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Thomas Goldwell

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The Right Reverend
Thomas Goldwell
C.R.
Bishop of Saint Asaph
Church Roman Catholic
Diocese St Asaph
Appointed 21 June 1555
Installed July 1555
Term ended 1559
Predecessor Robert Parfew
Successor Richard Davies
Orders
Consecration July 1555
Personal details
Born 1501
Died 3 April 1585 (aged 83–84)

Thomas Goldwell C. R. (1501 – 3 April 1585) was an English Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Saint Asaph, the last of those Catholic bishops who had refused to accept the English Reformation.[1]

Life

Thomas Goldwell was the son of William Goldwell of Great Chart, Kent.[2] He is thought to have studied at Canterbury College, Oxford; in January 1532 a student surnamed Goldwell was questioned concerning books in his possession which supported Catherine of Aragon, and Goldwell later referred to Richard Thornden, who was warden of that College from 1524 to 1534, as his "old friend and master". He graduated BA in 1528, MA on 17 July 1531, and BTh on 20 March 1534.[2] While at Oxford he attained more eminence in mathematics, astronomy, and kindred sciences, than in divinity or the humanities.[3]

He became chaplain to Reginald Pole and lived in his household in Rome, where he was appointed camerarius of the English Hospital of the Holy Trinity.[3] Goldwell was attainted in 1539.[1]

In 1547 he became a novice in the Theatine House of St. Paul, at Naples. On the death of Paul III, Pole brought Goldwell to Rome as his personal attendant at the conclave of 1549-50 that elected of Pope Julius III. Goldwell then returned to Naples, and made his profession as a Theatine. In 1553, while Edward VI was still reigning, an Act of General Pardon was passed, from which Goldwell was specifically excluded by name, along with Pole and others.[3]

On Mary's accession, Pole was named papal legate to England, and Goldwell returned with him to England. In 1555 Goldwell became bishop of St Asaph, a diocese largely within Wales.[1] While still only bishop-designate, he was sent to Rome on 2 July 1555 to report on the state of religion in England to Paul IV, and probably received his episcopal consecration in Rome at that time.[3] He returned to England and assisted at the consecration of Pole as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Mary planned to make Goldwell Bishop of Oxford and ambassador to Rome in November 1558, and the documents were drawn up, but were not enacted due to her death. When Elizabeth came to the throne, Goldwell attended Pole's funeral by the new Queen's permission and then returned to St Asaph. He complained of not being invited, as a bishop, to her first parliament. It was alleged that, by his nomination to Oxford, he was no longer Bishop of St. Asaph; but that, as he had not done homage to the queen for Oxford, he was not yet bishop of that see. Not allowed to perform a bishop's office, say Mass, or administer the sacraments, as long as he remained in the country, by June 1559 he decided to leave England. Although the ports were being watched for him, he succeeded in making his escape.

In 1561 Goldwell became superior of the Theatines at San Silvestro al Quirinale, their house in Rome. He served as Custos of the English Hospice in Rome (now called the Venerable English College, Rome) and took part as the only English bishop at the last stages of the council of Trent, (Richard Pate, Bishop of Worcester, and Reginald Pole being at the earlier stages in the 1540s). In 1562 Goldwell was again attainted by Elizabeth's parliament. In the following year he was appointed vicar general to Carlo Borromeo, archbishop of Milan.[4] Later, he returned to Rome, where he is known to have ordained the famous Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria as a priest.[5] In 1580, in spite of his advanced age, Goldwell set out for England at the head of the mission which included Campion and Persons, but he was taken ill at Rheims and obliged to return to Rome.

At Pentecost in 1584 he ordained to the priesthood Camillus de Lellis, the founder of the Camillians or Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Sick. Camillus was subsequently canonized and became the Catholic patron Saint of the Sick, hospitals, nurses and physicians.

Goldwell died in Rome on 3 April 1585, the last surviving pre-Reformation bishop of Catholic England.

Episcopal succession

During his activity as a bishop, Thomas Goldwell served as the principal consecrator of:[6]

and was the principal co-consecrator of:[6]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Thomas Goldwell — Bishop of St. Asaph, the last survivor of the ancient hierarchy of England; b. probably at the family manor of Goldwell, in the parish of Great Chart, near Ashford, Kent, between 1501 and 1515; d. in Rome, 3 April, 1585. He was a member of a Kentish family of ancient lineage, long seated at Goldwell; and was educated at All Souls College, Oxford, where he graduated M. A. in 1531, and B. D. in 1534. While at Oxford he attained more eminence in mathematics, astronomy, and kindred sciences, than in divinity or the humanities, a point worth remembering in view of his future career. He stood out firmly against the innovations in religion brought about by Henry VIII. At an early date he became intimate with Reginald, afterwards Cardinal, Pole, a friendship which proved to be a lanlasting one, and which had considerable influence on Goldwell's subsequent career. Soon after 1535, when the king had begun his drastic measures of ecclesiastical spoliation, Goldwell became Pole's chaplain and joined him in exile, being included in the same Act of Attainder "for casting off his duty to the King, and submitting to the Bishop of Rome". He reached Rome in 1538, and shortly afterwards he was appointed camerarius of the English Hospital of the Holy Trinity. In 1547 he became a novice in the Theatine House of St. Paul, at Naples. On the death of Paul III, Pole, now a cardinal, asked and obtained permission for Goldwell to accompany him to Rome, and thus he was present at the long conclave of 1549-50 in the capacity of Pole's personal attendant. After the election of Julius III, Goldwell returned to Naples, and made his profession as a Theatine. In 1553, while Edward VI was still reigning an Act of General Pardon was passed, from which Goldwel had the signal honour of being specially excepted by name, along with Pole and some others. On the accession of Mary I there came an all too brief spell of prosperity for English Catholics. Pole, now papal legate, returned to England with Goldwell in his train, and the latter was soon nominated to the See of St. Asaph in North Wales (1555). While still only bishop-designate, he was sent to Rome (2 July, 1555) to make a report on the state of religion in England to Paul IV.

