Sebastian Newdigate
Encyclopedia
Blessed Sebastian Newdigate (died c. 1535) was a Roman Catholic priest
and Carthusian
monk, of England
. He is considered a martyr
by the Catholic Church.
He was a younger son of John Newdigate of Harefield Place, Middlesex
, king's sergeant, and Amphelys, daughter and heiress of John Nevill of Sutton, Lincolnshire
. He was educated at Cambridge
, and on going to Court became and intimate friend of Henry VIII
and a privy councillor. He married and had a daughter, named Amphelys, but his wife died in 1524, and subsequently he entered the London Charterhouse
and became a monk there. He signed the Oath of Succession
"in as far as the law of God permits", on 6 June 1534 but would go no further.
The government was at first anxious to secure the public acquiescence of the monks of the London Charterhouse in this matter, since for the austerity and sincerity of their mode of life they enjoyed great prestige. Having failed in this, the only alternative was to annihilate the resistance since a refusal engaged the prestige of the monks in the opposite sense. On 4 May 1535 the authorities sent to their death at Tyburn Tree three leading English Carthusian
s, John Houghton, prior of the London house, Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster, respectively priors of Beauvale
and Axholme. Little more than a month later, it was the turn of three leading monks of the London house: Humphrey Middlemore, William Exmew and Sebastian Newdigate. This process of attrition was to claim as its victims no less than fifteen of the London Carthusians.
Sebastian was arrested on 25 May 1535, for denying the king's supremacy, and locked up in the Marshalsea
prison, where he was kept for fourteen days bound to a pillar, standing upright, with iron rings round his neck, hands, and feet. There he was visited by the king in person. Henry offered to load him with riches and honours if he would conform. He was then brought before the Council, and sent to the Tower of London
, where Henry visited him again. Since he remained immoveable, his trial took place on 11 June, and after condemnation he was sent back to the Tower. With his confreres Exmew and Middlemore he died at Tyburn Tree on 19 June.
Sebastian Newdigate was beatified by Pope Leo XIII, on 9 December 1886.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monk, of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He is considered a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
by the Catholic Church.
He was a younger son of John Newdigate of Harefield Place, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, king's sergeant, and Amphelys, daughter and heiress of John Nevill of Sutton, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He was educated at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and on going to Court became and intimate friend of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and a privy councillor. He married and had a daughter, named Amphelys, but his wife died in 1524, and subsequently he entered the London Charterhouse
London Charterhouse
The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Smithfield, London dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square. The Charterhouse began as a Carthusian priory, founded in 1371 and dissolved in 1537...
and became a monk there. He signed the Oath of Succession
Oath of Succession
The Act Respecting the Oath to the Succession was passed by the Parliament of England in November 1534, and required all subjects to take an oath to uphold the Act of Succession passed that March...
"in as far as the law of God permits", on 6 June 1534 but would go no further.
The government was at first anxious to secure the public acquiescence of the monks of the London Charterhouse in this matter, since for the austerity and sincerity of their mode of life they enjoyed great prestige. Having failed in this, the only alternative was to annihilate the resistance since a refusal engaged the prestige of the monks in the opposite sense. On 4 May 1535 the authorities sent to their death at Tyburn Tree three leading English Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
s, John Houghton, prior of the London house, Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster, respectively priors of Beauvale
Beauvale Charterhouse
Beauvale Charterhouse was a Carthusian monastery in Beauvale, Nottinghamshire. It is a scheduled ancient monument.-History:...
and Axholme. Little more than a month later, it was the turn of three leading monks of the London house: Humphrey Middlemore, William Exmew and Sebastian Newdigate. This process of attrition was to claim as its victims no less than fifteen of the London Carthusians.
Sebastian was arrested on 25 May 1535, for denying the king's supremacy, and locked up in the Marshalsea
Marshalsea
The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...
prison, where he was kept for fourteen days bound to a pillar, standing upright, with iron rings round his neck, hands, and feet. There he was visited by the king in person. Henry offered to load him with riches and honours if he would conform. He was then brought before the Council, and sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, where Henry visited him again. Since he remained immoveable, his trial took place on 11 June, and after condemnation he was sent back to the Tower. With his confreres Exmew and Middlemore he died at Tyburn Tree on 19 June.
Sebastian Newdigate was beatified by Pope Leo XIII, on 9 December 1886.