"Do you think Christ taught in English?"

28th May 1582 is the feast of Blessed Robert Johnson SJ. He won his martyr's crown, as did so many of his kind, at Tyburn. 

                                    Blessed Robert Johnson at Tyburn



Here is an extract of the account of his life:-

"Born in Shropshire, he became a gentleman's servant, but went abroad and was ordained priest at Douay and was sent on the English Mission in 1576.
In December 1580, after being arrested, he was sent to the Tower of London where he was viciously racked on three occasions. He was sentenced in November 1581 but his execution was postponed until May 1582.

On the scaffold he boldly answered the Sheriff that Elizabeth was as much Head of the Church as Mary had been. The Sheriff replied:"Thou art a traitor most obstinate".
Bl Robert replied: "If I be a traitor for holding the faith, then all our kings and queens and all our ancestors were traitors, for they maintained the same".
They then placed the rope around his neck and he began to pray in Latin. They then willed him to pray in English that they might witness with him: He said: "I pray that prayer which Christ taught." A minister cried out from the crowd: "Pray as Christ taught?" To whom, Mr Johnson replied: "What! do you think Christ taught in English?"
And so he won his crown with the Church's words upon his lips.

Also, on that day, he was joined in his sufferings by Blessed John Shert and Blessed Thomas Ford.
And also by Blessed Margaret Pole who suffered on Tower Hill.

Blessed Margaret Pole

There is a Catholic School that bears the name of Blessed Robert Johnson in Telford Shrophire. It is an utter disgrace that the school website makes no mention of Bl Robert Johnson and his stand for Catholicism.

I must do a quick survey of Catholic School websites that are named after a saint to determine how many feature the history of the faith. I am not confident of finding very many that do.


And for those who want to leave a comment to the effect that Christ taught in Aramaic - I know!

THE ANGEL THAT GUARDS THE GATE

                                  The Resurrection Gate aka The Angel        

At the head of London's New Oxford Street and what used to be the approach road to Tyburn Road (Oxford Street) lies the small High Street of St Giles. Adjacent to the Anglican church is a pub called The Angel. It is not overly attractive, it is what it is, a busy pub on the fringes of Soho and Theatreland.

But back in the 16th and 17th centuries this pub (or tavern as it was probably called then) had a different name.
It was called "The Resurrection Gate" and it was here that the drivers of the wagons and hurdles carrying the martyrs used to stop off for a breather and, maybe, a touch of liquor, to act as a "stiffener" for the ordeal ahead.

The gallows of Tyburn stood at what we now call Marble Arch a mere mile or so distant, death by being hanged, disembowelled, castrated and quartered was less than an hour away.

There is no record as to whether those brave men who were shackled to the wagons or strapped to the hurdles were ever able to enjoy one last drink but what does survive are two sayings that are attributed to this last halt.
The first saying is "One for the road" meaning Tyburn Road and the second is "I'm on the wagon" meaning that I can't have a drink as I am in charge of the wagon.
These very obviously contradict each other which does not bode well for their veracity but I did find them recorded in a book published in the 1920s on Catholic London. However, my view is that they are more myth than fact.

I do not know when the tavern changed its name to The Angel or what the reasons were for doing so. For many years it was in my family's hands and I have pulled many a pint there in my youth. The locals claimed that the very large and gloomy cellars held an evil presence but despite working down there many times late at night I never experienced anything.
But then, I am a Catholic.

OF YOUR CHARITY PLEASE PRAY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOUL OF JOHN GRIFFITHS WHOSE ANNIVERSARY IT IS TODAY

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and death shall be no more, nor mourning nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away

                       Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual
                       light shine upon him, may he rest in peace. Amen

The new, magnificent, exceptional memorial to the Tyburn Martyrs....

                                       

...the only trouble is that it ain't there! In January 2009 The Catholic Herald's Simon Caldwell wrote comprehensively about how a new memorial had been agreed and how the designs were being drawn up for consideration.
Here is an extract from his report:-

Since the Fifties the site of the gallows has been marked simply by a stone roundel in a traffic island at the intersection of Edgware Road and Bayswater Road, near to Marble Arch, bearing the image of a plain black cross and the words: "The site of the Tyburn Tree."

But Westminster City Council has begun looking for ideas for a more fitting memorial.

The council's Public Art Advisory Panel has discussed some of the proposals at a private meeting, including an etching of the shadow of the Tyburn Tree into pavement brickwork.

Another proposal is understood to involve three illuminated pillars to stand above the site once occupied by the three-sided gallows.

Rosemarie MacQueen, strategic director for built environment at Westminster City Council, said funding was needed and hoped the Catholic community would be able to contribute.

"We have been looking at ways to make the memorial to the Tyburn martyrs more substantial and informative in the future provided we can secure funding for the project, as we feel that the hangings which happened there should be clearly marked for anyone who might want to understand the area's history," she told The Catholic Herald.

                                                           

I visited Tyburn (Marble Arch) last Saturday and searched for a long time before I found the 'old' memorial, a round plaque set in a pavement on a traffic island at a busy intersection of the Edgware Road. Is this (or  was it ever) a suitable and respectful place for such a memorial? No, of course not but I guess it's part of the English Catholic 'Uncle Tom' attitude to our secular society - "be grateful for any crumbs you are offered and don't rock the boat" sums it up.

The build up of traffic around the plaque is intense and I feel sure that many who have come to view have risked a modern martyrdom under the wheels of a BMW X5M Series. At some stage a lorry must have mounted the island as the plaque has a large crack across its centre. All in all it is a pathetic apology for the 105 brave souls who died for the faith here.

Having read Simon Caldwell's feature, I felt sure that the new memorial must be just about ready for an unveiling.  I was not too enamoured of more pavement type etchings, would a Council erect a War Memorial at floor level? Not likely.

For my money, one could not do better than to re-create the actual three tree gallows, either in stone or wood, that stood on the spot 400 plus years ago. In terms of location it must move away from the humiliating traffic island to a central site closer to the imposing Marble Arch - there's plenty of space and I for one, am not too worried if it is 42 yards, or whatever,  away from the "actual" spot of the gallows.

A grand memorial - but not to the Martyrs!

So, trembling with anticipation (almost) I telephoned Westminster City Council only to meet with a very efficient and helpful voice at the other end. "No" he had never heard of a "Tyburn what?" but he spent 15 minutes trying to locate news of its progress.
A blank. Never mind; next stop has to be the Press Office of Westminster Diocese - no reply, instead I left my message and awaited a response. None came. Second phone call and another message, still no reply.
I tried again the following day and spoke to a live person who promised that the message receiver would phone me back which she did 10 minutes later.
"The what?" (I was beginning to get used to this scenario) "The Tyburn Martyrs Memorial, where is it located?" I now began to develop my Chief Inspector Dreyfus (aka Herbert Lom) type twitch, it started at one eyebrow and before long it had spread down the right hand side of my face. "It's at Marble Arch" I managed to splutter but, sadly, it appears as if no one in the Diocese knows what has happened to it. And, frankly, no one seems to care.
Are the designs resting on some trendy architect's computer? Has it been created and is now lying forgotten in some Westminster City Council parking lot?


Who knows? Certainly not the Diocese or the Council.

If it's a question of cash I am quite confident that Catholics the world over would chip in a few dollars, euros or zlotys and that it would not take too long to provide a decent sum. Meanwhile, you may pay your respects surrounded by noise, bustle and exhaust fumes looking at a cracked roundel next to manhole cover and surface water relief system 3409.