Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T18:55:26.229Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Infanta and the English Benedictine Nuns: Mary Percy's Memories In 1634

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2015

Paul Arblaster
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

In 1598 Philip II, King of Spain since 1559 and ruler of many other dominions, granted the ‘Burgundian’ segment of his inheritance (the Low Countries and the County of Burgundy) to his daughter Isabella as a dowry, and gave her in marriage to her cousin Albert, Archduke of Austria. The couple governed that part of the territory effectively under their control — the northern provinces having formed the Dutch Republic — as ‘sovereign princes’, essentially enjoying domestic autonomy under the protection of the Spanish army. They were responsible for the ‘northern’ policy of the Spanish monarchy, including day-to-day relations with England and the protection of the British Catholics. As sovereign princes they rebuilt the Church in the Southern Netherlands, patronised the reformed religious orders, and did much to establish the particular South Netherlandish identity which was eventually to lead to an independent Belgian state. In 1621 Albert died, and his childless widow's dowry reverted to her nephew Philip IV. Isabella remained in Brussels as Governess-General, enjoying greater independence than the title might suggest, both from her long career as co-sovereign and from the trust and admiration of her nephew the king. She died in 1633, the governship passing to another of her nephews, the Cardinal-Infant Don Ferdinand (1635–1641).

Type
Research Article
Information
British Catholic History , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , October 1997 , pp. 508 - 527
Copyright
Copyright © Catholic Record Society 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes

1 The Convent of St. Monica in Leuven, founded 1609 as a filiation from St. Ursula's, a Flemish house which many Englishwomen had entered, and the Convent of Nazareth at Bruges, founded 1629 (see Guilday, pp. 377–390).

2 The house at Gravelines was founded in 1609 by Mary Ward, foundress of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although the Archduchess had been a strong supporter of the Institute, which was suppressed in Flanders by the Brussels Nuncio in 1629, Lady Mary does not mention it. The Poor Clares of Gravelines produced a daughter house at Dublin in 1625 as well as that at Aire in 1629, and a new house at Rouen in 1644 (see Guilday, pp. 297–301).

3 The English Carmel at Antwerp was founded in 1619. The first prioress was Anne of the Ascension (Anne Worsley), who was also involved in the foundation of the Flemish Carmel at Antwerp in 1612. The house's founder was the widowed Lady Mary Lovell, who had tried her vocation with the Benedictine nuns in Brussels in 1609 (see Guilday, pp. 358–369).

4 The filiation to Ghent in 1624 was caused by dissensions within the Brussels house about whether or not those who wished might have a Jesuit confessor rather than the official chaplain (see note 18 below). The Abbey of Our Lady of Consolation at Cambrai was founded in 1623 by the English Benedictine monks, for nine young ladies direct from England, perhaps in part to save them from the dissensions in Brussels. Three nuns from Brussels were sent to instruct the new recuits, and one of these three was the first abbess. In 1629 the house became fully independent of Brussels (see Guilday, pp. 256–283, and notes 29 & 30 below).

5 The Convent of St. Elizabeth of the Third Order of St. Francis was established at Brussels in 1621, the first members being instructed by English Poor Clares from Gravelines (see Guilday, pp. 302–306).

6 ‘plus ultra’ was the motto of the house of Habsburg.

7 The decree on seminaries was issued during the third phase of the Council of Trent (1562–1563) and the English College at Douai was founded in 1568. I have been unable to ascertain the accuracy of Lady Mary's claim that it was the first to accord with Tridentine stipulations.

8 ‘His Catholic Majesty’ was a title of the King of Spain, in this instance Philip IV (1621–1665).

9 The English College founded in Rome in 1576 was brought under Jesuit direction in 1579. The Jesuit school for English boys at St. Omers was founded in 1593 (see Hubert, Chadwick, St Omers to Stonyhurst. A History of Two Centuries, (London, 1961), p. 13).Google Scholar The house at Watten was bought specifically for an English Jesuit novitiate in 1611 but, because of the opposition of the English Ambassador, the novitiate was set up at Liège, outside the Archduke's domains, in 1614. In 1623 the novitiate was finally transferred to Watten, and within a year the scholasticate, previously at Leuven, was transferred to Liège (see Chadwick, pp. 51–52, and Thomas, M. McCoog, English and Welsh Jesuits, 1555–1650, (vol. 1, CRS 74, 1994), p. 18).Google Scholar The house at Ghent was founded as a house of the third probation in 1621, but did not begin to function as such until the following year (see Chadwick, p. 103). As well as those at Valladolid (1589) and Seville (1592), English Colleges under Jesuit direction were founded at Madrid, San Lucar and Lisbon in the years 1598–1604 (see Guilday, pp. 27–28, 127–145).

