Saint Cuthbert Mayne
Saint Cuthbert Mayne (born c. 1544 AD in Barnstaple, Devon, England; died November 29, 1577 AD in Launceston, Cornwall, England) was the first Catholic seminary priest to be martyred in England during the Elizabethan persecution. He was ordained in the English College at Douai (Belgium) and was captured while on mission in Cornwall, tried on charges of treason for carrying an Agnus Dei and a copy of the papal bull, and hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was beatified in 1886 and canonized in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs).
Stored in Cargo: Saint Cuthbert Mayne
| Saint Cuthbert Mayne | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 25 |
| Profession | Priest; missionary; seminary priest; steward (disguise) |
| Rel. Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church; English College, Douai |
| Patronage | England; Cornwall; English Catholics; seminary priests; Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Attributes | Priest's vestments; Agnus Dei; ropes of martyrdom; English martyr's cross |
| Birthplace | Barnstaple, Devon, England |
| Death Place | Launceston, Cornwall, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered |
| Liturgical Class | Feast (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, October 25) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Cuthbert Mayne was born around 1544 in Barnstaple, Devon, into a Protestant family. He was ordained as a Protestant minister and was working toward a career in the Elizabethan Church when he came under the influence of his cousin Edmund Tremayne and of the exiled Catholic scholar Saint Edmund Campion (at the time still a student at Oxford). Correspondence with Campion led him to reconsider his faith.
In 1570 he left England and enrolled at the English College at Douai, the seminary founded by William Allen to train priests for the English mission. He was ordained a priest in 1575 and in 1576 returned to England on the mission — the first priest trained at Douai to do so.
He worked in Cornwall disguised as a steward in the Catholic household of Francis Tregian at Golden Manor near Probus. In 1577, the Sheriff of Cornwall raided the house. Mayne was found carrying an Agnus Dei (a blessed wax medallion with the papal seal) and a copy of a Roman Jubilee bull printed on paper. These were charged as treason under the penal laws.
He was tried, condemned, and on November 29, 1577, hanged, drawn, and quartered at Launceston. He was the first Douai seminary priest to die in England as a martyr, and his execution established the pattern of the Elizabethan martyrdom of priests.
He was included among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 25, 1970.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Barnstaple, Devon, England
Death location: Launceston, Cornwall, England
Notable location: The Catholic household where he was hidden, working as a steward; he was discovered here during a search by the Sheriff of Cornwall (Golden Manor, Probus, Cornwall, England)
Notable location: Where he was tried and executed; his head was displayed on the castle (Launceston, Cornwall, England)
Notable location: Where he was trained and ordained as a priest — the first seminary college for English Catholic exiles (English College, Douai, Belgium)
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Feast day
October 25
Veneration
Saint Cuthbert Mayne is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church on October 25 (feast of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales).
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