Everald Hanse (died 31 July 1581) was an English priest and a
martyr of the
Roman Catholic Church.
Life
Everald Hanse was born in
Northamptonshire and educated at
Cambridge. He was soon presented to a good living. His brother William, who had become a priest in April 1579 tried to convert him, but in vain until a sharp attack of illness made him enter into himself. He then resigned his rich preferments, and went over to
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
in northern
France (1580–1581). He was
ordained 25 March 1581 and returned, but his ministry was very short.
In July he was visiting in disguise some Catholic prisoners in the
Marshalsea, when the keeper noticed that his shoes were of a foreign make. He was closely examined, and his priesthood was discovered. As yet there was no law against priests, and to satisfy the hypocritical professions of the persecutors, it was necessary to find some treason of which he was guilty. He was asked in court at the
Newgate
Newgate was one of the historic seven gates of the London Wall around the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. Newgate lay on the west side of the wall and the road issuing from it headed over the River Fleet to Mid ...
Sessions, what he thought of the pope's authority, and on his admitting that he believed him "to have the same authority now as he had a hundred years before", he was further asked whether the pope had not erred (i.e. sinned) in declaring Queen
Elizabeth I excommunicated, to which he answered, "I hope not." His words were at once written down as his indictment, and when he was further asked whether he wished others to believe as he did, he said "I would have all to believe the Catholic faith as I do." A second count was then added that he desired to make others also traitors like himself. He was at once found guilty of "persuasion" which was
high treason by Elizabeth. He was therefore in due course sentenced and executed at
Tyburn on 31 July 1581.
[Pollen, John Hungerford. "Blessed Everald Hanse." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 27 March 2020Challoner, Richard. ''Memoirs of Missionary Priests'', Thomas Richardson & son, 1843, p. 53
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The trial is noteworthy as one of the most extreme cases of verbal treason on record, and it was so badly received that the Government had afterwards to change their methods of obtaining sentences. The martyr's last words were "O happy day!" and his constancy throughout "was a matter of great edification to the good". The Spanish ambassador wrote: "Two nights after his death, there was not a particle of earth on which his blood had been shed, which had not been carried off as a relic."[
]
See also
* Catholic Church in the United Kingdom
The Catholic Church in the United Kingdom is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope. While there is no ecclesiastical jurisdiction corresponding to the political union, this article refers to the Catholic Church's ge ...
* Douai Martyrs
The Douai Martyrs is a name applied by the Catholic Church to 158 Catholic priests trained in the English College at Douai, France, who were executed by the English state between 1577 and 1680.
History
Having completed their training at Douai, ...
References
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanse, Everald
English beatified people
Year of birth missing
1581 deaths
16th-century venerated Christians
Executed people from Northamptonshire
Executed Roman Catholic priests
Forty-one Martyrs of England and Wales