10 The Scots College founded originally at Tournai moved several times before definitively settling at Douai in 1612 (see Baxter, J. H., ‘The Scots College at Douais’;, Scottish Historical Review, 24 (1927), pp. 251–257).Google Scholar The Benedictine Priory of St. Gregory at Douai was founded in 1610, the Franciscanconvent of St. Bonaventure in 1622 (see Guilday, pp. 222–237, 284–295).

11 The Irish college in Antwerp existed from around 1600 but was firmly established only in 1619 (see Floris, Prims, ‘Ons Iers College’, Antwerpiensia, 18 (1948), pp. 124–126).Google Scholar The Irish Franciscan house in Leuven was founded in 1606, and also provided several papers for the Chifflet archive, including details of its Scottish mission (on which see Cathaldus Giblin, O.F.M. (ed.), Irish Franciscan Missionto Scotland, 1619–1646. Documents from Roman Archives, (Dublin, 1964), esp. pp. ix–xv).Google Scholar There were also Irish colleges at Douai (1607) and Lille (1610), a Cistercian house at Douai (1612) and a Dominican house at Leuven (1624), all unmentioned by Lady Mary (see John, J. Silke, ‘The Irish Abroad, 1534–1691’, in Moody, T. W., Martin, F. X. & Byrne, F. J. (eds), A New History of Ireland, Vol.3. Early Modern Ireland, 1534–1691, (Oxford, 1978), pp. 587–633,Google Scholar esp. p. 616).

12 After years of wandering and a lengthy sojourn in Mechlin, the English Carthusians settled at Nieuwport in 1626 (see Guilday, pp. 41–55, and Jan, De Grauwe, Histoire de la Chartreuse Sheen Anglorum au Continent: Bruges, Louvain, Malines, Nieuport (1559–1783), (Analecta Cartusiana 48, Salzburg, 1984).Google Scholar I am very grateful to Dom Gordon Cheetham, the librarian of St. Hugh's Charterhouse, Sussex, for this reference).

13 The abbess is requesting that Philip Chifflet offer up Mass for her.

14 Mathias Hovius, 3rd Archbishop of Mechlin and Primate of the Netherlands (1596–1620), was a leading figure in the reform of the Church in Belgium.

15 ‘Dame Anastasia Morgan, daughter of Edward Morgan of Pettie Coye in the Countie of Monmouth Esquire, was received into the Monasterie the 15 of August An. 1605, Invested with the holie Habitt of St. Benedict the 23 of Aprill An. 1607 and made her Profession the 29 of Aprill An. 1608 at theage of 31. Died 1646.’ (CRS 14, p. 179).

16 There is no record in the Register of Professions (CRS 14) of Frances Parker, who was clothed 18 September 1622, as she left the convent on account of poor health and eventually became an Augustinian canoness in Leuven (Chronicle, pp. 136–137).

17 Dame Mary Eure daughter Lord William Eure of Malton in Yorkshire, and of Lucy, eldest daughter of Sir Andrew Noel of Dalby and Brook, a gentleman high in Queen Elizabeth's favour, was clothed 27 August 1623, professed 24 November 1624 aged 19, and died 1635. (CRS 14, p. 185). Dame Mary's great aunt was Claude Noel, who arrived in Brussels from St. Peter's at Rheims as the first prioress, accompanied by her niece Mary Noel (Chronicle, pp. 42–43). As Lady Mary states, there is no record of Frances Eure's clothing or profession.

