Stephen Goffe, C.O. (Gough) (b. 1605; d. at Paris,

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

, 1681), was a Royalist agent of the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...

, and later an Oratorian priest.

Life

Goffe was educated at Merton College, Oxford, becoming M.A. in 1627. He took orders and became chaplain to Colonel Vere's regiment in the Low Countries. Subsequently,

Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, (25 March 1605 (baptised) – January 1684) was an English politician and courtier. He sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1625 and 1643 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Jermyn. ...

obtained Goffe's appointment as one of the chaplains to

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

, in which capacity he was created D.D. in 1636. He was often employed in secret negotiations in France, Flanders, and Holland. He was rector of

Herstmonceaux Herstmonceux ( , ; ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, which includes Herstmonceux Castle. The Herstmonceux Medieval Festival is held annually in August. History The name comes from Anglo-Saxo ...

from 1639. During the Civil War Goffe was arrested and charged with attempting to rescue the king, then a prisoner at

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

. After the execution of the king (whose death-warrant was signed by Stephen's brother William), he went to France, where he became a Catholic. Dodd and other Catholics have disproved the story that the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

admitted the validity of his Anglican orders. Goffe became a member of the Oratory of Jesus and Mary (French Oratory) 14 January 1651, at Notre-Dame-des Vertues near Paris, where he became superior in 1655. Here he helped English exiles, both Protestants and Catholics, using his influence with

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 ...

on their behalf; and on her appointment he acted as tutor to the young

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

. Goffe was a learned man and maintained a correspondence with

Vossius Vossius may refer to: * Gerardus Vossius (1577–1649), a Dutch humanist * Dionysius Vossius (1612–1633), a Dutch translator, son of Gerardus Vossius * Isaac Vossius (1618–1689), a Dutch scholar, son of Gerardus Vossius * Vossius Gymnasium ...

and other scholars. Some of his letters were printed by Paulus Colomesius (Paul Colomiès) in 1690, and others, still in manuscript, are in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

(Addit. MS. 6394).

Family

He was the son of Stephen Goffe, Protestant rector of

Stanmer Stanmer is a small village on the eastern outskirts of Brighton, in East Sussex, England. History The etymological root of the name is "Stony Mere", Old English for "stone pond", referring to the sarsen stones around Stanmer village pond. The ...

in Sussex, and brother of

William Goffe Major-General William Goffe, in or before 1618 to , was an English religious radical and soldier who fought for Parliament in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and served in the New Model Army. A close associate and supporter of Oliver Cromwell, he ...

. He outlived his wife Penelope Blount, daughter of Sir Saint John Blount KB.

References

Charles Dodd Hugh Tootell (1671/72 – 27 February 1743) was an English Catholic historian. He is commonly known under his pseudonym Charles Dodd. Life Tootell was born in Lancashire. He was tutored by his uncle, Christopher Tootle, before studying with ...

, ''Church History'' (Brussels, 1737–41), III, 305 * Clarendon, ''History of the Rebellion'' (1702–04) *

John Lingard John Lingard (5 February 1771 – 17 July 1851) was an English Roman Catholic priest and historian, the author of ''The History of England, From the First Invasion by the Romans to the Accession of Henry VIII'', an eight-volume work published i ...

, "History of England" (London, 1849), VIII, 191 *Edgar Edmund Estcourt, "Question of Anglican Orders Discussed" (London, 1973) *

Joseph Gillow Joseph Gillow (5 October 1850, Preston, Lancashire – 17 March 1921, Westholme, Hale, Cheshire) was an English Roman Catholic antiquary, historian and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics". Biography Born in Frenchwood Hous ...

, "Bibl. Dict. Eng. Cath.", s.v. *

Thompson Cooper Thompson Cooper (8 January 1837, Cambridge – 5 March 1904, London) was an English journalist, man of letters, and compiler of reference works. He became a specialist in biographical information, and is noted as the most prolific contributor to t ...

in '' Dictionary of National Biography'', s.v. He also published in 1646 under the title ''The Lord George Digby's Cabinet and Dr. Goff's negotiations.''

Notes

External links

''Catholic Encyclopedia'' article
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goffe, Stephen 1605 births 1681 deaths 17th-century English Anglican priests Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism 17th-century English Roman Catholic priests Oratorians Burials in France Alumni of Merton College, Oxford