Swithun Wells
Encyclopedia
Saint Swithun Wells was an English
Roman Catholic martyr
who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I
.
Wells was born at Brambridge
, Hampshire
in 1536, and was christened with the name of the local saint and bishop Swithun. He was for many years a schoolmaster at Monkton Farleigh
in Wiltshire
. During this period, he attended Protestant
services, but in 1583, was reconciled to the Catholic Church. In 1585 he went to London
, where he purchased a house in Gray's Inn Lane
.
In 1591, Edmund Gennings
was saying Mass at Wells's house, when the priest-hunter Richard Topcliffe
burst in with his officers. The congregation, not wishing the Mass to be interrupted, held the door and beat back the officers until the service was finished, after which they all surrendered peacefully. Wells was not present at the time, but his wife was, and she was arrested along with another priest by the name of Gennings, Polydore Plasden
, and three laymen named John Mason, Sidney Hodgson, and Brian Lacey. Wells was immediately arrested and imprisoned on his return. At his trial, he said that he had not been present at the Mass, but wished he had been.
He was sentenced to die by hanging
, and was executed outside his own house on 10 December 1591, just after St. Edmund Gennings. On the scaffold, he said to Topcliffe, "I pray God make you a Paul of a Saul, of a bloody persecutor one of the Catholic Church's children." His wife, Alice, was reprieved, and died in prison in 1602.
Swithun Wells was canonized
by Pope Paul VI
on October 25, 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
. His feast day, along with that of the other thirty-nine martyrs, is on 25 October.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Roman Catholic martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
Wells was born at Brambridge
Brambridge
Brambridge is a village in the parish of Colden Common in the Winchester District in Hampshire, England, north east of Eastleigh and close to the River Itchen. It lies in the south of Twyford civil parish....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in 1536, and was christened with the name of the local saint and bishop Swithun. He was for many years a schoolmaster at Monkton Farleigh
Monkton Farleigh
Monkton Farleigh is a small village in west Wiltshire, England, 3 miles from Bradford-on-Avon, and 5 miles from the city of Bath...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
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...
. During this period, he attended Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
services, but in 1583, was reconciled to the Catholic Church. In 1585 he went to 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...
, where he purchased a house in Gray's Inn Lane
Gray's Inn Road
Gray's Inn Road, formerly Gray's Inn Lane, is a major road in central London, in the London Borough of Camden. It is named after Gray's Inn, one of the main Inns of Court. The road starts in Holborn, near Chancery Lane tube station and the boundaries of the City of London and the London Borough...
.
In 1591, Edmund Gennings
Edmund Gennings
Saint Edmund Gennings was an English martyr, who was executed during the English Reformation for being a Catholic priest. He came from Lichfield, Staffordshire. His name is sometimes spelled Jennings....
was saying Mass at Wells's house, when the priest-hunter Richard Topcliffe
Richard Topcliffe
Richard Topcliffe was a landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. He became notorious as a priest-hunter and torturer and was often referred to as the Queen's principal "interrogator"....
burst in with his officers. The congregation, not wishing the Mass to be interrupted, held the door and beat back the officers until the service was finished, after which they all surrendered peacefully. Wells was not present at the time, but his wife was, and she was arrested along with another priest by the name of Gennings, Polydore Plasden
Polydore Plasden
St Polydore Plasden, one of the Catholic Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A native of London, he studied for the priesthood at Rheims and Rome and was ordained in 1586 before being sent back to England soon after....
, and three laymen named John Mason, Sidney Hodgson, and Brian Lacey. Wells was immediately arrested and imprisoned on his return. At his trial, he said that he had not been present at the Mass, but wished he had been.
He was sentenced to die by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
, and was executed outside his own house on 10 December 1591, just after St. Edmund Gennings. On the scaffold, he said to Topcliffe, "I pray God make you a Paul of a Saul, of a bloody persecutor one of the Catholic Church's children." His wife, Alice, was reprieved, and died in prison in 1602.
Swithun Wells was canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on October 25, 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of men and women who were executed for treason and related offences in the Kingdom of England between 1535 and 1679...
. His feast day, along with that of the other thirty-nine martyrs, is on 25 October.