![William-weston-jesuit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/William-weston-jesuit.png)
William Weston born at Trimworth Manor, Crundale, near Canterbury, Kent, ''c.'' 1551; died at
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
, Spain, 9 June 1615) was an English
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
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 ...
. He was appointed superior of the Jesuits on the English Mission.
Weston, educated at Oxford, Paris, and Douai, joined the Society of Jesus in Rome in 1575. He worked and taught in Spain before being appointed as superior of the English mission. In 1584, he returned to England, where he converted the Earl of Arundel to Catholicism. However, his involvement in exorcisms led to his arrest and imprisonment in 1586. In 1588, Weston and other priests were moved to Wisbech Castle, where they lived under strict confinement for four years. Tensions arose among the prisoners, known as the "Wisbech Stirs," regarding the establishment of a regular routine and authority. A compromise was reached in 1595. In 1599, Weston was imprisoned in the Tower of London and was later exiled in 1603. He spent his remaining years in English seminaries in Seville and Valladolid, serving as rector of the latter until his death. Weston was known for his scholarly knowledge, spirituality, and zealous missionary work, though some found him unconciliatory.
Life
Educated at
Oxford
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 ...
, 1564-1569 (?), and afterwards at
Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
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, D ...
(1572–1575), he went thence on foot to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and entered the Society of Jesus, 5 November 1575, leaving all he possessed to
Douai College
The English College (''College des Grands Anglais'') was a Catholic seminary in Douai, France (also previously spelled Douay, and in English Doway), associated with the University of Douai. It was established in 1568, and was suppressed in 1793. ...
. His novitiate was made in Spain, and there he worked and taught until appointed as vice-prefect or superior of the English mission.
There was not then a single Jesuit at liberty in the country. He reached England, on 20 September 1584,
[Allen, Mary. "The Jesuits and Wisbech Castle", Jesuits in Britain, June 5, 2018]
/ref> receiving into the Catholic Church Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel
Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel (28 June 155719 October 1595) was an English nobleman. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He is variously numbered as 1st, 20th or 13th Earl of Arunde ...
. Weston left an autobiography full of the missionary adventures. One salient feature was the practice of exorcism
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...
s, at which a number of other priests assisted. The first to object to these witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
proceedings were the older priests, but eventually the matter caught the attention of the Anglican authorities, and the exorcists, almost to a man, were arrested and imprisoned, Weston amongst them (August, 1586). Many were executed.
In 1588, the Government moved Weston and a number of other priests to Wisbech Castle
Wisbech Castle was a stone to motte-and-bailey castle built to fortify Wisbech (historically in the Isle of Ely and now also in the Fenland District of Cambridgeshire, England) on the orders of William I in 1072, it probably replaced an earlier ...
, where for four years their confinement was strict. But in 1592 the prisoners were, for economy's sake, allowed to live on the alms supplied by Catholics, and freedom of conversation was permitted. The Catholic faithful came to visit the confessors, who on their part arranged to live a sort of college life. This was not accomplished without much friction, in what became called the "Wisbech Stirs
The Wisbech Stirs was a divisive quarrel between English Roman Catholic clergy held prisoner in Wisbech Castle in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth I of England. It set some of the secular clergy (not memb ...
". The majority with Weston (20 out of 33) desired regular routine with a recognized authority to judge delinquencies, e.g. quarrels and possible scandals. The minority dissented, and when the majority persisted, and even dined apart (February, 1595), a cry of schism was raised, and Weston was denounced as its originator, the pugnacious Christopher Bagshaw
Christopher Bagshaw (1552 – 1625?) was an English academic and Roman Catholic priest.
Life
He came from a Derbyshire family. He graduated B.A. on 12 July 1572, at Balliol College, Oxford and, in the same year, was elected probationer fellow of ...
taking the lead against him. In response, Weston decided to keep to his room and cease taking meals with the rest of the prisoners stating that he was unwilling to participate in any common life unless rules were drawn up to regulate it.[ In May, arbitrators ( John Bavant and Alban Dolman) were called in, but without result, as one espoused one side, one the other. In October two more arbitrators, ]John Mush John Mush (alias Ratcliffe) (b. in Yorkshire, 1551 or 1552; d. at Wenge, Buckinghamshire, 1612 or 1613) was an English Roman Catholic priest, the confessor to Margaret Clitherow.
Life
Having spent six months in the English College at Douai, he we ...
and Dudley, were summoned, and they arranged a compromise amid general rejoicings. The whole body agreed to live together by a definite rule (November, 1595).
In the spring of 1597, the troubles of the English College, 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, ...
, spread to England, and led to a renewal of the "Wisbech stirs", which were soon overshadowed by the Appellant controversy. Weston took no part in this, as he was committed, early in 1599, to the Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
, where he almost lost his sight.
In 1603, he was sent into exile[ and spent the rest of his days in the English seminaries at ]Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
and Valladolid. He was rector of the latter college at the time of his death. His autobiography and letters show a man learned, scholarly, and intensely spiritual, if somewhat narrow. A zealous missionary, he strongly attracted many souls, while some found him unconciliatory. Portraits of him are preserved at Rome and Valladolid.
References
;Attribution
* The entry cites:
** John Morris, ''Troubles of our Catholic Forefathers'', II (1875), contains a translation of Weston, ''Autobiography''. The conclusion, which is there missing, is in ''Catholic Record Society'', I;
**Peralta, Puntos cerca la santa vida del P. Guillermo Weston (1615);
**MS. at Rome;
**Law, Jesuits and Seculars in the Reign of Elizabeth (1889);
**Bartoli, Inghilterra (1668);
**More, Historia provinciae anglicanae (1660);
**Pollen in ''The Month
''The Month'' was a monthly review, published from 1864 to 2001, which, for almost all of its history, was owned by the English Province of the Society of Jesus and was edited by its members.
History
''The Month'', founded and edited by Frances M ...
'' (July, 1912).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, William Weston
1550 births
1615 deaths
Alumni of the University of Oxford
17th-century English clergy
16th-century English Jesuits
17th-century English Jesuits
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
People from Maidstone