Saint Nicholas Owen
Encyclopedia
Saint Nicholas Owen was a Jesuit lay-brother and English Catholic
martyr
who built numerous priest hole
s in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England
.
, England around 1550 into a devoutly Catholic family and grew up during the Penal Law
s. He became a carpenter presumably by trade and for about thirty years built hiding-places for priest
s in the homes of Catholic families. He frequently travelled from one house
to another, under the name of "Little John", accepting only the necessities of life as payment before starting off for a new project.
Owen was only slightly taller than a dwarf, and suffered from a hernia
. Nevertheless, his work often involved breaking through thick stonework; and to minimize the likelihood of betrayal he often worked at night, and always alone. The number of hiding-places he constructed will never be known. Due to the ingenuity of his craftsmanship, some may still be undiscovered.
For many years, Owen worked in the service of the Jesuit priest Henry Garnet
, and was admitted into the Society of Jesus
as a lay brother
. He was first arrested in 1582 or 1583, after the execution of Edmund Campion
, for publicly proclaiming the latter's innocence, but was later released. He was arrested again in 1594, and was tortured, but revealed nothing. He was released after a wealthy Catholic family paid a fine on his behalf, the jailers believing that he was merely the insignificant friend of some priests. He resumed his work, and is believed to have masterminded the famous escape of Jesuit Father John Gerard
from the Tower of London
in 1597.
Early in 1606, Owen was arrested a final time at Hindlip Hall
in Worcestershire
, giving himself up voluntarily in hope of distracting attention from some priests who were hiding nearby. Realizing just whom they had caught, and his value, Secretary of State, Robert Cecil
exulted: "It is incredible, how great was the joy caused by his arrest... knowing the great skill of Owen in constructing hiding places, and the innumerable quantity of dark holes which he had schemed for hiding priests all through England."
After being committed to the Marshalsea
, a prison on the southern bank of the Thames, Owen was then removed to the Tower. Under English law, he was presumably exempt from torture
, having been maimed a few years before when a horse had fallen on him. Nonetheless, he was submitted to terrible "examinations" on the Topcliffe
rack, dangling from a wall with both wrists held fast in iron gauntlets and his body hanging. When this proved insufficient to make him talk, heavy weights were added to his feet. This torture was maintained until "his bowels gushed out with his life." However, Owen revealed nothing to his inquisitors.
as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
by Pope Paul VI
on 25 October 1970. His feast day, along with that of the other thirty-nine martyrs, is on 25 October. Catholic stage magicians who practice Gospel Magic
consider St. Nicholas Owen the Patron of Illusionists and Escapologists due to his facility at using "trompe l'oeil
" when creating his hideouts and the fact that he engineered an escape from the Tower of London.
He appears as a minor character in Robert Hugh Benson
's novel Come Rack! Come Rope!
(1912), where he is incorrectly named "Hugh Owen".
One of his priest holes plays a key role in the Catherine Aird
mystery novel A Most Contagious Game (1967).
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
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 built numerous priest hole
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
s in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I 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...
.
Life
Little is known about his early life, but it is believed that he was born in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England around 1550 into a devoutly Catholic family and grew up during the Penal Law
Penal law
In the most general sense, penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation, as opposed to civil law that seeks to redress private wrongs...
s. He became a carpenter presumably by trade and for about thirty years built hiding-places for priest
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...
s in the homes of Catholic families. He frequently travelled from one house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
to another, under the name of "Little John", accepting only the necessities of life as payment before starting off for a new project.
Owen was only slightly taller than a dwarf, and suffered from a hernia
Hernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
. Nevertheless, his work often involved breaking through thick stonework; and to minimize the likelihood of betrayal he often worked at night, and always alone. The number of hiding-places he constructed will never be known. Due to the ingenuity of his craftsmanship, some may still be undiscovered.
For many years, Owen worked in the service of the Jesuit priest Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet , sometimes Henry Garnett, was a Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester College, before moving to London in 1571 to work for a publisher...
, and was admitted into 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...
as a lay brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
. He was first arrested in 1582 or 1583, after the execution of Edmund Campion
Edmund Campion
Saint Edmund Campion, S.J. was an English Roman Catholic martyr and Jesuit priest. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Protestant England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason by a kangaroo court, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn...
, for publicly proclaiming the latter's innocence, but was later released. He was arrested again in 1594, and was tortured, but revealed nothing. He was released after a wealthy Catholic family paid a fine on his behalf, the jailers believing that he was merely the insignificant friend of some priests. He resumed his work, and is believed to have masterminded the famous escape of Jesuit Father John Gerard
John Gerard, S.J.
John Gerard, S.J. was an English Jesuit priest, operating covertly in England during the Elizabethan period in which the Catholic Church was subject to persecution. He was the son of Sir Thomas Gerard of Bryn, near Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire, who had been imprisoned in 1569 for plotting the...
from 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...
in 1597.
Early in 1606, Owen was arrested a final time at Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall is in Worcestershire. The first major hall was built before 1575. It played a significant role in both the Babington and the Gunpowder plots . It was Humphrey Littleton who told the authorities that Edward Oldcorne was hiding here after he had been heard saying Mass at Hindlip Hall...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, giving himself up voluntarily in hope of distracting attention from some priests who were hiding nearby. Realizing just whom they had caught, and his value, Secretary of State, Robert Cecil
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...
exulted: "It is incredible, how great was the joy caused by his arrest... knowing the great skill of Owen in constructing hiding places, and the innumerable quantity of dark holes which he had schemed for hiding priests all through England."
After being committed to 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...
, a prison on the southern bank of the Thames, Owen was then removed to the Tower. Under English law, he was presumably exempt from torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, having been maimed a few years before when a horse had fallen on him. Nonetheless, he was submitted to terrible "examinations" on the 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"....
rack, dangling from a wall with both wrists held fast in iron gauntlets and his body hanging. When this proved insufficient to make him talk, heavy weights were added to his feet. This torture was maintained until "his bowels gushed out with his life." However, Owen revealed nothing to his inquisitors.
Death
The exact date of his death in 1606 is not agreed upon. Most sources cite 2 March, while others place his death on 12 November. Father Gerard wrote of him:Veneration
Saint Nicholas Owen was canonizedCanonization
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...
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...
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 25 October 1970. His feast day, along with that of the other thirty-nine martyrs, is on 25 October. Catholic stage magicians who practice Gospel Magic
Gospel Magic
Gospel magic is the use of otherwise standard stage magic tricks and illusions to promote Christian messages. Gospel Magic does not claim to invoke spirits or paranormal powers....
consider St. Nicholas Owen the Patron of Illusionists and Escapologists due to his facility at using "trompe l'oeil
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
" when creating his hideouts and the fact that he engineered an escape from the Tower of London.
He appears as a minor character in Robert Hugh Benson
Robert Hugh Benson
Robert Hugh Benson was the youngest son of Edward White Benson and his wife, Mary...
's novel Come Rack! Come Rope!
Come Rack! Come Rope!
Come Rack! Come Rope! is a historical novel by the English priest and writer Robert Hugh Benson , a convert to Catholicism from Anglicanism. It was first published by Burns & Oates and Hutchinson in 1912 in the United Kingdom. An American edition was published the same year by Kenedy and Dodd, Mead...
(1912), where he is incorrectly named "Hugh Owen".
One of his priest holes plays a key role in the Catherine Aird
Catherine Aird
Catherine Aird is the pseudonym of novelist Kinn Hamilton McIntosh. She is the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories...
mystery novel A Most Contagious Game (1967).