Two Catholic martyrs caught in the "Tudor Web"


Discussions on the Reformation in England at Fordham last year had impressed the archaeologist running our GPR sessions. Leading that debate was Adam, a valued member of Colchester's YAC for six years. Here are his notes on two notable Catholic martyrs caught in the "Tudor Web" in the county of Essex. He writes:-

"St John Payne was born in Peterborough, England in 1532. He moved to Douai in 1574, where he was ordained two years later. He returned and stayed at Ingatestone Hall with the Petre family. He went on missions to reconvert the English to Catholicism. He went on to be arrested in 1581 and was indicted at Chelmsford after being held in jail for 9 months. He was executed for treason. The execution was controversial as he proclaimed his innocence.

St Anne Line was born some time in 1563 as Alice Higham in Essex. Some time she converted to Catholicism in the 1580s. She converted with her brothers, leading them to be disinherited. Around the same time she began helping John Gerald who opened a refuge home for Catholic priests. However, after Gerald was arrested, she began managing the refuge by renting houses instead of using a central house. She was arrested and executed in 1601." 

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