Anne Vaux and the Gunpowder Plot

Speaking of the Gunpowder Plot in connection with Henry Garnet, SJ and the Bye Plot reminded me of Anne Vaux. According to the website published by the Houses of Parliament in 2005 to celebrate or commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the plot:

Anne Vaux was born in 1562, the daughter of a Catholic nobleman, Lord Vaux of Harrowden. She was a cousin of Francis Tresham. Unmarried, she seems to have devoted her life to supporting the cause of Catholicism in England and for many years she helped the Jesuit priest Henry Garnett to carry out his secret missionary work.

Working often with her widowed sister, Eleanor Brooksby, she created safe houses for Garnett and other clerics. One of them was Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, now belonging to the National Trust; another was White Webbs in Enfield Chase, near London. Both houses were fitted up with priest holes or hiding places for the priests.

Several of the conspirators met at White Webbs in the summer and autumn of 1605, and although she did not know about the Plot, Anne Vaux did have some suspicions. After the discovery of the Plot she was arrested but soon released, and following her release tried to protect Garnett, posing as his sister, a Mrs Perkins. By the beginning of December Garnett was in hiding at Hindlip House, where he was eventually found on 27 January.

After his arrest, Anne Vaux followed Garnett to London and tried to pass secret messages to him, which were intercepted by the authorities. She was herself arrested again in March and interrogated. Distraught at Garnett's death, she was released in August and lived first in Leicestershire and then in Derbyshire, where she ran a Catholic school. She died some time after 1637.

Of Garnet, the same site notes:

Henry Garnett was born in 1555, and went to Winchester College, where he was said to be a brilliant scholar. He probably left in 1571 for religious reasons and in 1575 left England to join the Jesuit order.

Ordained in about 1582 in Rome, in 1586 he travelled back to England with a fellow Jesuit, Robert Southwell. Garnett soon made contact with other Jesuits in England, including Weston, their leader. He also met the Vaux family soon after his arrival, who were to be his protectors for the next twenty years.

Following Weston's arrest, Garnett succeeded him as superior of the Jesuit order. Thanks to the Vauxes, especially Anne, Garnett evaded arrest for twenty years, during which many of his colleagues, including Southwell, were caught and executed. During the 1590s he had to try to sort out increasingly bitter disputes between the Jesuits and other Catholic clergy in England.

Garnett hoped for a more liberal attitude towards the Catholics from James I. Though disappointed in his hopes, he followed his instructions from Rome to do as much as he could to prevent plots against the King. Garnett knew many of those involved in the Plot very well and was aware of their determination to do something.

He first learnt about the Plot in late July 1605, when a fellow priest, Oswald Tesimond, explained to him (with Catesby's agreement) what he had been told in the confessional by Robert Catesby, so that they could discuss between them the issues of conscience that it involved. Whether Tesimond's discussion with Garnett had itself been a confession was an important point much discussed later.

Garnett tried to stop the conspirators, but did not reveal what he knew to the authorities. By October he may have thought that the plans had been abandoned. He first heard of its discovery at Coughton Court, in Warwickshire, the home of the Throckmorton family, in a letter from Robert Catesby on 6 November. He went into hiding immediately and was eventually captured in January 27th 1606. His trial took place on 28 March and he was executed on 3 May.

Many Catholics regarded Garnett as a martyr. A piece of straw taken from the scaffold on which he was executed was said to have miraculously acquired his image, and was venerated as a relic. A process of canonisation as a saint was begun but was never completed.

Father William Watson, Priest and Traitor

Sometimes, of course, when Catholic priests were suspected of plotting against the government of England, they were plotting against the government or the monarch. Not every Catholic priest or layman executed by the English government died as a martyr! And although English Catholic men traveled to the Continent to study for the priesthood and for the mission in England, they did not always agree about what that mission was. In the latter part of Elizabeth I's reign, there was division between the Jesuits and some of the secular, non-religious priests called the Appellants over the better way to deal with the issues of Elizabeth's excommunication and rightful authority as Queen in England--dividing spiritual and temporal authority, as it were. The Appellants wanted to appeal to the Queen for mercy, claiming that they were loyal to her in temporal matters while still practicing their Catholic faith.

William Watson, who was executed on December 9, 1603, exemplifies these two trends in a fascinating pattern. Because he had great hopes that James VI of Scotland, when succeeding Elizabeth in England would be ready to accommodate this more subtle distinction between the secular and the spiritual authority of the monarch, Watson met James in Scotland. When James did not accept this radical notion, Watson concocted the Bye Plot to kidnap James, seize the Tower of London, and establish a Catholic government in England.

Henry Garnet, one of Watson's Jesuit adversaries, found out about the Bye Plot and reported it to the authorities. Watson and his fellow conspirators were captured, tried and executed. Father Robert Parsons and the Jesuits who had been also negotiating with James and his new government, also hoped that their cooperation in reporting this plot would encouraged the government to ameliorate conditions for Catholics.

