TYBURN EXECUTIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 21

TYBURN EXECUTIONS

ROME AND ITS MARTYRS

CLAIMS TO REMEMBRANCE

Router's ,correspondent at Koine, in a recent message,.to the London "Daily Telegraph," states that the sacred Congregation of Rites met at the Vatican last November for the purpose of examining, and giving their opinion on, the Apostolic . Process for the beatification of the Venerable Georgo Haydock and his companions, who suffered in England at various dates between the years 1584 and 1137 P. Tho cause of John Ogilvie, S.J., who was executed at Glasgow on 10th March, 1015, was also considered.

The inquiry into the claims of the Roman Catholic priests and laymen who suffered in thcTudor and Stuart periods and the Commonwealth has been going on for many years, s;jys the "Daily Telegraph" in commenting on the subject. Tho cause, or ease, for beatification, which carries the title of "Blessed," of! theso and other martyrs in the English group (some 300 ur more) was iirst presented in 1580 under Pope Gregory XIII., but the inquiry, which was successful in relation to a few of tho instances; was not nearly so systematic as is the case to-day.. Pope Urban VIIF. instituted a more thorough inquiry in 1042, and a list was drawn up by Dr. Richard Smith, Bishop of Chalccdon, and Dr. Richard Challoner.

It- was not (ill the late Canon John Morris revived the Cause in 3855 that (lie matter was taken up in earnest, and ultimately, after several attempts to obtain a Papal decree, an "ordinary process" was commenced in London in 1874. Two difficulties were encountered, as before, in respect of the great number of the "candidates" and tho contemporary destruction of ninny of the records." It was a group of the Oralorian Fathers at Bronipton who undertook the preliminary work of historical inquiry, and among tlioso who have entered into the search for evidencehave been Cardinal Gasquot, the Rev. Mode Camm, and tho Kov. J. H. Pollen. Twelve years elapsed before the Roman Courts ratified the previous ordinances of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The group were then divided into the Vonerables (over fiO in number) already sanctioned, and 44 held over for later decision —hence known as "Dilati." A new Cause was started at AVestminster in 1888, and there were included many who died in connection with the Mary Stuart intrigues and the Oatcs accusation, most of whom, it may be said, stand very little chance of recognition.

Some time may elapse before tho, final decree is promulgated in the case of the victims considered recently, but in any case, of the considerable group headed by Haydock, it may be safelyassumed that many will be weeded out. Haydock's claim to bo numbered among the' "Benti" has always been favourably considered among Roman Catholichistorians. He was. born at Cotton Hall, Lancashire, in 1556, of good family, and was educated at the English colleges of Douai and Rome, being ordained at Rhcims in 15S1. Soon after landing in London he was sent to the. Tower, and two years later was charged with' four other priests for conspiracy against tho Queen. The six were drawn, to Tyburn on hurdles, and Haydock, being the youngest, was the first to suffer. The others were James Fcnn, AVilliam Deane, Thomas Hernerford, John Munden, and John Nutter.

John Ogilvie, born at Drum, near Keith, in 15S0, was reared as a Calvanist, but was received into the Roman. Church at Louvain. He became a Jesuit at 17, and at his own request was sent on the Scottish mission, the most dangerous of all in these islands. Ho was betrayed in Glasgow, and had a trying period in prison for many months. His gaiety and courage drew the admiration of his judges, especially Archbishop Spottiswood. He was condemned and hanged, but the grisly details of his sentence were pretermitted owing to popular sympathy, and he was buried in the cathedral yard..