Richard Blount
Encyclopedia
Richard Blount, S.J. was an English priest and the first Jesuit Provincial of England after the Elizabethan Laws were passed.
. Afterward he went to Trinity for his university studies, but left shortly after arriving having converted to Catholicism
. He traveled to the school run by English priests of the Roman Catholic Order of the Society of Jesus
at Douai
in the Spanish Netherlands, arriving July 22, 1583. The school itself was temporarily in Rheims due to ongoing conflict in Douai. In 1584 he continued on to the English college at Rome, Italy.
by the Earl of Essex
. He was taken before the Lord High Admiral
Howard of Effingham to present his story. His knowledge of the events and of seamanship were good enough for him to pass and be allowed back into England.
He worked as a priest from hiding in Scotney Castle
.
He entered the Society of Jesus
and became a Jesuit on May 5, 1608 by taking the four vows of the Order.
of the English mission of the Society. As Superior he took on the yoke
of leadership of the English Jesuits. At the time there were approximately 200 Jesuits, 109 of which were in hiding in England.
In 1619, the Pope made England a trial province
. Identification as a province indicated that the area covered had stability and permanence. Blount was appointed to the highest leadership
position in a trial province, Vice-Provincial. Blount's task as Vice-Provincial was to organize the province for further validation
at the next meeting of the Society of Jesus leadership. Blount organized five fictional colleges in London
, Lancashire
, Suffolk
, Leicestershire
and Wales
.
His work was recognized by the Order leadership and England was made a full Province of the Society with Blount as the first Provincial
.
in the private chapel of Henrietta Maria, Queen consort
of England, Scotland and Ireland , and a devout Catholic
from France
.
Early life
Richard was born into the English Leicestershire branch of the Blount Family in 1565. He attended school at Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. Afterward he went to Trinity for his university studies, but left shortly after arriving having converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. He traveled to the school run by English priests of the Roman Catholic Order of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
at Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
in the Spanish Netherlands, arriving July 22, 1583. The school itself was temporarily in Rheims due to ongoing conflict in Douai. In 1584 he continued on to the English college at Rome, Italy.
Priesthood
After five years at the English college in Rome, Blount was ordained a priest in 1589. Worked with Father Robert Parsons, S.J. to smuggle himself back into England in 1591 posing as returning sailor prisoners-of-war from the failed expedition against SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by the Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...
. He was taken before the Lord High Admiral
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
Howard of Effingham to present his story. His knowledge of the events and of seamanship were good enough for him to pass and be allowed back into England.
He worked as a priest from hiding in Scotney Castle
Scotney Castle
Scotney Castle is an English country house with formal gardens south-east of Lamberhurst in the valley of the River Bewl in Kent, England. It belongs to the National Trust....
.
He entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
and became a Jesuit on May 5, 1608 by taking the four vows of the Order.
English Jesuit Provincial
In 1617, Blount was selected as SuperiorProvincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
of the English mission of the Society. As Superior he took on the yoke
Yoke
A yoke is a wooden beam, normally used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in different cultures, and for different types of oxen...
of leadership of the English Jesuits. At the time there were approximately 200 Jesuits, 109 of which were in hiding in England.
In 1619, the Pope made England a trial province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
. Identification as a province indicated that the area covered had stability and permanence. Blount was appointed to the highest leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
position in a trial province, Vice-Provincial. Blount's task as Vice-Provincial was to organize the province for further validation
Validation
Validation or validity may refer to:* Validity, in logic, determining whether a statement is true or false* Validity , the application of the principles of statistics to arrive at valid conclusions...
at the next meeting of the Society of Jesus leadership. Blount organized five fictional colleges in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
His work was recognized by the Order leadership and England was made a full Province of the Society with Blount as the first Provincial
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
.
Death and afterward
Richard Blount, S.J. died in London, England on May 13, 1638. He was given a requiemRequiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
in the private chapel of Henrietta Maria, Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of England, Scotland and Ireland , and a devout Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.