Ferdinand Poulton, S.J, (c. 1601 – June 5, 1641) was a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionary in the newly founded Jesuit Mission of Maryland. He was born to a noble family in either 1601 or 1603 in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and was educated at the

College of St. Omer A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering v ...

Artois Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...

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. He entered the English College of Rome in 1619 for his higher education and joined the Society of Jesus in 1622. He was back at St. Omer's in 1633 and at

Watten, Nord Watten (; nl, Waten, meaning "ford" as in "river-crossing") is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Its inhabitants are called "Wattenais". Geography Watten is located at the limit of the French Flanders historical county. Howev ...

, in 1636. He completed his initiation into the Jesuit order on December 8, 1635. To help hide his identity from anti-Catholic authorities Poulton, like other Jesuits, used aliases including Father John Brooks (or Brock) and John Morgan, an alias that his uncle, who was also named Ferdinand Poulton, had previously used. Poulton first arrived in

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in 1638. He joined other Jesuits including Andrew White,

Thomas Copley Thomas Copley, alias Philip Fisher (1596 – 1652) was an English Jesuit missionary in North America. Copley Hall, a residence hall at Georgetown University, is named after Thomas Copley. Life He was the eldest son of William Copley of Ga ...

, John Altham Gravenor, and Thomas Gervase at the colony they had begun in 1634 near

St. Mary's City, Maryland St. Mary's City (also known as Historic St. Mary's City) is a former colonial town that was Maryland's first European settlement and capital. It is now a large, state-run historic area, which includes a reconstruction of the original colonial set ...

. He was quickly elected Superior of Mission, replacing Thomas Copley, though Copley would later retake this leadership role. While the Superior, Poulton was summoned by

Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675), also often known as Cecilius Calvert, was an English nobleman, who was the first Proprietor of the Province of Maryland, ninth Proprietary Governor of the Colony of Newfo ...

to attend the Maryland Assembly on September 19, 1640. Poulton lived primarily at the Jesuits' Proprietary at Mattapany on the

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...

. He is also considered a forefather of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, and was involved in teaching at the Jesuit school for the native tribes. Inquiring about patronage for their school, Poulton wrote to

Vincenzo Carafa Vincenzo Carafa (5 May 1585 – 6 June 1649) was an Italian Jesuit priest and spiritual writer, elected the seventh Superior-General of the Society of Jesus. He is a Servant of God. Biography Carafa was born in Andria in the Kingdom of ...

, the

Superior General of the Society of Jesus The superior general of the Society of Jesus is the leader of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position sometimes carries the nickname of the Black Po ...

in Rome under

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

. Carafa replied on September 15, 1640, and approved the institution of a school in principle. Poulton's plan for Catholic education was significantly more ambitious than that of the other Maryland Jesuits. However, he died after being accidentally shot while crossing the St. Mary's River in a small boat on June 5, 1641 (or possibly July 5). His life in Maryland and his mysterious death were fictionalized in the 1995 book, '' Mary's Land'' by author

Lucia St. Clair Robson Lucia St. Clair Robson is an American historical novelist. She was married to science fiction novelist Brian Daley. She is a 1982 recipient of the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West. Works #'' Last Train from Cuernavaca'' - inspired by two v ...

. He also has a building named in his honor, Poulton Hall, on Georgetown's main campus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poulton, Ferdinand 1600s births 1641 deaths 17th-century English Jesuits American Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic missionaries in pre-1776 British North America English Roman Catholic missionaries Jesuit missionaries People of colonial Maryland People from Buckinghamshire English College, Rome alumni Georgetown University people Firearm accident victims Accidental deaths in Maryland Deaths by firearm in Maryland

See also

References