George Anselm Touchet, also spelt Tuchet, (born after 1618 - died 1689 or earlier) was the

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 ...

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of Queen Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II from 1671 till his banishment in 1678.George Anselm Touchet
/ref> The second son of

Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (1593 – 14 May 1631; also spelled ''Mervin, Touchet''), was an English nobleman who was convicted of rape and sodomy and subsequently executed. He is the only member of parliament to be executed for a ...

, by his marriage to Elizabeth Barnham, and a younger brother of

James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven ( - 11 October 1684) was the son of Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven and his first wife, Elizabeth Barnham (1592 - ). Castlehaven played a prominent role in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms that took plac ...

, Touchet began life as George Tuchet in

Stalbridge Stalbridge () is a small town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, near the border with Somerset. In the United Kingdom 2011 Census, 2011 census the civil parish—which includes the haml ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

. In 1631, his father was convicted and executed for various sexual crimes, including

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

and

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sodo ...

. In 1643 Touchet became a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

at St Gregory's, Douai, and was clothed a monk under the name of Anselm. After the Restoration of the Stuarts he was made

to Queen Catherine, with an apartment at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

and subsequently another at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, and with an allowance of £100 a year. Touchet's ''Historical collections'', a work of Catholic controversy, appeared in 1674, and he was banished from England the following year. In 1682 he was debarred by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

from succeeding to his brother's earldom and estates. An abridged version of his manuscript translation of a devotional work by the French mystic Constantine Barbanson (1581–1632) was published in 1928 as ''The Secret Paths of Divine Love''.Michael Mullett, in his introduction to fascimile extracts from ''Historical collections'', claims ''The Secret Paths of Divine Love'' was published by the Ascetical Society in 1858. Mullett, ed., ''English Catholicism 1680-1830. Volume I. English Catholic Writings on Religious Controversies 1685-1736'', 2006, pp. 217-8

Works

*
Historical collections out of several grave Protestant historians concerning the changes of religion and the strange confusions following from thence
', 1674. Reissued 'with an Addition' in 1686. *''The Secret Paths of Divine Love'', 1928. Tr. from French of Constantine Barbanson, abridged by a nun of Stanbrook Abbey, ed. with introduction by Dom Justin McCann

References

1600s births 1680s deaths English Benedictines 17th-century English Roman Catholic priests History of Catholicism in England People from Stalbridge Younger sons of earls Household of Catherine of Braganza {{RC-clergy-stub