Oliver Plunkett
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
Top
Saint Oliver Plunket
(born 1629, Loughcrew, County Meath, Ire.died July 1, 1681, London, Eng.; canonized 1975; feast day July 11) Irish prelate, the last man to suffer martyrdom for the Catholic faith in England. He was ordained in Rome, where he taught theology and represented the Irish bishops at the Holy See. In 1669 he was appointed archbishop of Armagh and primate of Ireland, and he worked to restore the disorganized church in Ireland. Renewed persecution forced him into hiding in 1673. In the anti-Catholic hysteria caused by the Titus Oates plot (1678), he was betrayed and imprisoned in Dublin in 1679. After a farcical trial in London, he was convicted of treason and was hanged, drawn, and quartered. His head, originally sent to Rome, is preserved at Drogheda, and his body is at Downside Abbey, near Bath.
For more information on Saint Oliver Plunket, visit Britannica.com.
Oxford Dictionary of Saints:
Top
Oliver Plunket
Plunket, Oliver (1625–81), archbishop of Armagh, martyr. Born of a noble, royalist family at Loughcrew (Co. Meath), he studied under Jesuit guidance at the Irish College, Rome, from 1645 at the expense of the Oratorian Pierfrancesco Scarampi, who had been a papal envoy to the Irish Confederate party. After brilliant academic success in theology and law, he was ordained priest in 1654, became professor of theology at the Propaganda College and procurator of the Irish bishops.
In 1669 he was appointed archbishop of Armagh, was consecrated at Ghent, and reached Dublin via London, where he was favourably received by Charles II's queen, Catherine of Braganza, whose influence he sought for mitigating the severity of the penal laws against Catholics. Oliver was one of only two Catholic bishops in Ireland: disorder and neglect had become the almost inevitable results of long-standing persecution. Even the sacrament of confirmation had been largely neglected owing to the shortage of bishops; within the first few months of his rule Plunket confirmed 10, 000 people and also held a provincial synod. In face of these difficulties the Catholics were divided among themselves by long-standing disputes about the primacy of Armagh over Dublin, and later by some Franciscans who delated Oliver Plunket to Rome. He was, however, completely vindicated by the Holy See.
His policy was to promulgate the decrees of the Council of Trent, to maintain discipline among the diocesan clergy and better observance among the regulars, and to improve educational standards by the Jesuit College at Drogheda. The recognition of papal authority and jurisdiction made him liable to severe penalties, but he managed to remain on friendly terms with the Protestant clergy and gentry of Ulster; their high regard for him was a measure of the excellence of his character and achievements.
The panic caused by the false allegations of Titus Oates in 1678 resulted in the arrest of Plunket, who was charged at Dundalk with plotting to bring 20, 000 French soldiers into Ireland and levying a tax on the poverty-stricken clergy to support 70, 000 armed men. Such an absurd charge had no chance of sticking in Ireland; Plunket was moved to Newgate, where he was imprisoned until 1681. Although the court's jurisdiction over Irish affairs was doubtful, the false witness of two apostate Irish friars, together with the bias of the judge, resulted in a conviction for high treason. Sir Francis Pemberton, the judge, said that the foundation of his treason was setting up a false religion, which was the most dishonourable and derogatory to God of all religions and that a greater crime could not be committed against God than for a man to endeavour to propagate that religion.
The true reason for his condemnation being thus clearly stated, he was condemned to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. The sentence was executed at Tyburn on 1 July (Old Style). His body was taken to Lambspring Abbey (Westphalia) in 1684; it is now at Downside Abbey (Somerset), while his head is in the Oliver Plunket Memorial Church in Drogheda (Co. Louth). He was canonized in 1976. Feast: 1 July.
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- Contemporary accounts by Anon., The Trial and Condemnation of Edward Fitzharris…and Oliver Plunket (1681) and ed. P. F. Moran in Spicilegium Ossoriense, iii (1884), 102–8; J. Hanly (ed.), Letters of Oliver Plunket (1979); modern Lives by P. F. Moran (1895), H. Concannon (1935), E. Curtis (1963); and T. O'Fiaich (1975)
Oxford Dictionary of British History:
Top
St Oliver Plunket
Plunket, St Oliver (1629-81). Catholic archbishop of Armagh and primate of Ireland (1670-81). Born in Meath, educated in Rome, Plunket was successively professor of theology there (1657-69) and archbishop of Armagh after consecration in Ghent. Threatened with expulsion after the English Test Act he went into hiding (1674), but was arrested in Dublin (1678) and falsely accused of involvement in the Popish plot. Tried in London on a trumped-up charge, Plunket was convicted of treason and was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. His relics are in Downside abbey (Som.). He was canonized in 1975.
