Catherine Gascoigne (1601 – 21 May 1676) was the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

abbess of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

from 1624 to 1673.

Life

Gascoigne was born in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. Her parents were Lady Anne (born Ingelby of Lawkland Hall) and Sir John Gascoigne who was the first Baronet of Barnbow and Parlington Hall in Yorkshire. She was born into a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

family with ancestors who included the judge

William Gascoigne Sir William Gascoigne (c. 135017 December 1419) was Chief Justice of England during the reign of King Henry IV. Life and work Gascoigne (alternatively spelled Gascoyne) was a descendant of an ancient Yorkshire family. He was born in Gawthor ...

and the academic theologian Sir Thomas Gascoigne. The family were influenced by Richard Huddleston and many of her siblings entered a religious life. Her eldest brother, Sir Thomas, was accused of being involved in the

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the Kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate C ...

, her sister Justina, was prioress of a convent at Paris and three of her brothers took religious orders including John (1598–1681) who became the abbot of the Benedictines at

Lamspringe Abbey Lamspringe Abbey (Stift Lamspringe, later Kloster Lamspringe) is a former religious house of the English Benedictines in exile, at Lamspringe near Hildesheim in Germany. First foundation The foundation by Count Ricdag of the first religious hous ...

in Germany. She made the final decision to become a nun after a disfiguring infection of smallpox and she went to Douai in search of a community. She arrived in time to join eight others who had decided to found a community at Cambrai in France led by

Gertrude More Dame Gertrude More (born as Helen More; 25 March 1606 - 17 August 1633) was a nun of the English Benedictine Congregation, a writer and chief founder of the abbey at Cambrai which became Stanbrook Abbey. Life More was born in Low Leyton in Essex. ...

. They were led initially by three nuns from Brussels and a monk named

Augustine Baker Fr. Augustine Baker OSB (9 December 1575 – 9 August 1641), also sometimes known as "Fr. Austin Baker", was a well-known Benedictine mystic and an ascetic writer. He was one of the earliest members of the English Benedictine Congregation ...

. Baker had prescriptive advice about how the nuns should proceed which Gascoigne accepted, but Gertrude More struggled with his idea. She would take some time to persuade. She was elected to be the abbess at

in 1624 and she continued to be re-elected every four years by the community. Baker's approach led to him being recalled to Douai and in 1633 the General Chapter of the

English Benedictine Congregation The English Benedictine Congregation (EBC) unites autonomous Roman Catholic Benedictine communities of monks and nuns and is technically the oldest of the nineteen congregations that are affiliated in the Benedictine Confederation. History and ...

considered all the texts that were being used at Cambrai. Both More and Gascoigne wrote letters in support of Baker's approach and the General Chapter found no issue. Sister More died that year. In 1651 a small number of nuns were sent to Paris in search of benefactors, although the nuns who left also reduced the need for food at Cambrai. The nuns were led by Bridget More (Gertrude's sister) and in 1652 she was elected Prioress. This group was recognised as a separate community by the Paris Chapter in 1653 although the nuns wished to remain within the English Benedictine Congregation. In 1655 the English Benedictine Congregation moved again to try and censure the use of Augustine Baker's approach. Gascoigne refused to cooperate and would not send them the papers they required for the investigation. She threatened that she would leave the EBC if they insisted on her cooperation. The investigation ceased.

Death and legacy

Gascoigne resigned as abbess in 1673 and she died at the convent in

in 1676. The community founded at Cambrai still existed in 2020 as

Stanbrook Abbey Stanbrook Abbey is a Catholic contemplative Benedictine women's monastery with the status of an abbey, located at Wass, North Yorkshire, England. The community was founded in 1625 at Cambrai in Flanders (then part of the Spanish Netherlands, ...

. The Paris community became the

St Mary's Abbey, Colwich Saint Mary's Abbey in Colwich, Staffordshire was a monastery of Roman Catholic nuns of the English Benedictine Congregation, founded in 1623 at Cambrai, Flanders, in the Spanish Netherlands, and closed down in 2020. During the French Revolutio ...

community and they rejoined after more than 360 years apart. The community in Cambrai had led by Gascoigne would lead to other communities in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Nigeria, USA, Uruguay and the UK.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gascoigne, Catherine 1601 births 1676 deaths People from Yorkshire English Roman Catholic abbesses People from Cambrai