some five of the King's favourites in order to restrain what was seen as tyrannical and capricious rule. The word appellant simply means '[one who is] appealing [in a legal sense]'...
seized power on 17 November. After the Merciless Parliament
Merciless Parliament
The Merciless Parliament, a term coined by Augustinian chronicler Henry Knighton, refers to the English parliamentary session of February through June 1388, at which many members of Richard II's Court were convicted of treason. The session was preceded by a period in which Richard's power was...
began on 30 January 1388 Robert Charleton
Robert Charleton (justice)
His Worship Sir Robert Charleton SL JP was a British justice. He is first recorded in July 1375, when he was made a commissioner of the peace for Wiltshire and Somerset; from here on his appointments were spread over much of England, including a September 1377 investigation in Wiltshire examining...
was made Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and Belknap was arrested along with his fellow justices. The group were brought to trial on 27 February due to their answers in relation to the legality of the parliamentary commission, and were sentenced to death. After many high-ranking figures including William Courtenay
William Courtenay
William Courtenay , English prelate, was Archbishop of Canterbury, having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London.-Life:...
and Queen Anne pleaded on their behalf, the sentence was changed to that of forfeiture and attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
, including exile to Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
At the time of his attainder, Belknap held extensive manorial properties in Kent (Beachborough Manor
Beachborough Manor
Beachborough Manor was a manor in Beachborough, Kent, UK purchased by Sir William's great-grandfather Father Henry Brockman ca. 1500 and subsequently passed through various squires in the English Brockman family. Like many buildings in the UK, it found use in World War II by the Allies, as an...
, Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Seintling or Saint Mary Cray
St Mary Cray
St Mary Cray lies on the River Cray and is part of the London Borough of Bromley. St Mary Cray, like St Paul's Cray, has been somewhat overshadowed by the growth of nearby Orpington, which now provides local communities with their main shopping and business facilities...
, Westcombe Manor, Kingsnoth, among others), Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(Knelle Manor, Wilting Manor), Hampshire (Crux Easton
Crux Easton
Crux Easton is a hamlet in the English county of Hampshire located 6½ miles south of Newbury. It falls within the civil parish of Ashmansworth...
, Penton Mewsey
Penton Mewsey
Penton Mewsey is a village in Hampshire, England. It is located 3 miles north-west of Andover at grid reference .The village is home to approximately 400 people and has about 110 houses. The name Penton derives from the word Penitone, which is a word for a farm held at penny rent...
), Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
(Rushden
Rushden, Hertfordshire
Rushden is a small village and civil parish in England in the county of Hertfordshire.- Location :Rushden is located just off the A507 between Baldock and Buntingford...
, La More Manor), Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
(Gamlingay
Gamlingay
Gamlingay is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, near the border with Bedfordshire, and the traditional county of Huntingdonshire...
, Caldecote
Caldecote, Cambridgeshire
Caldecote is a village in Cambridgeshire, in the district of South Cambridgeshire. It is located south of the A428, approximately six miles west of Cambridge and three miles east of Cambourne....
), Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
(Salthouse
Salthouse
Salthouse is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the salt marshes of North Norfolk. It is north of Holt, west of Sheringham and north of Norwich. The village is on the A149 coast road between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth. The nearest railway station...
), Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
(Little Holwell), and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
(Hoo Manor). The attainder and exile were revoked in the January 1397 parliament. Some of Belknap's land holdings were returned to him or members of his immediate family with the first parliament of Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
in October 1399, although his wife Juliana in a noted case was allowed to bring suit as feme sole
Coverture
Coverture was a legal doctrine whereby, upon marriage, a woman's legal rights were subsumed by those of her husband. Coverture was enshrined in the common law of England and the United States throughout most of the 19th century...
for certain lands. Belknap died less than two years later on 19 January 1401, and was buried in Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
.
Family
Robert Belknap was born about or before 1330, possibly in Kent or Wiltshire, England, the son of John Belknap and his wife Alice. He was married twice, first to Amy (possibly de Say), who died before 1373, and second to Juliana Darset (died 1414), daughter of John Darset (or Darsett/Dorsett) and Elizabeth Phelipp, daughter of Thomas Phelipp of BaldockBaldock
Baldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It lies north of London, southeast of Bedford, and north northwest of the county town of Hertford...
, Hertfordshire. Belknap presumably had all of his five known children through Juliana:
- Thomas Belknap (died before 1414)
- John Belknap (died before 1414)
- Joan or Joanna Belknap (died before 1419), married (1) Ralph de Stonor (died November 13, 1394 accompanying King Richard II of EnglandRichard II of EnglandRichard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
while enroute to Ireland) and (2) Sir Edmund Hampden (died before April 29, 1420), Sheriff and Escheator of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire - Sir Hamon Belknap (died before March 18, 1428/1429), Treasurer of Normandy, married Joan Boteler, daughter of Thomas Boteler, 4th Baron SudeleyBaron SudeleyBaron Sudeley is a title that has been created thrice in British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1299 when John de Sudeley was summoned to Parliament as Lord Sudeley. On the death of the...
- Juliana Belknap (died after 1417), married (1) Robert de Avenel and (2) Nicholas Kymbell
Robert Belknap is the great grandfather of Sir Edward Belknap
Edward Belknap
Sir Edward Belknap was active in the service of the English crown, both on the battlefield and as a court official, during the 16th and 17th centuries....
, Privy Councillor to Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, through Sir Hamon Belknap's son Sir Henry Belknap (died June 20, 1488). Belknap's descendants married into a number of notable English families, including, among others, the families of Stonor, Hampden, Boteler, Beauchamp, Sudeley, Avenel, Kymbell, Knollys, Ferrers
Baron Ferrers of Chartley
The title Baron Ferrers of Chartley was created on February 6, 1299 for John de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. The daughter of the 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Anne, married Walter Devereux who was summoned to parliament as Lord Ferrers in her right. Their descendants...
, Finche, Cooke, Hende, Wotton, Danett, Shelley, Carryll, Scott, and Bishop.
Belknap's direct descendants include many notable persons, including William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
, Sir Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(through 2 known lines), Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
(through 3 known lines), and England's current reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (through 7 known lines). One descendant, Father Robert Southwell, is officially venerated as a Catholic Jesuit 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...
. Another married Sir Adrian Fortescue
Adrian Fortescue (martyr)
Sir Adrian Fortescue was a courtier at the court of King Henry VIII of England who was executed in 1539 and later beatified as a Roman Catholic martyr.-Life:...
, a martyr, who was later beatified 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...
in 1895. Still others affiliated with Puritanism
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
and emigrated to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.