18 The phrase echoes the papal nuncio's report in 1630 on the disturbances which ‘in publicum omnium scandalum erumperet’, an internal dispute about spiritual training and abbatial authority which was eventually to involve the highest ecclesiastical and civil authrities. When the convent was set up it was the sole English Benedictine foundation and there was no English Benedictine congregation to which it could belong, hence the authority of the Archbishop of Mechlin over the nuns (see note 14 above). A secular priest friendly to the Jesuits, Robert Chambers, was appointed as chaplain, but those who wished were allowed to consult Jesuit confessors. At some point Lady Mary, concerned about the difference in spiritual training among the nuns, decided to put an end to Jesuit involvement in the life of the community. This plan met with opposition, but the abbess saw this as a challenge to her authority and compromise became difficult. The six most committed of the ‘Jesuit party’ separated themselves and went to Ghent in 1624 (see note 4 above), but some still remained in the convent, perhaps in part because those who left were not allowed to take their dowries with them. In 1621 Jacobus Boonen had become Archbishop of Mechlin. As Abbot of Afflighem he was a leading figure in the Benedictine reform in the Netherlands, and would have shared Lady Mary's concerns about uniformity of life among the nuns (see ‘Boonen’ in Biographie Nationalie, vol. 2, Brussels, 1868). He would even have been willing to resign his authority over the house to see it become part of the new English Benedictine Congregation, and petitioned Rome to that effect (see Chronicle, pp. 139–144), but Isabella, King Philip and his own cathedral chapter all opposed the loss of patronage this would entail. As part of a reforming circle with priorities which clashed with those of the Society of Jesus, to which he bore some animosity, he was not inclined to settle the question of confessors amicably. In 1628 he replaced Robert Chambers with a very learned opponent of the Jesuits, Anthony Champney, presumably chosen as a figure more willing to combat Jesuit influence and more able to convince the nuns that it was necessary so to do. The dissident nuns and their Jesuit confessors were strongly opposed to this appointment, and pointed out to various people that Champney had subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance in 1603, winning the papal nuncio, Fabio de Lagonissa, to their cause and obtaining leave for a Jesuit confessor to visit the convent six times a year. In response Boonen submitted the question to the theologians of Leuven University, knowing he could rely on the support of Professor Cornelius Jansen, and in 1631 the Jesuits were again banned from the convent. Twenty-eight nuns opposed to Champney then left the enclosure and took refuge with the Austin canonesses on the neighbouring property. Lady Mary's statements in these letters are the only evidence of which I am aware suggesting that the Archduchess was instrumental in this separation. Lagonissa's interim replacement as nuncio, Richard Pauli-Stravius, backed by the Congregation of Propaganda and the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, ordered Champney to leave, but the order was countermanded by the Chancellor of Brabant, who claimed that Rome did not have such authority. The issue was one of those broached by Pauli-Stravius in his first audience with the new Governor General, the Cardinal-Infant Don Ferdinand, on 23 November 1635. Eventually Champney left and the separated nuns declared themselves willing to return, but Lady Mary refused to readmit them until they apologised and prostrated themselves before her, which they in turn refused. The Archbishop achieved a sort of compromise by overruling the Abbess and, at dawn one day in April 1637, having all the separated nuns secretly conveyed to the convent in five coaches and returned to the enclosure, where they were given a dormitory separate from the main community. The quarrel is briefly narrated in Guilday, pp. 259–264, and related documents have been summarised or published in Pasture, A., ‘Documents concernant quelques monastères anglais aux Pays-Bas au XVIIe siècle’, Bulletin de l'Institut Historique Belge de Rome, 10 (1930), pp. 155–223 Google Scholar (especially Lady Mary's letters to Propaganda); Lucienne, Van Meerbeeck (ed.), Correspondance du Nonce Fabio de Lagonissa, Archevêque de Cotiza (1627–1634), (Analectra Vaticano-Bélgica, series 2A, vol. 11, Brussels & Rome, 1966),Google Scholar passim; Wilfrid Brûlez (éd.), Correspondance de Richard Pauli-Stravius (1634–1642), (Analecta Vaticano-Bélgica, series 2A, vol. 10, Brussels & Rome, 1955), passim; Jean, Orcibal (ed.), Les Origines du Jansénisme. Vol. 1. Correspondance de Jansénius, (Leuven & Paris, 1947), pp. 484–486;Google Scholar Henri, Lonchay, Joseph, Cuvelier & Joseph, Lefèvre (eds), Correspondance de la Cour d'Espagne sur les affaires des Pays-Bas au XVIIe siècle. Vo. 2. Précis de la Correspondance de Philippe IVavec l'infante Isabelle (1621-1633), (Brussels, 1927), pp. 527–528.Google Scholar

19 See note 15.

20 Dame Helen Dolman:'daughter of Sr Robert Dolman of Poclinton in the Countie of Yorke, was received into the Monasterie the 23 of March An.” 1605’, clothed 23 April 1607, professed 29 April1608 aged 22, died 1648. (CRS 14, p. 179).

21 Dame Marie Gage: daughter of Edward Gage of Furle in Sussex, esq.; received 23 September 1605, clothed 23 April 1607, professed 29 April 1608 aged 22, died 1614. (CRS 14, p. 179).

22 Dame Marie Persons, daughter of Mr. George Persons of Nether Stowey in Somerset; received 27 June 1605, clothed 23 April 1607, professed 29 April 1608 aged 18, died 1642 (CRS 14, p. 179). She was the niece of the famous Jesuit Robert Persons, who took an active interest in the establishment of the abbey and used his influence in Rome on its behalf (Chronicle, p. 91).

