John Gavan
Encyclopedia
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.
. He was educated at the Jesuit College,St. Omer's and took up his mission in Staffordshire
, one of the strongholds of the Catholic faith. On the Feast of the Assumption, 1678 he took his final vows to the Society of Jesus at Boscobel
, the home of the Penderel family which had aided Charles II after the Battle of Worcester
. Among the witnesses were two other martyrs of the Popish Plot, William Ireland (Jesuit) and Richard Gerard of Hilderstone.The ceremony was followed by dinner, and the guests then viewed the Royal Oak
where the King had hidden.
This ceremony caused great trouble during the Plot, when Stephen Dugdale
, one of the main instigators, learned of it and accused the guests of plotting to kill the King. Until January 1679 Gavan had escaped simply because Titus Oates
, the originator of the Plot, did not know him. On Dugdale's testimony the Government issued a reward for Gavan's arrest on 15 January: he fled to London and took refuge at the Imperial Embassy. Arrangements were in train to smuggle him out of England when a spy called Schibber denounced him and he was arrested on 29 January.
, John Fenwick
, William Barrow
and Anthony Turner (martyr)
. A bench of seven judges had been assembled, headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir William Scroggs
, a firm believer in the Plot.
Gavan, who seems to have acted as spokesman for all five accused, mounted a spirited defence which led one historian to call him one of the ablest priests of his generation. Attempts by Catholic witnesses to prove that Titus Oates had been at St Omer's on crucial dates when he claimed to be in London failed, as the judges argued that Catholic witnesses could receive a dispensation to lie on oath, and were therefore less credible than Protestants. Gavan had far greater success exposing the inconsistencies in Oates' own testimony: in particular Oates could not explain why he had not denounced Gavan in September 1678 when he first made his accusations against Whitbread and Fenwick. Gavan concluded his defence with a long and eloquent plea of innocence, despite constant interruption from Scroggs.
Scroggs, summing-up, admitted that he could not remember all the evidence ( judges then did not take notes ) but made it clear to the jury that he expected a guilty verdict, which the jury duly brought in after fifteen minutes. The five were sentenced to death the next day.
They were hanged at Tyburn
on 20 June 1679. The behaviour of the crowd suggests that public opinion was turning in favour of the victims. According to witnesses the crowd stood in perfect silence for at least an hour while each of the condemned men made a last speech maintaining innocence; finally Gavan led them in an act of contrition.
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...
, wrongfully 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 London in 1640, to a family originally from Norrington in WiltshireWiltshire
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 was educated at the Jesuit College,St. Omer's and took up his mission in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, one of the strongholds of the Catholic faith. On the Feast of the Assumption, 1678 he took his final vows to the Society of Jesus at Boscobel
Boscobel
Boscobel is a very small civil parish in the east of Shropshire, England, on the border with Staffordshire. To the north is the Staffordshire village of Bishops Wood....
, the home of the Penderel family which had aided Charles II after the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
. Among the witnesses were two other martyrs of the Popish Plot, William Ireland (Jesuit) and Richard Gerard of Hilderstone.The ceremony was followed by dinner, and the guests then viewed the Royal Oak
Royal Oak
The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was located in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. Charles confirmed to Samuel Pepys in 1680 that while he was...
where the King had hidden.
This ceremony caused great trouble during the Plot, when Stephen Dugdale
Stephen Dugdale
Stephen Dugdale was an informer, and self-proclaimed discoverer of parts of the Popish Plot . He perjured himself on numerous occasions, giving false testimony.-Life:...
, one of the main instigators, learned of it and accused the guests of plotting to kill the King. Until January 1679 Gavan had escaped simply because 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 originator of the Plot, did not know him. On Dugdale's testimony the Government issued a reward for Gavan's arrest on 15 January: he fled to London and took refuge at the Imperial Embassy. Arrangements were in train to smuggle him out of England when a spy called Schibber denounced him and he was arrested on 29 January.
Trial and execution
Gavan was tried on 13 June 1679 with Thomas WhitbreadThomas 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....
, 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:...
and Anthony Turner (martyr)
Anthony Turner (martyr)
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.- LIfe :...
. A bench of seven judges had been assembled, 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 firm believer in the Plot.
Gavan, who seems to have acted as spokesman for all five accused, mounted a spirited defence which led one historian to call him one of the ablest priests of his generation. Attempts by Catholic witnesses to prove that Titus Oates had been at St Omer's on crucial dates when he claimed to be in London failed, as the judges argued that Catholic witnesses could receive a dispensation to lie on oath, and were therefore less credible than Protestants. Gavan had far greater success exposing the inconsistencies in Oates' own testimony: in particular Oates could not explain why he had not denounced Gavan in September 1678 when he first made his accusations against Whitbread and Fenwick. Gavan concluded his defence with a long and eloquent plea of innocence, despite constant interruption from Scroggs.
Scroggs, summing-up, admitted that he could not remember all the evidence ( judges then did not take notes ) but made it clear to the jury that he expected a guilty verdict, which the jury duly brought in after fifteen minutes. The five were sentenced to death the next day.
They 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 behaviour of the crowd suggests that public opinion was turning in favour of the victims. According to witnesses the crowd stood in perfect silence for at least an hour while each of the condemned men made a last speech maintaining innocence; finally Gavan led them in an act of contrition.