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| Site of the arrest of St David Lewis |
Fr David Lewis S J had been arrested at
Llantarnam on 17th November 1678 and imprisoned in Monmouth gaol. On 13th January 1679 he was
transferred to the gaol at Usk. On 28th
March he was again back in Monmouth to be tried at the spring assizes which was
presided over by Sir Robert Atkins.
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| The Monnow Bridge |
Fr Lewis was indicted under Statute 27
Elizabeth which deemed it a capital crime to be ordained abroad and return to
England for more than forty days. The
charge against him was “David Lewis pro Sacerd Roman”, that
is “David
Lewis for being a Roman Priest”!
The charge against the priest was read by the Clerk of the Assizes; “Here
thou standest indicted of High Treason by the name of David Lewis, for thou
being a natural subject of the King of England, hast passed beyond the seas and
taken Orders from the Church and See of Rome”.
Fr Lewis pointed out that it was
necessary for the prosecution to prove him guilty of the charge of being
ordained overseas and taken Orders from the See of Rome. Judge Atkins responded to this with a curt
rebuff but his words made it clear for all time exactly why the priest was
condemned. “What do you expect? Shall we search the records at Rome, or bring
persons to prove that they saw you ordained?
It is enough that you have exercised the functions of a priest in copes
and vestments used in your Church, and that you shall have read Mass and taken
Confessions. HE THAT USES TO READ MASS
COMMITS TREASON!”
The priest hunter, John Arnold, was
allowed to sit next to the Judge and permitted to challenge the jurors one by
one until he had achieved his goal – a jury that was anything but impartial and
certain to convict the priest! This manipulation of the jury did
not go unnoticed and the High Sheriff of Monmouthshire protested that Arnold
was guilty of “packing the jury”. His
protestations came to naught when Judge Atkins reprimanded him for being “saucy”. John Arnold was now secure in the knowledge
that his handpicked jury would seal the fate of the hapless Fr David Lewis.
At about 10 o’clock the following
morning, 29th March 1679, the trial of Fr David Lewis began. Several witnesses were called who swore that
they had seen him celebrate Mass. Chief
among them were William and Dorothy James.
However, two of the Crown’s other witnesses heroically refused to give
evidence against Fr Lewis. The defendant
challenged the character of some of the witnesses brought against him and
exposed the sheer malice of Dorothy James.
With John Arnold’s influence, there was no chance of the accused getting
anything even resembling a fair trial and the verdict was a foregone
conclusion. It was sufficient that
Dorothy and William James had sworn they had seen the Jesuit say Mass and on
this evidence the jury was directed that “If you believe what the witnesses swore you
must find the prisoner guilty”.
As expected, the jury found him guilty of treason!
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| Usk Gaol where St David Lewis awaited his execution |
Judge Atkins then put on his cap and
pronounced the sentence: “David
Lewis, thou shalt be led from this place to a place whence thou camest, and
shalt be put upon a hurdle and drawn with thy heels forward to the place of
execution where thou shalt be hanged by the neck and be cut down alive; thy
body to be ripped open and thy bowels plucked out; thou shalt be dismembered
and thy members burnt before thy face.
So the Lord have mercy on thy soul.”
Upon hearing the sentence Fr Lewis made
a low bow toward the judge and was led away.
He was returned to Usk Gaol where he was to await his gruesome
fate. On 27th August 1679 Fr
David Lewis, the last Welsh martyr, was executed for the crime of being a
Catholic Priest and saying Mass.
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| St David Lewis was martyred near this site |
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