Thomas Sherwood
Encyclopedia
Blessed Thomas Sherwood (c. 1552 – 1579) was a Catholic layman and martyr.
of Catholic
parents and began his adult life as a woollen draper. He eventually decided to travel to the new English College at Douai
and study for the priesthood in 1576. Before completing his studies he decided to return to London to settle his affairs and find money to support his further studies.
In the city he was a visitor to the house of the Catholic Lady Tregonwell, where it seems that Mass was secretly offered. The woman's son, by her first marriage, Protestant George Marten, resented this. Happening to see Sherwood in the street in Chancery Lane, he began to cry "Stop the traitor" aloud. In this way he managed to have Thomas brought before a judge.
Although there was no proof of any kind against him, he implicated himself by answering openly on the issue of the Queen's supremacy. Once he had been imprisoned in the Tower of London
, and at the orders of the Privy Council
, his lodgings were searched and a large sum of money, aprox. 20-30 pounds, which Thomas had borrowed to help his sick father, was removed.
with a view to extracting details of houses where Mass
was celebrated, Thomas kept silent. As a result he was then thrown into a dungeon to rot. All attempts by St Thomas More's son-in-law, William Roper, to smuggle money to him were unsuccessful. His story then finished with a hasty trial, and the inevitable sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering, carried out at Tyburn
on 7 February 1578/9, when he was 27 years of age.
"equipollently" by Pope Leo XIII, by means of a decree of 29 December 1886.
Life
Sherwood was born in LondonGreater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
of 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"...
parents and began his adult life as a woollen draper. He eventually decided to travel to the new English College 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...
and study for the priesthood in 1576. Before completing his studies he decided to return to London to settle his affairs and find money to support his further studies.
In the city he was a visitor to the house of the Catholic Lady Tregonwell, where it seems that Mass was secretly offered. The woman's son, by her first marriage, Protestant George Marten, resented this. Happening to see Sherwood in the street in Chancery Lane, he began to cry "Stop the traitor" aloud. In this way he managed to have Thomas brought before a judge.
Although there was no proof of any kind against him, he implicated himself by answering openly on the issue of the Queen's supremacy. Once he had been imprisoned in 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...
, and at the orders of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
, his lodgings were searched and a large sum of money, aprox. 20-30 pounds, which Thomas had borrowed to help his sick father, was removed.
Death
RackedRack (torture)
The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one, or both, ends, having at one end a fixed bar to which the legs were fastened, and at the other a movable bar to which the hands were tied...
with a view to extracting details of houses where Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
was celebrated, Thomas kept silent. As a result he was then thrown into a dungeon to rot. All attempts by St Thomas More's son-in-law, William Roper, to smuggle money to him were unsuccessful. His story then finished with a hasty trial, and the inevitable sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering, carried out at Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
on 7 February 1578/9, when he was 27 years of age.
Beatification
He is said to have been a small man, witty, cheerful and loved by many. He was beatifiedBeatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
"equipollently" by Pope Leo XIII, by means of a decree of 29 December 1886.