While at Rome, on this occasion, he was probably consecrated bishop; and he returned to England at the end of the year. In 1556 he assisted at the consecration of Pole to the Archbishopric of Canterbury. He was then for some time actively engaged in the affairs of his Diocese of St. Asaph. He issued numerous injunctions to his clergy, prohibiting married priests from saying Mass, and forbade the use of churches as poor-schools. He revived the pilgrimages to the miraculous well of St. Winefride, at Holywell, and obtained from the pope a renewal of the indulgences for pilgrims to that shrine. He also examined the heretic John Philpot, which fact is chronicled ion no friendly way by Foxe ("Acts and Monuments", ed. Townsend, VII, 620). It was about this time proposed, though without his knowledge or consent, to make him ambassador to the court of Rome, and to translate him to the See of Oxford; letters of credence to Paul IV had been actually made out; and on 5 Nov., 1558, khe received the custody of the temporalities of the See of Oxford, Thomas Wood having received that of St. Asaph four days previously. But the death of Queen Mary on 17 November terminated all these arrangements. Just at this juncture Goldwell was at the deathbed of Cardinal Pole, to whom he gave the last sacraments.

The accession of Elizabeth was, of course, the signal for the final attack of Protestantism upon the ancient Faith. Goldwell strenuously resisted as far as in him lay. It is interesting to note by what dishonourable and underhand methods the queen's party put it out of his power to make his protest in a constitutional manner. It was alleged that, by his nomination to Oxford, he was no longer Bishop of St. Asaph; but that, as he had not done homage to the queen for Oxford, he was not yet bishop of that see. Accordingly, he did not receive the summons to Parliament which was undoubtedly his legal due. In May, 1559, however, he was summoned before the queen with the other bishops, and all of them were expelled from their sees for their refusal to take the oath of supremacy. He then resolved to leave the country, for, as he afterwards stated, he was not allowed to perform a bishop's office, say Mass, or administer the sacraments, as long as he remained in England.

Although the ports were being watched for him, he succeeded in making his escape. It was obviously impossible for him to have carried off the register and records of his see under such circumstances. This charge, however, has been maliciously made against him. He then became an active Catholic exile. He started at once for Rome, but was detained at Louvain by sickness. He refused the offer of an Italian bishopric, preferring to devote himself to his order (the Theatines) and to the conversion of England. In 1561 he was made superior of his old convent at Naples, and also warden of the English Hospital at Rome. He was the only English bishop at the Council of Trent, where he was treated with marked respect. He was there engaged in the revision of the Breviary and the Missal; and also urged the council to excommunicate Queen Elizabeth. His mere presence at Trent was a cause of such excessive annoyance to Elizabeth that she wrote the following extraordinary farrago of falsehood to her German envoy Mundt: "We think it may be that one Goldwell, a very simple and fond man, having in our late sister's time been named to a small bishopric in Wales called St. Asaph, though never thereto admitted, flying out of the realm upon our sister's death, is gone to Rome as a renegade, and there using the name of a bishop, without order or title, is perhaps gone in the train of some Cardinal to Trent, and so it is likely the speech hath arisen of a bishop of England being there." In 1563 Goldwell was vicar-general to the Archbishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo. In 1567 he was made vicar of the cardinal archpriest in the Lateran, and in 1574 the Cardinal Vicar Savelli made him his vicegerent; he thus became, so to speak, the "working" bishop of Rome. Hall, an English traveller in 1568, said that Goldwell was the only English Catholic in Rome who was courteous to him. In 1580, in spite of his advanced age, he set out for England at the head of the mission which included Campion and Persons, but he was taken ill at Reims and obliged to return to Rome. One of the last acts of his long and strenuous career was to serve on the Congregation for the Revision of the Roman Martyrology, in 1582. On the death of the Bishop of Lincoln, in 1584, Goldwell became the sole survivor of the ancient English hierarchy. He died the next year, and was buried at St. Sylvester's. A portrait of him exists at the English College, Rome.

Knox, The last survivor of the ancient English Hierarchy, Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St. Asaph (London, 1876); Tout in Dict. Nat. Biog., s. v.; Gillow, Bibl. Dict. Eng. Cath., s. v.; Thomas, sHistory of the Diocese of St. Asaph (1874), 84, 201; Bliss, Wood's Athen. Oxon., II; Brady, Episcopal Succession, I, II, III; Boccatelli, Life of Pole.

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Chisholm 1911.
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Mayer 2004.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 Back to citation occurrence 3.3 Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Thomas Goldwell". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  4. Back to citation Eubel, Konrad (1923). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI Vol III (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 120. (in Latin)
  5. Back to citation "Liner Notes on Victoria's Requiem". Tallis Scholars.
  6. Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Cheney, David M. "Bishop Thomas Goldwell, C.R." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 16 June 2018.self-published

Bibliography

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