![Dom John Huddleston](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Dom_John_Huddleston.jpg)
Father John Huddleston (15 April 1608 – buried 13 September 1698) was an English Roman Catholic
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
, and a monk of the
Order of St. Benedict
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
who helped
Charles II during his
escape
Escape or Escaping may refer to:
Computing
* Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation
** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...
and was present when Charles converted to the Catholic faith on his deathbed.
Early life and education
John Huddleston was born at Farington Hall,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, the second son of Joseph Huddleston from
Hutton John, near
Penrith in
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
. His uncle, Richard Huddleston, was a Benedictine priest. John was educated at the school at nearby
Great Blencow until he was fifteen. When he was twenty he was sent to St Omer College, and on 17 October 1632, entered the
English College in Rome. On 22 March 1637, Huddleston was ordained priest in St. John Lateran's, and left Rome for England on 28 March 1639.
[ Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910.]
Chaplain to Thomas Whitgreave
In 1651 he was staying at
Moseley Old Hall
Moseley Old Hall is located in Fordhouses, north of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. It is famous as one of the resting places of Charles II of England during his escape to France following defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. It is ...
,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, as chaplain to
Thomas Whitgreave's family, prominent local Catholics. After the defeat at the
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...
on 3 September 1651, Charles II was conducted by Colonel Gifford to
Whiteladies Priory on Gifford's
Boscobel estate. At Whiteladies, the King was sheltered by the five
Penderell brothers who lived there. John Penderell happened to meet Father Huddleston, who suggested that the King should go to
Moseley Old Hall
Moseley Old Hall is located in Fordhouses, north of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. It is famous as one of the resting places of Charles II of England during his escape to France following defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. It is ...
on the night of 7 September. Huddleston cleaned and bandaged the King's sore feet. To guard against surprise Huddleston was constantly in attendance on the king; his three pupils were stationed as sentinels at upper windows and Thomas Whitgreave patrolled the garden.
[
On 9 September, Parliamentary troops questioned Whitgreave, while the King and Huddleston were hiding in the priest-hole. The troops were persuaded that Whitgreave had not fought at Worcester (though he had fought and been captured at the ]Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby took place on 14 June 1645 during the First English Civil War, near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire. The Parliamentarian New Model Army, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, destroyed the main R ...
in 1645). The troops left without searching the house.[
]
Benedictines of the Spanish Congregation
Before the King left to meet Jane Lane at Bentley Hall, he promised to look after Huddleston when restored to his throne. Some time afterward, Huddleston joined the Benedictines
, 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 ...
of the Spanish Congregation. After the Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
in 1660, Huddleston was invited to live 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 ...
, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, under the protection of Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...
. After her death in 1669, he was appointed chaplain to Queen Catherine, with a salary of £100 a year. During the disturbances produced by Titus Oates
Titus Oates (15 September 1649 – 12/13 July 1705) was an English priest who fabricated the " Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.
Early life
Titus Oates was born at Oakham in Rutland. His father Samuel (1610â ...
's pretended revelations, the House of Lords voted on 7 December 1678 that Huddleston, Thomas Whitgreave, the brothers Penderell, and others involved in Charles II's escape should "for their said service live as freely as any of the King's Protestant subjects, without being liable to the penalties of any of the laws relating to Popish recusants".
When Charles II lay dying on the evening of 5 February 1685, his brother and heir the Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...
brought Huddleston to his bedside, saying, "Sire, this good man once saved your life. He now comes to save your soul." Charles declared that he wished to die in the faith and communion of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Huddleston then heard the King's confession, reconciled him to the Church and absolved him, afterwards administering Extreme Unction
In the Catholic Church, the anointing of the sick, also known as Extreme Unction, is a Catholic sacrament that is administered to a Catholic "who, having reached the age of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age", except in t ...
and the Viaticum
Viaticum is a term used – especially in the Catholic Church – for the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion), administered, with or without Anointing of the Sick (also called Extreme Unction), to a person who is dying; viaticum is thus a part ...
. On the accession of James II, Huddleston continued to stay with the Queen Catherine at Somerset House.
Illness and death
Shortly before his death aged 90 his mind failed and he was placed in the charge of a trustee. He was buried in the churchyard of St Mary-le-Strand
St Mary le Strand is a Church of England church at the eastern end of the Strand in the City of Westminster, London. It lies within the Deanery of Westminster (St Margaret) within the Diocese of London. The church stands on what was until rec ...
.
Several portraits of Huddleston exist: Houseman's done in 1685 is at Hutton John; another is at Sawston Hall, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
.
References
More detail and a portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huddleston, John
1608 births
1698 deaths
People of the English Civil War
English Benedictines
17th-century English Roman Catholic priests