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Robert Anderton (c. 1560 – 25 April 1586) was an English
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 ...
priest and martyr. Along with his companion, William Marsden, they were beatified by the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
with a
feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
every 25 April.


Biographies

Robert Anderton was born in
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 ...
around 1560.Stanton SJ, Richard, ''A Menology of England and Wales'', Burns & Oates, Ltd., London, 1892
/ref> He probably attended
Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...
and graduated from
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1578.Wainewright, John Bannerman. "Venerable Robert Anderton", ''Lives of the English Martyrs'', (Edwin H. Burton and J. H. Pollen eds.), London. Longmans, Green and Co., 1914
/ref> While at
Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...
, Anderton was regarded as an excellent preacher, and a gifted teacher. He was ordained 31 March 1585. William Marsden was also born in Lancashire, and probably attended
St Mary Hall, Oxford St Mary Hall was a medieval academic hall of the University of Oxford. It was associated with Oriel College from 1326 to 1545, but functioned independently from 1545 until it was incorporated into Oriel College in 1902. History In 1320, ...
. Anderton and Marsden were friends from early youth and attended Oxford together, although at different colleges. The two travelled to Douai, where they converted to Roman Catholicism. They entered the English College at Reims in 1580. The two were ordained to the priesthood there,Ryan, Patrick W.F. "Ven. Robert Anderton." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 13 March 2013
/ref> and made prefects over the junior school.


Mission, capture, and execution

Upon finishing their studies, Anderton and Marsden set out for England on 4 February 1586. They were caught in a storm while crossing the English Channel and prayed to die on land rather than at sea. Their ship being driven ashore by the storm onto the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, they were quickly seized by the local authorities. In court, they pleaded that they had not violated the law by landing in England, as their landing was involuntary, being forced ashore by the storm. This led to their being summoned to London, where they were given the opportunity to take the
Oath of Supremacy The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in England to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Failure to do so was to be treated as treasonable. The Oath of Supremacy was ori ...
, acknowledging
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
as the
Supreme Governor of the Church of England The supreme governor of the Church of England is the titular head of the Church of England, a position which is vested in the British monarch. Queen and Church > Queen and Church of England">The Monarchy Today > Queen and State > Queen and Chur ...
. Although they acknowledged Elizabeth as their lawful queen in all secular affairs, they would not swear the Oath. As failure to take the oath was considered
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
under the
Second Act of Supremacy The Act of Supremacy 1558 (1 Eliz 1 c 1), sometimes referred to as the Act of Supremacy 1559, is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of England, which replaced the original Act of Supremacy 1534, and passed under the auspices of Elizabe ...
, Anderton and Marsden were found guilty of treason. The sentence was then confirmed, and a proclamation was published, explaining their guilt. They were taken back to the Isle of Wight near the spot where they had landed and executed by hanging, drawing, and quartering on 25 April 1586. The actual spot has not been identified. Some say it is at Mark's Corner on the edge of Parkhurst Forest, others that it could be in Gurnard above the sailing club. Wherever it was, it overlooked Cowes Roads, where they first sought shelter from the storm.


Legacy

They were beatified by
Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
in 1929. There is a stained glass window of Blessed Robert Anderton in St Mary's Catholic Church in Euxton. A memorial plaque was erected in their honor in the garden at St Thomas of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church in
Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...
.


See also

*
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


External links


Pollen SJ, John Hungerford, ''Acts of the English Martyrs'', Chap. IV, Burns & Oates, Ltd., London, 1891
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderton, Robert Year of birth unknown Date of birth unknown 1586 deaths English beatified people Converts to Roman Catholicism Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests English College, Reims alumni People executed under the Tudors for treason against England 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 16th-century venerated Christians Executed people from Lancashire People executed under Elizabeth I by hanging, drawing and quartering Year of birth uncertain One Hundred and Seven Martyrs of England and Wales