Ironically, Henry Garnet would later be executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot in 1606--a matter more complex than Watson's direct plotting. One of the plotters, Robert Catesby, asked Father Garnet some "hypothetical" moral questions and Garnet warned him against rebellion and the taking of innocent lives; another Jesuit who knew of the plot confessed it to Garnet who told him to do all in his power to prevent it--so Garnet may have been protecting the Seal of Confession. James I was careful not to make a martyr out of Garnet; he was threatened with torture but only tortured once (unlike poor Guy Fawkes in 1605) and was hung until dead before the rest of the traitor's sentence was carried out.

Also, the investigation of the Bye Plot led to the discovery of the Main Plot, which connived to place Arbella Stuart (pictured above) on the throne after deposing James.

The birth of Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of France and Queen of Scotland, also claiming the title Queen of England, was born on December 8, 1542 at Linlithgow Castle. Her father, James V was mortally ill after a resounding defeat by the English in November of that year. When hearing that his second wife, Mary of Guise had been delivered of a girl, he is said to have turned in face to the wall in bed, saying only "It came from a woman; it will end in a woman" referring to the Stewart claim to Scotland's throne.

Mary became Queen of Scotland as an infant, six days old. Her cousin, James Hamilton the Earl of Arran served as regent and arranged the marriage of Mary to Edward, Henry VIII's heir which would have led to the uniting of England and Scotland under Tudor rule. But Mary of Guise and other Catholic supporters opposed this treaty; they removed Mary to Stirling Castle and Parliament repudiated the agreement James Hamilton had made.

Henry VIII was then enraged and sent an army to invade and pillage Scotland--the "Rough Wooing" of 1544 that only strenthened the Scots' resolve to oppose the marriage. Eventually, a marriage was arranged between Mary and Francois, the Dauphin of France, and thus Mary went to live at the French Court, guided by her mother's family, the House of Guise.

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

Henry Stuart, First Duke of Albany, Lord Darnley was the grandson of Margaret Tudor, dowager Queen of Scotland and her second husband Archibald Douglas. He was born on December 7, 1545. His mother was Margaret Douglas, whom Mary I thought had a better claim to the English throne than Mary's half-sister Elizabeth--since she was legitimate, and Mary firmly believed that Elizabeth was not.

The marriage of Henry Stuart to Mary, Queen of Scots strengthened the claim of both to reign in England, since they were first cousins tracing descent from Henry VIII's older sister Margaret--except that Henry VIII's will had diverted the succession from the Stuarts to the Greys. (You'll need to read Leanda le Lisle's book on the Grey sisters and how Elizabeth treated them to see how that worked out). Stuart was Mary's second husband as she was the widow of Francois II, briefly King of France. They were married on July 9, 1565 and Henry was proclaimed King of Scotland.

Their marriage and Darnley's title as King of Scotland were most displeasing to Elizabeth--for one of her subjects to become a foreign monarch was an insult. The marriage soon became displeasing to Mary too because Darnley not only caused dissension at Court but committeed horrific violence while Mary was pregnant, murdering her private secretary, David Rizzio in her presence. They may have reconciled briefly after the birth of their son James, but then Darnley was discovered murdered in the orchard at Kirk o Fields on February 10, 1567.

Mary's supposed guilt in his murder--and the disastrous marriage to the Earl of Bothwell--led to her fall from power in Scotland and imprisonment in England by Elizabeth I, who always recognized Mary's claim to succeed her if Elizabeth did not marry and produce an heir. Because Elizabeth never did marry and because Mary was a Catholic, the issue of the succession provided tension throughout much of Elizabeth's reign. Mary became the linch pin of plots to rescue her, depose Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne in Catholic circles--the Babington and Throckmorton plots, etc--that finally led to Mary's execution.

Alison Weir deals with the question of Mary's guilt in Darnley's murder in her book Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley in which she pretty convincingly argues, in part, that Mary was framed through purposeful misreading of the so-called Casket Letters.

The Last Abbot of Colchester

On December 1, I commemorated the three Jesuit martyrs under Elizabethan recusancy--John Whitehead remembered one of the three abbots executed by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries: Blessed John Beche.

From Once I was a Clever Boy:

December 1st 1539 saw the third martyrdom of an English Benedictine abbot that autumn, with that of the Abbot of Colchester following those of his brothers of Reading and Glastonbury. . . .Pope Leo XIII beatified Abbot John Beche on 13 May, 1895.

