Oswald Tesimond
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Oswald Tesimond (1563 – 23 August 1636) was an English
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
born in either
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...
or
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
* who, while not a direct conspirator, had some knowledge of the
Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...
beforehand.


Life

He was educated in York, in the Royal School of William and Mary in the Horse Fayre, which cost no money to attend.
Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educated ...
,
Edward Oldcorne Edward Oldcorne alias ''Hall'' (1561 – 7 April 1606) was an English Jesuit priest. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot to destroy the Parliament of England and kill James I of England, King James I; and although his inv ...
and brothers
Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
and John Wright were among Tesimond's classmates, all of whom would become involved in the Gunpowder Plot. In 1580, at the age of seventeen, he entered
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, ...
. After three years of philosophy, Tesimond, with permission from the Jesuits' cardinal protector,
Giovanni Morone Giovanni Morone (or Moroni) (25 January 1509 – 1 December 1580) was an Italian cardinal. He was named Bishop of Modena in 1529 and was created Cardinal in 1542 by Pope Paul III. As a cardinal, he resided in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace ...
joined the
Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
in April 1584.Morris, John. "Father Tesimond's Landing in England", ''The Troubles of Our Catholic Forefathers Related by Themselves'', Vol. 1, Burns and Oates, 1872
/ref> Tesimond spent most of his adult life in Italy, under the name of Philip Beaumont, (Beamond, Bémont). Later, Tesimond studied, among other things, theology in
Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
, where he afterwards taught philosophy. He was ordained, some time before he left on the English Mission, in November 1587. He arrived at
Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
on 9 March 1598. Tesimond worked for eight years as a missioner with
Edward Oldcorne Edward Oldcorne alias ''Hall'' (1561 – 7 April 1606) was an English Jesuit priest. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot to destroy the Parliament of England and kill James I of England, King James I; and although his inv ...
in Worcestershire and
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
under the name "Father Greenway", primarily out of
Hindlip Hall Hindlip Hall is a stately home in Hindlip, Worcestershire, England. The first major hall was built before 1575, and it played a significant role in both the Babington and the Gunpowder plots, where it hid four people in priest holes. It was Hump ...
. He was professed as a Jesuit on 28 October 1603. He would later become somewhat involved in the
Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...
. He effectively documented his experiences in a narrative which he wrote sometime after. He lived the later part of his life in various places, including Saint-Omer and
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, where he died on 23 August 1636 at age 73.


Gunpowder Plot

Oswald Tesimond played a small role in the Gunpowder plot; while not directly involved, he knew of the plot from the confessional, and the motives of the conspirators. It is a near-certainty that the actual plot was divulged to Tesimond by
Robert Catesby Robert Catesby (c. 1572 – 8 November 1605) was the leader of a group of English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Warwickshire, Catesby was educated in Oxford. His family were prominent recusant Catholics, and ...
, someone who was deeply involved. Catesby had asked for advice in general terms about the morality of collaterally causing the death of innocents. At the time, Tesimond assumed he was referring to fighting in the Dutch Wars, but afterwards became uneasy. Tesimond in turn revealed his disquiet to his Jesuit superior,
Henry Garnet Henry Garnet (July 1555 – 3 May 1606), sometimes Henry Garnett, was an English Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Heanor, Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester Colle ...
, in confession. Garnet judged that he had received this information under the seal of the confessional, and that canon law forbade him to repeat it, but urged Tesimond to dissuade Catesby. Garnet later told Catesby that the Pope did not want English Catholics to cause disturbances as that would only bring harsher treatment, but Catesby was unmoved.Adams, Simon. "The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Toleration", ''History Today'', Vol. 55 Issue 11 November 2005
/ref> Tesimond and Garnet kept their knowledge secret, which constituted a violation of the law. Sir
Edward Coke Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
conducted the prosecution for the government – an easy one, since the conspirators had no legal representation – and through his speeches, presented the plot as a Jesuit conspiracy.
Thomas Wintour Robert Wintour (1568 – 30 January 1606) and Thomas Wintour (1571 or 1572 – 31 January 1606), also spelt Winter, were members of the Gunpowder Plot, a failed conspiracy to assassinate King James I. Brothers, they were related to other consp ...
, at his later execution, cleared all Jesuits (Tesimond specifically and most especially), from any involvement, counseling or advising regarding the plot.Healey, Robin. "Tesimond, Oswald" (#7359), ''Italian Literature before 1900 in English Translation'', University of Toronto Press, 2011


Flight

Tesimond's arrest warrant was sworn out on 15 January 1606, describing him in detail: "..of a reasonable stature, black hair, a brown beard cut close on the cheeks and left broad on the chin, somewhat long-visaged, lean in the face but of a good red complexion, his nose somewhat long and sharp at the end, his hands slender and long fingers, his body slender, his legs of a good proportion, his feet somewhat long and slender. (Excerpt from the proclamation for Tesimond's arrest.) Tesimond was able to escape arrest. He evaded the constables of London, then made his way to safe houses in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
and
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
. He then proceeded to sail to
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
among a cargo of dead pigs by passing as the owner of the load. He then went to
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, and then on to
Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...
.


Later life

Tesimond, after escaping arrest, spent some years in
Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...
. He wrote a narrative based on the happenings of the Gunpowder Plot. Written in Italian, Tesimond's narrative probably comprises one of the most detailed and complete accounts of the plot itself. It may have been based on another Latin account of an unknown and unnamed secular priest. The narrative was sent to Rome to better inform the Jesuit authorities. Later, from the year 1617, Tesimond was prefect of studies and consulter in
Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
. He held this position there for many years, among time spent in Rome during the most of 1621, and among other minor occupations. After some time there, he moved to
Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, where he died in 1636. This was documented in a letter by Sir Edwin Rich to
James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...
, which warned the king against accepting any gift he might receive, which might consist of poisoned clothing from Tesimond; in England, vigilance was still elevated after the events that transpired following the Gunpowder Plot.


References


Links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tesimond, Oswald 1563 births 1636 deaths People associated with the Gunpowder Plot Roman Catholic activists Clergy from York People from Northumberland 16th-century English Jesuits 17th-century English Jesuits 16th-century English educators 17th-century English educators Date of birth unknown