William Davies (priest)
Encyclopedia
William Davies was a Welsh Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. There is a chapel in Anglesey
built as a memorial to him.
, probably Croes yn Eirias
, Denbighshire
, but his date of birth is not known , however one source gives the year 1555. Groes yn Eirias (meaning Cross in Torch) is believed to be the old name for the area of dwellings between Llanelian and Colwyn Bay, Groes Road Colwyn Bay is a route to Llanelian Church. Eirias Park is in the same area.(It is now in the County of Conwy). He studied at Reims
, where he arrived on 6 April 1582 just in time to assist at the first Mass of Nicholas Garlick
. He received tonsure
and minor orders
23 September 1583, together with seventy-three other English students. Ordained priest in April, 1585, he worked as missionary in Wales. With his patron Robert Pugh, he secretly produced the book "Y Drych Christianogawl", said to be the first book printed in Wales. The press may have been located in a cave above the sea at the Little Orme head between Llandudno and Penrhyn Bay..
In March 1592, he was arrested at Holyhead
, with four students whom he was sending via Ireland to the English College at Valladolid
. Pugh escaped arrest.
He was imprisoned in a dungeon
in Beaumaris Castle
and separated from his companions, having confessed that he was a priest. After a month he was able to join the students for an hour in the day, and even to celebrate Mass
. The jailor became lax, and they might have escaped had they so willed. Catholics from all parts to came consult him, and Protestant ministers came to dispute with him.
At the assizes he and his companions were condemned to death, on which the Davies intoned the Te Deum
, which the others took up. The judge reprieved the condemned till the Queen's pleasure be known.
Sent to Ludlow
, to be examined by the Council of the Marches
, Davies encountered more Protestant ministers. They took him to church under pretext of a disputation, and then began the Protestant service. He recited the Latin Vespers in a loud voice.
From Ludlow he was sent to Bewdley
, where he had to share his prison with felons, and thence to other jails. He was sent back to Beaumaris, and rejoined his young companions. For some six months he lived with them the life of a religious community, dividing the time between prayer and study.
At the summer assizes it was decided that the priest must die as a traitor, though he was offered his life if he would go but once to church. In spite of local opposition, the sentence was carried out and he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Beaumaris Castle
, .
His cassock
was preserved as a relic by his companions. They, though condemned to imprisonment for life, managed in time to escape. The youngest found his way to Valladolid, where he recounted the whole story to Bishop Yepes, who wrote it in his "Historia particular de la Persecucion en Inglaterra".
Blessed William Davies is remembered on 27th July...
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
built as a memorial to him.
Life
Davies was born in North WalesNorth Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, probably Croes yn Eirias
Croes yn Eirias
Groes yn Eirias is the name of a Welsh hamlet in the Colwyn Bay area. Groes yn Eirias means Cross in Torch.There is a large area of Colwyn Bay called Eirias Park there and an ancient road from Eirias to the hilltop village of Llanelian called Groes Road. It is believed but not confirmed that the...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, but his date of birth is not known , however one source gives the year 1555. Groes yn Eirias (meaning Cross in Torch) is believed to be the old name for the area of dwellings between Llanelian and Colwyn Bay, Groes Road Colwyn Bay is a route to Llanelian Church. Eirias Park is in the same area.(It is now in the County of Conwy). He studied at Reims
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....
, where he arrived on 6 April 1582 just in time to assist at the first Mass of Nicholas Garlick
Nicholas Garlick
Blessed Nicholas Garlick was an English catholic priest, martyred in Derby in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.- Early life :...
. He received tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
and 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 September 1583, together with seventy-three other English students. Ordained priest in April, 1585, he worked as missionary in Wales. With his patron Robert Pugh, he secretly produced the book "Y Drych Christianogawl", said to be the first book printed in Wales. The press may have been located in a cave above the sea at the Little Orme head between Llandudno and Penrhyn Bay..
In March 1592, he was arrested at Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, with four students whom he was sending via Ireland to the English College at 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...
. Pugh escaped arrest.
He was imprisoned in a dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
in Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle, located in the town of the same name on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, was built as part of King Edward I's campaign to conquer the north of Wales. It was designed by James of St. George and was begun in 1295, but never completed...
and separated from his companions, having confessed that he was a priest. After a month he was able to join the students for an hour in the day, and even to celebrate Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. The jailor became lax, and they might have escaped had they so willed. Catholics from all parts to came consult him, and Protestant ministers came to dispute with him.
At the assizes he and his companions were condemned to death, on which the Davies intoned the Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
, which the others took up. The judge reprieved the condemned till the Queen's pleasure be known.
Sent to Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
, to be examined by the Council of the Marches
Council of the Marches
The Council of Wales and the Marches was a regional administrative body within the Kingdom of England between the 15th and 17th centuries, similar to the Council of the North...
, Davies encountered more Protestant ministers. They took him to church under pretext of a disputation, and then began the Protestant service. He recited the Latin Vespers in a loud voice.
From Ludlow he was sent to Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
, where he had to share his prison with felons, and thence to other jails. He was sent back to Beaumaris, and rejoined his young companions. For some six months he lived with them the life of a religious community, dividing the time between prayer and study.
At the summer assizes it was decided that the priest must die as a traitor, though he was offered his life if he would go but once to church. In spite of local opposition, the sentence was carried out and he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle, located in the town of the same name on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, was built as part of King Edward I's campaign to conquer the north of Wales. It was designed by James of St. George and was begun in 1295, but never completed...
, .
His cassock
Cassock
The cassock, an item of clerical clothing, is an ankle-length robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran Church and some ministers and ordained officers of Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Ankle-length garment is the meaning of the...
was preserved as a relic by his companions. They, though condemned to imprisonment for life, managed in time to escape. The youngest found his way to Valladolid, where he recounted the whole story to Bishop Yepes, who wrote it in his "Historia particular de la Persecucion en Inglaterra".
Blessed William Davies is remembered on 27th July...