The Parishioner - Edition 26|Spring 2016

St.Edmund Gennings
Text and Picture by Charlotte Cassidy
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, (1558 to 1603), when the Anglican faith
became the nation’s state religion by law and Catholics were being persecuted,
St. Edmund Gennings was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, in 1567.
His parents were innkeepers, loyal to the Queen, and raised Edmund and his
younger brother, John, in the Anglican faith. As a child, Edmund was a serious, studious
boy and excelled in his class at Lichfield Grammar School.
At the age of sixteen when his education was complete, Edmund went to work as
a page in London in the house of renowned drapers, Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood. The
Sherwoods were devout Catholics, their four sons were Catholic priests. The couple
had been imprisoned numerous times for their faith and could only attend
Mass in secret. The Sherwoods treated Edmund more like another son
than an employee. Inspired by Mr. Sherwood’s love and knowledge
of the Gospel, Edmund soon became drawn to the catholic faith
and decided to convert to Catholicism. He made his confession
and was received into the Catholic Church, at the age of
sixteen and attended his first Mass in secret in the
Sherwood’s house.
At that time, the persecution of Catholics was
relentless. They were forbidden to attend Mass or even
pray the Rosary. Catholic laity were often imprisoned for
practising their faith and if Catholic priests were found
secretly celebrating Mass in a house, they were
immediately arrested, brought to a brief, sham trial and
sentenced to a traitor’s death at Tyburn.
While attending his first Mass, Edmund felt a deep love
for Jesus and a calling to the priesthood. It was illegal for any
young man to study for the Catholic priesthood in England so
Edmund left the Sherwood’s employment to study abroad at the
English Biblical college in Rheims, France. At the college, Edmund
befriended fellow Englishman and seminarian, Polydore Plasden. Both young
men hoped to return to England after ordination.
Despite being diagnosed with tuberculosis shortly after his arrival in France,
Edmund managed to complete his studies. Because of his ill-heath a special
dispensation was arranged so that he could be ordained earlier that usual and in
1590, at the age of twenty three, Edmund was ordained a Catholic priest.
A month later, Father Edmund and Fr. Polydore set sail on their return voyage to
England, arriving at Whitby, Yorkshire, late at night. Willing to die for Christ the two
priests then parted company. Fr. Edmund returned to London where he stayed at the
house of Swithun Wells and his family at Gray’s Inn Lane.
Swithun was a kind Catholic layman who had opened his home as a refuge for
the persecuted Catholic priests. After a few days Fr. Edmund left the generous
hospitality of the Wells family and for several months travelled throughout England in
his priestly ministry. He celebrated Mass in secret, heard confessions, anointed the sick
and gave spiritual guidance to the persecuted Catholics.
In November of 1591, Fr. Edmund decided to return again to the home of
Swithun Wells in London. By chance along the road he met his good friend Fr.
Polydore Plasden who was also on his way to Swithun’s home and the two priests
continued their journey together, arriving at their destination at night.
Fr. Edmund rose early the next morning to celebrate Mass in secret with Fr.
Polydore in a room in Swithun’s house. Swithun had been called away the previous
night on a mission of mercy. His wife and daughter, however, had invited several local
Catholics to the Mass. Shortly after Mass had commenced there came a loud thud at
the front door. One of Swithun’s servants went to investigate and realized with alarm
that the Queen’s chief torturer, Richard Topcliffe, had entered the house with soldiers
to arrest Fr. Edmund and Fr. Polydore.
Fr. Polydore confronted Topcliffe and asked that the mass be allowed to conclude,
after which everyone would surrender. Topcliffe agreed to his request. When the Mass
had ended, Fr. Edmund carefully took the Holy Eucharist and the chalice containing the
Blood of Christ and hid them in a cabinet in the house so that they would not be
desecrated by Topcliffe and his soldiers.
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Fr. Edmund tole the faithful present to remain calm and above all loyal to
Christ, then everyone surrendered peacefully to the priest hunters. The two priests were
immediately arrested. Fr. Edmund, still in his vestments, was made to wear a fool’s coat
(a long coat with gaudy, multi-coloured plumes) and, together with Fr. Polydore, he was
escorted by soldiers through the streets to Gatehouse Prison.
On arrival at the prison the two priests were put in separate cells. In the
solitude of his cell, Fr.Edmund prayed and told Jesus he loved Him and was prepared
to lay down his life for Him. Later that evening, Fr. Edmund was moved to the prison
dungeon where Topcliffe awaited him. When Fr. Edmund refused to renounce his
faith, he was taken to a torture chamber where he was mocked and
subjected to agonizing torture for hours on the rack.
Six days later, on December 4th 1591, Fr. Edmund and Fr.
Polydore were brought to a sham trial at Westminster, found
guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Swithun Wells,
having been arrested on his return home to Gray’s Inn
Lane, was also sentenced to death.
The two priests were offered their freedom if they
rejected the Papacy and their Catholic faith and
conformed to the Anglican religion. Both priests bluntly
refused. Fr. Edmund then denounced Anglicanism and
the Queen as head of the Church on spiritual matters
and declared his undying love for Christ and the
Catholic Church.
Enraged by this declaration, Topcliffe ordered both
priests to be taken to a dungeon in Newgate prison where
they were tortured. Fr. Edmund was then dragged from the
dungeon and thrown in a pit within the prison known as the
‘Dark Hole’. In this narrow, confined, terrifying space Fr. Edmund
could see nothing at all. He passed the days saying the Rosary,
meditating on Christ’s passion and uniting his sufferings to Christ on the
Cross.
On December 10th 1591, Fr. Edmund was at last taken from the ‘Dark Hole’ and
reunited with Fr.Polydore. Both priests were then brought outside to the prison
courtyard, tied to a hurdle along with Swithun Wells and dragged through the streets
of London. Fr. Edmund thought he would die with Fr. Polydore Plasden at Tyburn.
Instead, the group of soldiers escorting the three men abruptly changed direction
at Holborn, taking both Fr. Edmund and Swithun to Gray’s in Lane. A gallows had been
especially erected outside Swithun’s home where Mass had been celebrated only two
weeks earlier. Fr. Edmund was to die with Swithun Wells. As a noose was roughly
placed around Fr. Edmunds neck, his thoughts and prayers remained with Fr. Polydore
who continued on his journey to be hanged drawn and quartered on the infamous
gallows at Tyburn.
Before the gathered, jeering crowd, Topcliffe demanded that Fr. Edmund confess to
treason. Fr. Edmund calmly responded, “If to return to England as a Catholic priest and
to celebrate Mass is considered treason, then, yes, I am guilty of treason with the
greatest joy!”
Furious at his unrepentant reply, Topcliffe instantly devised a particularly cruel
death for Fr.Edmund. Topcliffe ordered that Fr. Edmund be hanged and cut down
almost immediately. Unsteady and barely stunned from the hanging, Fr. Edmund was
then pushed to the ground. He was fully conscious as the executioner began his
gruesome task with a knife. Fr. Edmund could hear Swithun’s prayers for him as he
felt his chest being split open. The executioner then ripped Fr. Edmund’s heart from
his chest and held it up before Fr. Edmund’s eyes. In excruciating pain, Fr. Edmund
managed to say these last words, “St. Gregory, pray for me!”
Fr.Edmund was only twenty four. There were many conversions among those who
had witnessed his barbarous death, including the conversion of his younger brother,
John. St.Edmund Gennings was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI and canonized in
1970 by Pope Paul VI. His feast day is 10th of December.