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Lawrence Anderton, S.J. A Postscript

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2016

Extract

In a recent article in this periodical on the identity of the early seventeenth-century controversialist who wrote under the pseudonym ‘John Brereley’, I published some biographical notes on the Jesuit, Lawrence Anderton (1575-1643) who is sometimes mistakenly credited with authorship of the ‘Brereley’ books. These notes included new evidence on a hitherto very obscure phase of Anderton’s career, the five or six years after he left Cambridge in 1597 to become a Catholic and go abroad to study for the priesthood. I was able to show that he studied at the English College at Seville and returned to England, a priest but not yet a Jesuit, a few years later. The date of his return seemed to be determined by an entry in the College accounts stating that his viaticum was collected on 24 March 1603. Of his life at the College, however, I could discover nothing beyond the fact that, while there, he went by the alias Lawrence Rigby or Ribe. Since publishing my article I have come across a piece of evidence which throws a little further light on his career at the College and which also suggests that he left Seville to come on the mission a few months earlier than the date of the viaticum would seem to indicate.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Catholic Record Society 1982

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References

Notes

1 ‘Who was John Brereley? The identity of a seventeenth-century controversialist’, Recusant History, May 1982, pp. 17-41. See especially pp. 23-24, 38-39.

2 The only copy so far discovered is in the Biblioteca Colombina, Seville (reference: 63. 9. 87. f.25). I am greatly indebted to Mr Martin Murphy who first drew my attention to it and then kindly arranged for a photocopy to be obtained for my use. I should also like to express my thanks to Dr Klaus Wagner of the University of Seville for his good offices in this connection and to the librarian of the Colombina for allowing the photocopy to be made.

3 For editions of the English original see STC 8297-8300.

4 For Richardson alias Anderson see Godfrey Anstruther, The Seminary Priests, vol. 1, pp. 288-9.

5 Y otros an advertido, que pocos dias antes avia martirizado a el Padre Lorenço Anderton, sacerdote muy docto y virtuoso, que se avia criado cinco años en el Seminario de Sevilla; el qual a los 16. de Febrero deste año de 603 fue martirizado en Londres, confessando con gran resolucion y animo la religion Catholica, y obediencia a la Sede Apostolica: y vino a ser el mismo mes y dia en que el año antes defendio con gran satisfacion e ingenio conclusiones generales de toda la theologia, en el Collegio ingles de Sevilla, delante el illustrissimo Cardenal a quien las dedico, y de otra mucha gente grave y docta. Las demas particularidades de su martirio se esperan de Inglaterra.

6 Caraman, Philip and Walsh, James, Martyrs of England and Wales, 1535–1680Google Scholar. A chronological list, Catholic Truth Society (1960), p. 28.

7 See Anstruther, loc. cit.. (note 4). Loomie, A. J., ‘A Register of the Students at St Gregory’s College at Seville, 1591-1605’, Recusant History (October 1967), pp. 163–70Google Scholar, gives the date of his departure from Seville as 1602 but this seems to conflict with the authorities cited by Anstruther.

8 See Loomie, loc. cit. (note 7), p. 164.