23 Dame Potentiana Deacons: daughter of Mr John Deacon of Argaston [Haggerstone?] in Middlesex (‘who leaving the world became a Religious man of the holie order of Carthusians’) received 11 July1606, clothed 23 April 1607, professed 29 April 1608 aged 32, died Cambrai 1644). (CRS 14, pp., 179–180).

24 See note 16.

25 See note 17.

26 Dame Francisca Paston: daughter of Edward Paston of Thorpe, Norfolk, esq.; clothed 27 August1623, professed 24 November 1624 aged 20, died 1652. (CRS 14, p. 185).

27 See note 17.

28 Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, was colonel of an English regiment in the Army of Flanders from 1622 to 1628, when he returned to Britain. His daughter was three years old when she was entrusted to the care of the nuns, and in time became Dame Barbara Melchiora Campbell: received 14 June 1628, clothed 29 December 1642, professed 6 January 1644 aged 19, died 1688. (Loomie, A. J., ‘Gondomar's Selection of English Officers in 1622’, English Historical Review, 88 (1973), pp. 574–581;CrossRefGoogle Scholar CRS 14, p. 186).

29 These three were Frances Gawen, Potentiana Deacons and Viviana Yaxley. (Joseph, Gillow (ed.), ‘Records of the English Benedictine Nuns at Cambrai (now Stanbrook), 1620–1793’, Miscellanea. VIII, (CRS 13), p. 1).Google Scholar For Potentiana Deacons see note 23 above. Lady Mary has mistakenly postdated the foundation by three years (see note 4 above).

30 Dames Lucy Knatchbull, Eugenia Poulton, Magdalen Digby and Mary Roper. They were accompanied by two novices, Elizabeth, Bradbury and Elizabeth, Bacon (Tobie, Matthew, The Life of Lady Lucy Knatchbull, ed. Dom, David Knowles, (London, 1931), pp. 86–87,Google Scholar 92). Lady Mary has mistakenly post-dated the foundation by three years (see note 4 above).

31 Sir William Stanley was born at Hooton Manor, Cheshire, in 1548. He served Elizabeth as a soldier in Ireland and under Leicester in the Netherlands until 1587, when he famously delivered Deventer to the Duke of Parma and entered the Army of Flanders as colonel of an English Regiment. He retired from active soldiering around 1600 to become a member of the Council of War, and probably about the same time became Governor of Mechlin. He retired into the Charterhouse (see note 12 above) in 1626 and died in 1630. (Antheunis, L., ‘Un réfugié catholique aux Pays-Bas. Sir William Stanley (1548–1630)’, Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique, 19 (1923), pp. 352–366,Google Scholar and Loomie, A. J., Spain and the Jacobean Catholics, vol. 1 (CRS 64), p. 141 Google Scholar note 1).

32 The feast referred to was Easter, which in 1634 fell on 16 April (five days after the date of the letter). The report, if it came into Chifflet's possession, was not retained among his papers. For the sedition, see note 18 above.

33 Dame Marie Vavasour: daughter of William Vavasour, esq., of Hazlewood in Yorkshire, and of Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Manners; received 3 September 1611, clothed 4 October 1615, professed 5 October 1616 aged 16, elected as fifth abbess 1652, died 1676. (CRS 14, p. 182).

34 ‘lack of language’ presumably meaning that the general level of the cloistered nuns’ French and Spanish was such that easy conversation with the Archduchess was not possible.

35 ‘Ladie Marie Persey, Daughter of the Rt Honble the Lord Thomas Persey, Earle of Northumberland, entered this Monasterie the 11th of July in the year of our Lord 1598, was invested with the holie Habitt of St. Benedict the 21 of November in the year of our Lord 1599, & made her Profession the 21 of November 1600, at the age of 31. Died 1642.’ (CRS 14, pp. 175–176).

36 There is no record of Dame Dorothy's clothing in the Register (CRS 14), but it was reported by the English agent John Petit (see Guilday, p. 258 note 1).

37 See notes 15 and 20–23.

38 See notes 17 and 26.

39 Dame, Christina Lovell: ‘daughter of Sir Robert Lovell of Martine Abbie in Surrey’ and of Lady, Mary Lovell (see note 3 above), received 4 October 1614,Google Scholar clothed 4 October 1615, professed 5 October1616 aged 19, died 1639. (CRS 14, p. 182). For Dame Frances Eure see note 17.

40 See note 28 above.

41 Andreas Trevisius, the Archduchess Isabella's personal physician.