Sunday Mass at St. Germain-en-Laye

On November 21st, the Feast of Christ the King, my husband and I rode the RER A from Chatelet les Halles through central Paris (Auber, Etoile and La Defense stations) and Nanterre and Pecq to St. Germain-en-Laye for Sunday Mass at the parish church of that community outside Paris. It was raining when we arrived at the RER exit.
The church was full for 10 a.m. Mass (we arrived just a little late) and the organist was joined by a trumpet and trombone for festive music. We were impressed by how attentive the congregation was. Mark and I are always glad we have our Magnificat prayer books because they give some reading material during the homily. I heard the words "roi" and "humilite" mentioned often, but could not follow closely enough.

After Mass we took some pictures, especially of the shrine dedicated to James II, Mary Beatrice and their daughter Louise.

The World War I memorial was impressive and this medieval statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, discovered buried after the French Revolution, is much beloved of the people in St. Germain-en-Laye.

Philippe Egalite's Revolutionary Home Base

For the first time on this visit to Paris, I went to the gardens and arcades of the Palais Royale and walked through the Court d'Honneur. Eighth time is the charm!

After visiting Notre Dames des Victoires, I stopped in a tabac across from the church and then walked by Place des Victoires where the statue of Louis Quatorze was covered with scaffolding. I proceeded along Rue Vivienne after a detour through Galerie Vivienne, passing "Le Grand Colbert" displaying a poster of the Diane Keaton/Jack Nicholson movie Something's Got to Give! Entering the Palais Royale I window shopped in the arcades and took a few pictures in the gardens. The Court d'Honneur also had scaffolding in some sections, but I did see the artistic deployment of black and white striped columns!

I exited from the Palais and saw this elegant cafe under the columns--from the Chatelet metro off Rue Rivoli I proceeded to Nation for my visit to Picpus. Tuesday, November 16 was one of the brightest days we had in Paris this year. Wednesday and Thursday that week were very chilly and grey--more on them in other posts.

Admiral Coligny and the Oratory at the Louvre

The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and the assassination of Admiral Coligny in Paris confirmed in English minds that Catholicism and treacherous terrorism were synonymous. The Oratoire du Louvre was a Catholic church, established by the Oratorians in 1621, given to Parisian Reformed Protestants by Napoleon in 1811. This statue of the Admiral was dedicated in 1889, almost 317 years after those horrible events.

The church has always been closed when I've been in the area and the day I took this picture was one of the few sunny days we had in Paris this November.

Operatic Picpus

To follow up from my posts at Cimietiere Picpus, both the Carmelites of Compiegne and the poet Andrea Chenier are featured in celebrated operas: Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, via Bernanos's interpretation of Getrud von le Fort's Song at the Scaffold and Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chenier.

Here is Poulenc's finale at the Met in a classic staging by John Dexter. Note the priest surreptitiously blessing the Carmelites on their way to the guillotine.

At the Opera du Rhin. A less literal interpretation--no crowds, no guillotine!

And the final duet from the Giordano opera--Caballe (!) and Carreras--verismo!! (the Met 1983 Gala--worthy of many more Youtube searches--Freni and Domingo in the great duet from Verdi's Otello; Roberta Peters as Lucia di Lammermoor; Der Rosenkavalier trio with Soderstrom, Battle and Von Stade; McCracken in cowboy boots as Otello--I have it on VHS, not DVD--what a gala!)

And if you like Giordano from an earlier generation: Corelli and Tebaldi--very verismo! The heroine Maddalena meets the poet Chenier awaiting his execution by the Terror. She takes the place of a condemned woman and joins him at the guillotine at dawn. Before that, they have to sing about it--this is opera, after all!

December 1, 1581

St. Ralph Sherwin was executed on December 1, 1581 along with St. Edmund Campion and St. Alexander Briant. They were hung, drawn, and quartered after being found guilty of being Catholic priests present in England.

As The Catholic Herald notes, Sherwin was very much like Campion in his academic career and his sacrifice thereof:

Sherwin’s career began, like Campion’s, in a blaze of academic glory. A Derbyshire man, he showed such early promise that he was selected for a fellowship at Exeter College, Oxford.

There, according to Anthony à Wood, he was “accounted an acute philosopher and an excellent Grecian and Hebrician”. As Campion had made his mark with a Latin oration before Queen Elizabeth in 1566, so Sherwin, when he took his MA in 1574, impressed the Queen’s favourite, the Earl of Leicester.

The baubles of this world were his for the grasping. In 1575, however, he left Oxford and embraced Roman Catholicism, proceeding to Douai to study for the priesthood under William Allen. In March 1577 he was ordained at Cateau Cambrésis by the Bishop of Cambrai.

Like Campion, he was tortured repeatedly in the Tower of London. Elizabeth's government tried to force these three Jesuits to confess to some sort of treasoness conspiracy against the state, but there wasn't away, except that they dared, as Campion would remind the court at Westminster, to practice the Catholic faith as their forefathers had done in England for centuries.

The martyr's last words: "Jesu, Jesu, Jesu, esto mihi Jesus!"