John Duckett (1613 – 7 September 1644) was an
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 ...
Catholic priest and martyr.
Life
John Duckett was born at Underwinder, in the parish of
Sedbergh
Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, nor ...
, in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, in 1613, the son of James and Francis Duckett. He was a relative, possibly grandson, of
James Duckett who had been executed at Tyburn on 19 April 1601 for printing Catholic books.
He was baptized on 24 February 1614 and educated at
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, in North West England. It comprises a junior school for children aged 4 to 13 and the main school for 13 to 18 year olds. I ...
. At the age of seventeen, he entered the
English College,
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, Dou ...
; he was ordained a priest by the
Archbishop of Cambrai
The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Helpe ...
in 1639 and was then sent to study for three years at the
College of Arras in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
.
[Camm, Bede. "Venerable John Duckett." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 23 April 2020
He is said to have had an extraordinary gift of prayer, and as a student would spend whole nights in contemplation. After Paris it came time to embark on the English mission, but on his way he spent two months in retreat under the direction of his uncle, John Duckett, prior of the
Charterhouse at Nieupoort.
He arrived at
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
around Christmas 1643. Duckett worked largely in the North and laboured for about a year in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
. It was in the time of the Civil War and he was arrested by
Roundhead
Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...
soldiers only a few months later, on 2 July 1644, at Redgate Head,
Wolsingham
Wolsingham is a market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope.
History
Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck. It is a small settlement and one ...
,
County Durham, while on his way to baptize two children. Taken to
Sunderland, he was examined by a Parliamentary Committee of sequestrators and placed in irons. He admitted he was a priest and so was taken to London with the
Jesuit Ralph Corby
Ralph Corbie (Corby, Corbington, at times Corrington) (25 March 1598 – 7 September 1644) was an Irish Jesuit. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
Life
Corbie was born near Dublin. His parents were from Durham and returned to England wh ...
, arrested about the same time near
Newcastle-on-Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...
. They were both confined in
Newgate, where they were the cause of crowds of Catholics gathering. On these and on others who encountered them they made an impression by their cheerfulness and sanctity.
[ He was brought to trial on 4 September and given the inevitable sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering. Corby was offered a reprieve, but deferred in favour of the younger Duckett, who refused to walk away and leave his friend. Both were executed at ]Tyburn
Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone.
The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern O ...
in London on 7 September 1644.
Both priests were declared Blessed by Pope Pius XI on 15 December 1929.[
Blessed John Duckett R.C Primary School is in Bishop Auckland, Durham.Blessed John Duckett R.C Primary School]
/ref>
See also
* Catholic Church in the United Kingdom
* 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
*
*Godfrey Anstruther, ''Seminary Priests'', Mayhew-McCrimmond, Great Wakering, vol. 2, 1975, pp. 90, 232.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duckett, John
1613 births
1644 deaths
Converts to Roman Catholicism
English College, Douai alumni
Martyred Roman Catholic priests
17th-century English Roman Catholic priests
17th-century Roman Catholic martyrs
Executed Roman Catholic priests
People executed by Stuart England by hanging, drawing and quartering
People from Sedbergh
Executed people from Cumbria
English beatified people
One Hundred and Seven Martyrs of England and Wales