Saint Henry Walpole

Henry Walpole, SJ (1558 – 7 April 1595) was an English Jesuit martyr, executed at York for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy. Walpole was born at Docking, Norfolk, in 1558, the eldest son of Christopher Walpole, by Margery, heiress of Richard Beckham of Narford. Michael Walpole was the youngest of his four brothers. He was educated at Norwich School, Peterhouse, Cambridge, and Gray's Inn. While at Gray's Inn, he came to the attention of government spies by his frequent association with known recusant gentry. He attended the public disputations that Edmund Campion held with Anglican divines, and was present at the execution of Campion in 1581: his clothes were sprinkled with Campion's blood. Heretofore somewhat lukewarm in religious matters, Walpole then gave up his law practice and followed in Campion's footsteps. He wrote a small book of poetry honouring Campion which was secretly printed and circulated in London. The authorities sought to discover the parties involved. The printer, a friend of Walpole named Valenger, was fined and suffered cropping of his ears, but did not betray Walpole, who was nonetheless under suspicion. Walpole fled London for his father's home in Norfolk, and from there escaped to France. He went by way of Rouen and Paris, to Reims, where he arrived on 7 July 1582. On 28 April 1583, he was admitted into the English College, Rome, and in October he received minor orders. On 2 February 1584, he became a probationer of the Jesuits, and soon afterwards he returned to France, where he continued his studies, chiefly at the Scots College at Pont-à-Mousson. He was ordained subdeacon and deacon at Metz, and priest at Paris on 17 December 1588. He was then sent to Brussels. Walpole was fluent in Italian, French, Latin, English, and Spanish. After staying in Brussels for a year, he was assigned military chaplain to the English and Irish Catholic refugees serving in the Spanish forces in the Netherlands.