GWYN, RICHARD (c. 1537 - 1584), or WHITE, RICHARD, Roman Catholic martyr

Name: Richard Gwyn
Date of birth: c. 1537
Date of death: 1584
Gender: Male
Occupation: Roman Catholic martyr
Area of activity: Religion
Author: Emyr Gwynne Jones

Born at Llanidloes c. 1537. He was brought up as a Protestant and went first of all to Oxford and thence to S. John's College, Cambridge. In 1562 he left Cambridge and returned to Wales He kept school in various places in the Wrexham district and while he was at Overton was converted to Roman Catholicism. It appears that he had to move from place to place to evade the authorities; he was captured at Wrexham in 1579 but succeeded in making his escape. In July 1580 he was arrested for the second time and after being imprisoned for four years was, 9 October 1584, convicted of high treason and executed at Wrexham, 17 Oct. He wrote five poems, which he called carols, strongly attacking Protestantism and defending Roman Catholicism. He is regarded by the Church of Rome as its first martyr in Wales.

Author

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

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