Blessed Thomas Pickering OSB | |
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| Martyr | |
| Born | c. 1621 Westmorland,England |
| Died | 9 May 1679 (aged 57) Tyburn,London,England |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 15 December 1929 byPope Pius XI |
| Feast | 9 May |
Thomas Pickering (c. 1621 – 9 May 1679) was aBenedictinelay brother who served inEngland during the time ofrecusancy in the late seventeenth century. He wasmartyred as a result of the fraudulent claims ofTitus Oates that he was part of aplot to murderKing Charles II.
Pickering was born in 1621[1] inSkelsmergh, nearKendal,Cumbria. His father died fighting forCharles I of England during theCivil War[2]He entered the BenedictinePriory of St. Gregory the Great atDouai and made his vows as in 1660.[3]
In 1665, he was sent to London to be steward for the Benedictine monks who served the chapel ofCatherine of Braganza, theCatholic wife of King Charles II,[4] first atSt James's Palace, and from 1671 atSomerset House on theStrand.[2] He became known personally to the Queen and Charles II; and when in 1675, urged by theParliament, Charles issued a proclamation ordering the Benedictines to leave England within a fixed time, Pickering was allowed to remain, probably on the grounds that he was not a Catholic priest.[3]
In 1678, Titus Oates made false claims of a Catholic plot against the King's life, and Pickering was accused of being part of this conspiracy, which is popularly known as thePopish Plot. At his trial on 17 December 1678, no evidence oftreason against Pickering except Oates's mere word was produced, and Pickering's housekeeper, the formidable Ellen Rigby, later testified that Oates had only seen Pickering once in his life, when he had been begging foralms at the Benedictine's London house in the summer of 1678. She also testified that he had a personal grudge against Pickering, who, despite his habitual charity and good temper, told her not to admit him again.[5]
Pickering's innocence was so obvious that the Queen publicly announced her belief in him. Nonetheless, the jury, under heavy pressure fromWilliam Scroggs, theLord Chief Justice, who was a convinced believer in the Popish Plot, found him guilty, and withWilliam Ireland and John Grove he was condemned to behanged, drawn, and quartered.[3]
The King, who himself had Catholic leanings, was torn between his reluctance to execute three men whom he knew to be innocent (Ireland's innocence was even more obvious than Pickering's since he had a cast-ironalibi, which the prosecution never succeeded in breaking), and his fear of the popular clamour, as the public loudly demanded the death of Oates's victims. Twice within a month, the three prisoners were ordered to prepare for execution and then reprieved.
At length Charles, although only with great reluctance, ordered the execution of Ireland and Grove, hoping that this would satisfy public opinion and save Pickering from his fate. However, on 26 April 1679, theHouse of Commons petitioned for Pickering's execution. Charles yielded, and on 9 May 1679, Pickering was hanged, drawn and quartered atTyburn with Ambrose Mac-Fall, George Terpitsas and the Benedictine George Gervase. Pickering was buried inSt Giles in the Fields churchyard.[2]
Pickering was one of the107 martyrs beatified by Pope Pius XI on 15 December 1929. A man of true simplicity and innocence of life, he was described as the most charitable and sweet-tempered of men.[6]
"In London, in 1679, Blessed Thomas Pickering, Benedictine monk and martyr. A man of true simplicity and innocence of life, he was falsely accused of plotting against King Charles II, and with a quiet heart went to the gallows at Tyburn."[6]
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). "Ven. Thomas Pickering".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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