Oxford Companion to Irish Literature:
Top
St Oliver Plunkett
Plunkett, St Oliver (1629-1681), Catholic archbishop and martyr. Of Hiberno-Norman descent, he was born in Co. Meath and ordained in Rome, where he became Professor of Theology. Sent to Ireland as Archbishop of Armagh in 1670, he was arrested in 1679 during the panic following Titus Oates's allegations of a Catholic plot, and subsequently executed in London.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
Top
St Oliver Plunkett
Plunket, Saint Oliver, 1629-81, Irish Roman Catholic churchman and martyr, b. Co. Meath. He was educated at Rome and named Roman Catholic archbishop of Armagh and primate of all Ireland in 1669. He was on good terms with local Protestants and worked with much success. After the Test Act (1673) he kept mainly in hiding. In his fabrication of tales about the Popish Plot, Titus Oates accused him of planning a foreign invasion of Ireland. Plunket was tried and acquitted in Ireland; he was then taken to London, tried again, convicted, and hanged, drawn, and quartered. The accusations and the witnesses' testimony against him were manifestly false from beginning to end. Plunket was the last Roman Catholic to be executed at Tyburn on politico-religious grounds. He was beatified as a martyr in 1920 and canonized in 1975. Feast: July 11.
Bibliography
See A. Curtayne, The Trial of Oliver Plunkett (1953).
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Oliver Plunkett
This article is about the archbishop. For the judge, see Oliver Plunkett (judge).
 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
| Saint Oliver Plunkett | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Martyr, Archbishop and Primate of All Ireland | |
| Born | 1 November 1629 Loughcrew, County Meath, Ireland |
| Died | 1 July 1681 (aged 51) Tyburn, London, England |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 23 May 1920, Rome by Pope Benedict XV |
| Canonized | 12 October 1975, Rome by Pope Paul VI |
| Major shrine | St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Drogheda, Ireland |
| Feast | 11 July |
| Patronage | Peace and Reconciliation in Ireland |
Saint Oliver Plunkett (Irish: Oilibhéar Pluincéid; alternative spelling Plunket) (1 November 1629 – 1 July 1681) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. He maintained his duties in Ireland in the face of English persecution and was eventually arrested and tried for treason. He was brought from a prison cell in Dublin Castle to face trial in Dundalk, during which he made no objection to the all-Protestant jury. The prosecution witnesses were themselves wanted men and afraid to turn up in court, so the trial soon collapsed. Because of a common belief that no jury in Ireland would ever convict him, irrespective of its makeup, Archbishop Plunkett was then transferred to face trial in Westminster Hall, London. His trial has often been described as a travesty of justice as he was again denied defending counsel, time to assemble his defence witnesses and he was also frustrated in his attempts to obtain the criminal records of those who were to give evidence against him. His servant James McKenna and a relative John Plunkett had travelled back to Ireland and failed within the time available to bring back witnesses and evidence for the defence. During the trial Archbishop Plunkett had disputed the right of the court to try him in England and he also drew attention to the criminal past of the witnesses, but all to no avail. Lord Chief Justice Pemberton addressing these complaints said to the accused, "Look you, Mr. Plunket, it is in vain for you to talk and make this discourse here now..."[1] and later on again, “Look you Mr Plunket, don't mis-spend your own time; for the more you trifle in these things, the less time you will have for your defence".[2] In passing judgement the Chief Justice said: “You have done as much as you could to dishonour God in this case; for the bottom of your treason was your setting up your false religion, than which there is not any thing more displeasing to God, or more pernicious to mankind in the world.”.[3] The jury returned within fifteen minutes with a guilty verdict and Archbishop Plunkett replied: “Deo Gratias” (Latin for "Thanks be to God"). He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681, the last Roman Catholic martyr to die in England. Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975, the first new Irish saint for almost seven hundred years.
