William Spenser
Encyclopedia
William Spenser was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987.
, in 1559, sent him in 1573 to Trinity College, Oxford
, where he became Fellow in 1579 and M.A. in 1580. There, convinced of the truth of Catholicism, he used his position to influence his pupils in that direction; but he delayed his conversion till 1582, when, with four other Trinity men (John Appletree, B.A., already a priest; William Warford, M.A. and Fellow, afterwards a Jesuit; Anthony Shirley, M.A. and Fellow, afterwards a priest; and John Fixer, B.A., afterwards a priest), he embarked from the Isle of Wight
.
They landed near Cherbourg, arriving at Reims
, 2 November. Received into the Catholic Church five days later, he was ordained sub-deacon and deacon
at Laon
by the bishop, Valentine Douglas, 7 April 1583, and priest at Reims by the Cardinal Archbishop Louis de Guise, 24 September.
He was sent on the English mission 29 August 1584. He effected the reconciliation of his parents and his uncle (the latter was living as a Catholic priest in 1593), and afterwards voluntarily immured himself in York Castle
to help the prisoners there.
He was condemned under 27 Elizabeth, c. 2, for being a priest. With him was executed a layman, Robert Hardesty, who had given him shelter.
Life
His maternal uncle, William Horn, who signed for the Rectory of Cornwell, OxfordshireCornwell, Oxfordshire
Cornwell is a village and civil parish about west of Chipping Norton in West Oxfordshire.-History:The Church of England parish church of Saint Peter was originally Norman, and the chancel arch survives form this time. Most of the windows are Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic additions. The...
, in 1559, sent him in 1573 to Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, where he became Fellow in 1579 and M.A. in 1580. There, convinced of the truth of Catholicism, he used his position to influence his pupils in that direction; but he delayed his conversion till 1582, when, with four other Trinity men (John Appletree, B.A., already a priest; William Warford, M.A. and Fellow, afterwards a Jesuit; Anthony Shirley, M.A. and Fellow, afterwards a priest; and John Fixer, B.A., afterwards a priest), he embarked from the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.
They landed near Cherbourg, arriving at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, 2 November. Received into the Catholic Church five days later, he was ordained sub-deacon and deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
at Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
by the bishop, Valentine Douglas, 7 April 1583, and priest at Reims by the Cardinal Archbishop Louis de Guise, 24 September.
He was sent on the English mission 29 August 1584. He effected the reconciliation of his parents and his uncle (the latter was living as a Catholic priest in 1593), and afterwards voluntarily immured himself in York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
to help the prisoners there.
He was condemned under 27 Elizabeth, c. 2, for being a priest. With him was executed a layman, Robert Hardesty, who had given him shelter.