John Barrow (1735 – 1811) was a Roman Catholic priest towards the end of the penal times for English Catholics.

Biography

Barrow was from a Catholic yeoman family from Westby-in-the-Fylde. His uncle, Father Edward Barrow, was a

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

priest serving Wesby Hall who had been

outlawed An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

as a Catholic priest in 1717. Barrow, studied in the

English College in Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English College, ...

for seven years but was not ordained immediately as he was impressed into the Royal Navy in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and served for five years before deserting at Dunkirk. He was acquitted by the court-martial through pretending to be an Italian speaker. He resumed his studies for the priesthood at

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

where he was ordained in 1766 and became the priest at the mission in Claughton in his native Lancashire which had been associated with the recusant

Brockholes Brockholes is a small village in West Yorkshire, England, in the administrative area of Kirklees Metropolitan Council and Holme Valley Parish Council. The village of Honley borders to the immediate north of the village and Holmfirth lies to t ...

family. He remained there until his death. He was buried at the adjoining mission of New House. He enlarged the parish church of Claughton, in 1794, improved the roads as township overseer and negotiated with Sir Edward Smythe for the exchange of the land for

Ushaw College Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw), is a former Roman Catholic Church, Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for ...

. Though his name is on the list of Douai writers although no description of his writing is recorded. It is likely that he contributed to the Catholic Committee controversy. He was praised by the

Cardinal Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae, it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...

for his Catholic loyalty and his zeal for the cause of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, John 18th-century English Roman Catholic priests 1735 births 1811 deaths 19th-century English Roman Catholic priests