|
Contents
|
Life
 |
This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
Oliver Plunkett was born in 1629 in Loughcrew, County Meath, Ireland to well-to-do parents of Hiberno-Norman origin. He was related by birth to a number of landed families, such as the recently ennobled Earl of Roscommon, as well as the long-established Earl of Fingall, Lord Louth and Lord Dunsany. Until his sixteenth year, the boy's education was entrusted to his cousin Patrick Plunkett, Abbot of St Mary's, Dublin, and brother of the first Earl of Fingall who later became bishop, successively, of Ardagh and Meath. As an aspirant to the priesthood, he set out for Rome in 1647, under the care of Father Pierfrancesco Scarampi, of the Roman Oratory. At this time, the Irish Confederate Wars were raging in Ireland; these were essentially conflicts between native Irish Roman Catholics, English, and Irish Anglicans and Protestants. Scarampi was the Papal envoy to the Roman Catholic movement known as the Confederation of Ireland. Many of Plunkett's relatives were involved in this organisation
He was admitted to the Irish College in Rome and he proved to be an able pupil. He was ordained a priest in 1654, and deputed by the Irish bishops to act as their representative in Rome. Meanwhile, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–53) had defeated the Roman Catholic cause in Ireland and, in the aftermath, the public practice of Roman Catholicism was banned and Roman Catholic clergy were executed. As a result, it was impossible for Plunkett to return to Ireland for many years. He petitioned to remain in Rome and, in 1657, became a professor of theology. Throughout the period of the Commonwealth and the first years of Charles II's reign, he successfully pleaded the cause of the Irish Roman Church, and also served as theological professor at the College of Propaganda Fide. At the Congregation of Propaganda Fide on 9 July 1669, he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh, the Irish primatial see, and was consecrated on 30 November at Ghent by the Bishop of Ghent, He eventually set foot on Irish soil again on 7 March 1670, as the English Restoration of 1660 had started on a tolerant basis. The pallium was granted him in the Consistory of 28 July 1670.
After arriving back in Ireland, he set about reorganising the ravaged Roman Church and built schools both for the young and for clergy, whom he found 'ignorant in moral theology and controversies'. He tackled drunkenness among the clergy, writing 'Let us remove this defect from an Irish priest, and he will be a saint'. The Penal Laws had been relaxed in line with the Declaration of Breda in 1660 and he was able to establish a Jesuit College in Drogheda in 1670. A year later 150 students attended the college, no fewer than 40 of whom were Protestant, making this college the first integrated school in Ireland.
Persecution
On the enactment of the Test Act in 1673, which Plunkett would not agree to for doctrinal reasons, the college was levelled to the ground. Plunkett went into hiding, traveling only in disguise, and refused a government edict to register at a seaport to await passage into exile. In 1678, the so-called Popish Plot, concocted in England by Titus Oates, led to further anti-Roman Catholicism. Archbishop Peter Talbot of Dublin was arrested, and Plunkett again went into hiding. The Privy Council in London was told he had plotted a French invasion.
Despite being on the run and with a price on his head, he refused to leave his flock. He was arrested in Dublin in December 1679 and imprisoned in Dublin Castle, where he gave absolution to the dying Talbot. At some point before his final incarceration, he took refuge in a church that once stood in the townland of Killartry in County Louth, in the parish of Clogherhead, seven miles outside of Drogheda. He was tried at Dundalk for conspiring against the state by plotting to bring 20,000 French soldiers into the country, and for levying a tax on his clergy to support 70,000 men for rebellion. Though this was unproven, some in government circles were worried about, and some used the excuse, that another rebellion was being planned.
Lord Shaftesbury knew Oliver Plunkett would never be convicted in Ireland and had him moved to Newgate Prison, London. The first grand jury found no true bill, but he was not released. The second trial was claimed to be a kangaroo court; Lord Campbell, writing of the judge, Sir Francis Pemberton, claimed it a disgrace to himself and his country. Plunkett was found guilty of high treason on June 1681 "for promoting the Roman faith,"[citation needed] and was condemned to a gruesome death.
On 1 July 1681, Plunkett became the last Roman Catholic martyr to die in England when he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. His body was initially buried in two tin boxes next to five Jesuits who had died before in the courtyard of St Giles. The remains were exhumed in 1683 and moved to the Benedictine monastery at Lamspringe, near Hildesheim in Germany. The head was brought to Rome, and from there to Armagh and eventually to Drogheda where, since 29 June 1921, it has rested in Saint Peter's Church. Most of the body was brought to Downside Abbey, England, where the major part is located today, with some parts remaining at Lamspringe. Some relics were brought to Ireland in May 1975, while others are in England, France, Germany, the United States, and Australia.
Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975, the first new Irish saint for almost seven hundred years,[4] and the first of the Irish martyrs to be beatified. For the canonisation, the customary second miracle was waived. (He has since been followed by 17 other Irish martyrs who were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1992. Among them were Archbishop Dermot O'Hurley, Margaret Ball, and the Wexford Martyrs.)
Nevertheless, his ministry during its time was most successful and he confirmed over 48,000 people over a four-year period.
Celebration
As a spectacle alone, the rally and Mass for St Oliver Plunkett on London's Clapham Common was a remarkable triumph. As the Common was invaded for a celebration of the 300th anniversary martyrdom of St Oliver Plunkett. Cardinal 0 Fiaich, twenty enrobed bishops and a handful of abbots stood on a stage beneath a scaffolding shelter that shuddered in the wind on the 1st July 1981. The Archbishop of Armagh flew over in a helicopter with Oliver Plunkett’s body. It was a sort of dry run for the Pope's visit. This occasion attracted thousands of pilgrims to the park and this people's celebration masterminded by Fr Martin Bennett was a first for the parish of the Holy Ghost, Balham and which also boasts the first British chapel dedicated to St Oliver. Between the rows of the crowd, the stewards ably assisted by Liam Jung and Tony Keane wore red armbands. The stewards & the parish came to the fore once more with the offertory collection. The money was poured into black plastic rubbish sacks as a precaution against the wind.
In 1997, he became a patron saint for peace and reconciliation in Ireland, adopted by the prayer group campaigning for peace in Ireland, 'St Oliver Plunkett for Peace and Reconciliation'.
Timeline of events
- 4 March 1651 – tonsure & minor orders
- 20 December 1653 – ordained as subdeacon
- 26 December 1653 – ordained as deacon
- 1 January 1654 – ordained as priest in Rome
- November 1657 – appointed Professor of Theology at Propaganda college, Rome
- 1 December 1669 – consecrated as archbishop
- 7 March 1670 – landed at Ringsend, Dublin, ending 23 years of self imposed exile abroad
- 6 December 1679 – arrested
- 23 July 1680 – trial
- 24 October 1680 – transfer from Ireland to London
- 8 June 1681 – trial
- 15 June 1681 – sentenced to death
- 1 July 1681 (OS) = 11 July 1681 (NS) – hanged, drawn, quartered (the punishment for treason against the state), beheaded
- 9 December 1886 declared venerable
- 17 March 1918 – declaration of martyrdom
- Pentecost Sunday, 23 May 1920 – beatified
- 12 October 1975 – canonized
In popular culture
- In Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, McCann asks Stanley "What about the blessed Oliver Plunkett?"
- In J. P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man, Sebastian Dangerfield repeatedly calls on the name of "the Blessed Oliver" and, towards the end of the book, receives a wooden carving of the saint's head.
- In David Caffrey's 2001 film On the Nose, Nana, played by Francis Burke refers to an aborigine's head in a large specimen jar as "Oliver Plunkett".
- In Colin Bateman's 2004 novel, Bring Me the Head of Oliver Plunkett, the head of Oliver Plunkett head is stolen from St. Peter's Church.
- In 2011's musical comedy short film The Holy Ghost of Oliver by Les Doherty and Craig C. Kavanagh, the head of Oliver Plunkett is stolen also.
References
- ^ Cobbett, p. 450
- ^ Cobbett, p. 481
- ^ Cobbett, p. 492
- ^ Glinert 2009, p. 80
Works cited
- Blessed Oliver Plunkett: Historical Studies, Gill, Dublin, 1937.
- Forristal, Desmond (1975), Oliver Plunkett in his own Words, Veritas Publications
- Hanley, John, ed. (1979), The Letters of Saint Oliver Plunkett, Dolmen Press
- Glinert, Ed (2009), Martyrs & Mystics, Collins, ISBN 978-0-00-728642-3
- Cobbett, et al (1810), Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials, Volume 8
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oliver Plunket |
- Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials digitised by Google Books
- Biography of St Oliver Plunket
- St Oliver Plunkett webpage maintained by Drogheda Borough Council & St. Peter's Church
"Blessed Oliver Plunket". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Blessed Oliver Plunket". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Saints
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Copyright © David Hugh Farmer 1978, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2004. All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of British History
A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Companion to Irish Literature
The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Copyright © 1996, 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
Read more
