Anthony Turner (martyr)
Encyclopedia
Blessed Anthony Turner was an English Jesuit and victim of the Popish Plot
, executed for conspiracy to murder Charles II
. He was beatified in 1929.
, where according to tradition he converted to Catholicism. He went to the English College, Rome and then to the Jesuit College, St. Omer's. He was ordained in 1659. In 1661 he was sent to the Worcestershire
mission and remained there for the rest of his life; in due course he was appointed Jesuit Superior for the District.
He was tried on 13 June 1679 together with Thomas Whitbread
, John Fenwick
, John Gavan
and William Barrow
. The importance of the trial is indicated by the fact that no less than seven judges sat, headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir William Scroggs
, a convinced believer in the Plot and no friend to priests. Turner, having recovered his mental health, defended himself with vigour, although like the others he allowed the young and able John Gavan to bear the main burden of the defence. Attempts to destroy the testimony of Titus Oates
, the inventor of the Plot, by proving that he had been in St. Omer's for six months when he claimed to have been in London, failed, as the Court ruled that the witnesses,being Catholic, could receive a dispensation to lie and were therefore not credible. Far more effective were the direct attacks on Oates himself; in particular, though he knew Whitbread and Fenwick, Gavan was a stranger to him and his evidence against him was so feeble that even Scroggs remarked " I perceive your memory is not good." Despite the obvious weaknesses in the prosecution case, Scroggs summed up firmly for conviction, and the jury delivered a guilty verdict within fifteen minutes.
All five were hanged at Tyburn
on 20 June 1679. The well-known story that they were offered a pardon on the scaffold if they would confess seems to have no foundation. The King was asked to show clemency, but refused; the most he would do is order that the five be allowed to hang until dead, that they be spared drawing and quartering and given proper burial. The crowd showed that its' sympathy was with the victims, standing in respectful silence while each delivered a last speech maintaining innocence. They were buried in St. Giles-in-the-Fields.
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
, executed for conspiracy to murder Charles II
Charles II
Charles II may refer to:* Charles the Bald , king of the West Franks and Holy Roman Emperor* Charles II of Naples * Charles II of Alençon * Charles II of Navarre * Charles II, Duke of Lorraine...
. He was beatified in 1929.
LIfe
He was born in Leicestershire, the son of a clergyman. He studied at the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where according to tradition he converted to Catholicism. He went to the English College, Rome and then to the Jesuit College, St. Omer's. He was ordained in 1659. In 1661 he was sent to the Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
mission and remained there for the rest of his life; in due course he was appointed Jesuit Superior for the District.
Trial and execution
On the outbreak of the Popish Plot the Government showed exceptional interest in apprehending Turner: why he was of such importance is unclear, but he was sought in three counties. Turner fled to London, but while arrangements were being made to smuggle him out of the country he gave himself up to the authorities in February 1679. His motives are unclear: Jesuits, though schooled to endure martyrdom, were not expected to seek it, nor does his spirited defence at his trial suggest that he had any such wish. Most likely, as Kenyon suggests, his physical and mental suffering caused a short-lived breakdown.He was tried on 13 June 1679 together with Thomas Whitbread
Thomas Whitbread
Blessed Thomas Whitbread was an English Jesuit missionary, wrongly convicted of conspiracy to murder Charles II of England. He was beatified in 1929.-Life:...
, John Fenwick
John Fenwick
Sir John Fenwick, 3rd Baronet was an English Jacobite conspirator, who succeeded to the Baronetcy of Fenwick on the death of his father in 1676....
, John Gavan
John Gavan
Blessed John Gavan was an English Jesuit and victim of the Popish Plot, wrongfully executed for conspiracy to murder Charles II. He was beatified in 1929.- Life :...
and William Barrow
William Barrow
William James Barrow was an American chemist and paper conservator, and a pioneer of library and archives conservation. He introduced the field of conservation to paper deacidification through alkalization.-Overview:...
. The importance of the trial is indicated by the fact that no less than seven judges sat, headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir William Scroggs
William Scroggs
Sir William Scroggs , Lord Chief Justice of England, was the son of an Oxford landowner; an account of him being the son of a butcher of sufficient means to give his son a university education is merely a rumour....
, a convinced believer in the Plot and no friend to priests. Turner, having recovered his mental health, defended himself with vigour, although like the others he allowed the young and able John Gavan to bear the main burden of the defence. Attempts to destroy the testimony of Titus Oates
Titus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
, the inventor of the Plot, by proving that he had been in St. Omer's for six months when he claimed to have been in London, failed, as the Court ruled that the witnesses,being Catholic, could receive a dispensation to lie and were therefore not credible. Far more effective were the direct attacks on Oates himself; in particular, though he knew Whitbread and Fenwick, Gavan was a stranger to him and his evidence against him was so feeble that even Scroggs remarked " I perceive your memory is not good." Despite the obvious weaknesses in the prosecution case, Scroggs summed up firmly for conviction, and the jury delivered a guilty verdict within fifteen minutes.
All five were hanged at Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
on 20 June 1679. The well-known story that they were offered a pardon on the scaffold if they would confess seems to have no foundation. The King was asked to show clemency, but refused; the most he would do is order that the five be allowed to hang until dead, that they be spared drawing and quartering and given proper burial. The crowd showed that its' sympathy was with the victims, standing in respectful silence while each delivered a last speech maintaining innocence. They were buried in St. Giles-in-the-Fields.