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 (1501) |
| Died | 3 April 1585(1585-04-03) (aged 83–84) |
Ordination history of Thomas Goldwell | |||||||||||||||
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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 theEnglish Reformation.[1]
Thomas Goldwell was the son of William Goldwell ofGreat Chart,Kent.[2] He is thought to have studied atCanterbury College, Oxford; in January 1532 a student surnamed Goldwell was questioned concerning books in his possession which supportedCatherine of Aragon, and Goldwell later referred toRichard Thornden, who was warden of that College from 1524 to 1534, as his "old friend and master". He graduatedBA in 1528,MA on 17 July 1531, andBTh 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 toReginald Pole and lived in his household inRome,[4] where he was appointedcamerarius of the English Hospital of the Holy Trinity.[3] Goldwell wasattainted in 1539.[1]
In 1547 he became a novice in theTheatine 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 ofPope 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]
OnMary's accession, Pole was named papal legate to England, and Goldwell returned with him to England. In 1555 Goldwell becamebishop 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 GoldwellBishop 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 atSan Silvestro al Quirinale, their house in Rome. He served as Custos of the English Hospice in Rome (now called the VenerableEnglish College, Rome) and took part as the only English bishop at the last stages of thecouncil 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 toCarlo Borromeo,archbishop of Milan.[4][5] Later, he returned to Rome, where he is known to have ordained the famous Spanish composerTomás Luis de Victoria as a priest.[6] 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 priesthoodCamillus de Lellis, the founder of theCamillans 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.[7]
During his activity as a bishop, Thomas Goldwell served as theprincipal consecrator of:[8]
and was theprincipal co-consecrator of:[8]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Goldwell, Thomas".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 219.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Thomas Goldwell".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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| Preceded by | Bishop of St Asaph 1554–1559 | Succeeded by |
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