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OVERVIEW | HISTORY
St. Edmund Campion
was born in London in 1540, educated at Oxford
with the support of the Grocer's Company, and
became a very well-respected Fellow of St. John's
College, Oxford, and hence a deacon within the
Established Church. While teaching at Oxford,
he became uneasy about the validity of teachings
of the newly-Established Church. Since this was
incompatible with his position, he resigned his
fellowship at Oxford, moving first to Dublin,
but eventually giving up Anglican orders and becoming
a Catholic. He joined the Jesuits in Rome, and
later taught theology for 5 years at the University
in Prague, where in 1580 he was ordained a priest.
He answered the call of the Pope to serve on the
"English Mission", and arrived in England,
travelling incognito in early-1581. He worked
in London, and the North before arriving in Berkshire
and Oxfordshire.
Edmund Campion remained respected
at Oxford, and wished to enter into a public disputation
at the University of his views on the invalidity
of the Established Church. This was highly contentious,
and the University would not agree. Instead, relying
on an existing friendship with the Stonor family,
he was given refuge here to print a pamphlet "Ten
Reasons" outlining these views. A press was
smuggled in and assembled in the roof space in
mid-1581, and printing completed. Edmund Campion
himself secretly distributed copies of the pamphlet
in Oxford, and their discovery led to renewed
searches for the author. He was captured at Lyford
Grange near Wantage in August, 1581. As a result
of torture, the role of the Stonor family was
revealed and led to exile, long-term arrest of
different family members and removal of the press
and "massing stuff". Edmund Campion
was hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in December,
1581. He was declared a Saint in 1970, one of
40 English and Welsh martyred so honoured at that
time.
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