Saints in Exile: The Cult of Saint Thomas of Canterbury and Elizabethan Catholics in France

Gibbons, Katy

doi:10.1017/s0034193200012176

Cited by 14 publications

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“…Yet the very act of saying 'Thomas Becket' in late 1538 would have been enough to mark oneself as Protestant, or at least as a supporter of the Crown. For those still adhering to the Roman Catholic faith, the archbishop was still always St Thomas of Canterbury (Gibbons, 2009). Yet perhaps the historicity of 'Becket' proved beguiling even in some Catholic circles, as by the 1580s even his staunchest defenders, such as Thomas Stapledon (1588: 47-48;Houliston, 1993: 48, 51), author of Tres Thomae, can be found referring to him as 'Th.…”

Section: Decade 'Becketmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Put the ‘a’ in ‘Thomas a Becket’? The History of a Name from the Angevins to the Victorians

Jenkins

2023

Open Library of Humanities

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This article examines the history of Becket’s name from his birth to c. 1800, through detailed corpus analysis, with a particular focus on the varying popularity of the ‘Becket’ and ‘a Becket’ forms from the 16th to 18th centuries. The analysis goes beyond positivist attempts to decide on the ‘correct’ name to look instead at naming conventions in the context of their use. There is some evidence to suggest that, until his ordination at least, Thomas was known by the family surname ‘Beket’ during his lifetime, and this name for him occurs in some medieval chronicle traditions. Yet for the most part he was ‘St Thomas of Canterbury’, and the ‘Becket’ surname was revived by Protestants at the Reformation as a slur to emphasise his unworthiness. The form ‘a Becket’ was invented by the satirist Thomas Nashe in the 1590s to turn the archbishop into a figure of fun, and by the 1700s may have been the predominant form in popular, verbal, use, largely thanks to its more appealing rhythmic form. By the 1760s the ‘a Becket’ form had also become the academically accepted ‘correct’ form. This in turn gave rise to debate, continuing to this day, about the correct nomenclature and to a host of theories about the etymology of both ‘types’.Banner image: The earliest known portrayal of Thomas Becket's murder in Canterbury Cathedral, unknown author, c.1200. Original in the British Library: Harley MS 5102, f. 32; image from Wikimedia Commons.

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Section: Decade 'Becketmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Put the ‘a’ in ‘Thomas a Becket’? The History of a Name from the Angevins to the Victorians

Jenkins

2023

Open Library of Humanities

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English Convents in Catholic Europe, c.1600–1800

Kelly¹

2019

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In early December 1563, at its twenty-fifth session, the Council of Trent turned its attention to reform of both male and female religious orders. The resulting chapter five of the Council's decrees stipulated that all communities of female religious should be strictly enclosed. Pointing out that it was renewing the constitution of Pope Boniface VIII, passed in 1298 and known as Periculoso, the Council commanded 'all bishops' to ensure that 'the enclosure of nuns be restored wherever it has been violated and that it be preserved where it has not been violated'.The bishops were told to press ahead with these measures regardless of any opposition, 'even summoning for this purpose, if need be, the aid of the secular arm.' Putting it bluntly, the Council fathers declared that 'no nun shall after her profession be permitted to go out of the monastery, even for a brief period under any pretext whatever, except for a lawful reason to be approved by the bishop … Neither shall anyone, of whatever birth or condition, sex or age, be permitted, under penalty of excommunication to be incurred ipso facto, to enter the enclosure of the monastery without the written permission of the bishop or the superior.' 1 These decrees were affirmed by Pope Pius V's bull, Circa Pastoralis, three years later. 2 It was under these censures that the new convents founded in exile operated. After a postulant's arrival at the convent as discussed in the previous chapter, it was this enclosed environment that defined their new life. Following a few months as a postulant, the community, usually in the form of a chapter meeting, would then decide whether to accept the candidate as a novice. As prescribed by the Council of Trent, the individual would also be interviewed by a representative of the local ordinary to establish their identity and origins, as well to ascertain the credibility of their vocation, plus that it had in no way been coerced. If successful, the candidate would be clothed and take a new name in religion. After their novitiate, which usually lasted a year, the same process of internal convent discussion and external interview took place before an individual proceeded to their final vows and profession as a nun. 3 With their new surroundings defined 1

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2019

English Convents in Catholic Europe, c.1600–1800

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Saints in Exile: The Cult of Saint Thomas of Canterbury and Elizabethan Catholics in France

Cited by 14 publications

References 13 publications

Who Put the ‘a’ in ‘Thomas a Becket’? The History of a Name from the Angevins to the Victorians

Who Put the ‘a’ in ‘Thomas a Becket’? The History of a Name from the Angevins to the Victorians

English Convents in Catholic Europe, c.1600–1800

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