Peter Snow (c. 1564 – 15 June 1598) was an

English Catholic The Catholic Church in England and Wales (; ) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th century, when Pope Gregory I through a Roman missionary and Benedictine monk, Augustine, ...

priest who was executed by the state along with Ralph Grimston in 1598. They were

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

as martyrs in 1987. Their feast is 15 June.

Life

He was born at or near

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

and arrived at the English College, Reims, 17 April 1589. He received the first

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

and

minor orders In Christianity, minor orders are ranks of church ministry. In the Catholic Church, the predominating Latin Church formerly distinguished between the major orders—priest (including bishop), deacon and subdeacon—and four minor orders— acolyt ...

18 August 1590, the

subdiaconate Subdeacon is a minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in the Eastern ...

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

on 22 September, and the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

and priesthood at

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

on 30 and 31 March 1591.Wainewright, John. "Ven. Peter Snow." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 23 November 2021 He left for England on the following 15 May. It appears that he spent some time at

Nidd Hall Nidd Hall was a 19th-century country house, now a hotel, in the village of Nidd, North Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. It is constructed of coursed squared gritstone and ashlar with grey slate roofs. It is built in 3 storey ...

, the seat of the Trappes family, near

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023. History The Knaresborough Hoard, the largest hoard of ...

. Nidd Hall was used to shelter priests. Ralph Grimston also lived at the hall. They were arrested on or about 1 May 1598, when on their way to York. Both were shortly after condemned, Snow of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

as being a priest and Grimston of

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...

, for having aided and assisted him, and, it is said, having lifted up his weapon to defend him at his apprehension. They were executed at

Knavesmire The Knavesmire is one of a number of large, marshy undeveloped areas within the city of York in North Yorkshire, England, which are collectively known as ''Strays of York, Strays''. Knavesmire, together with Hob Moor, comprises Micklegate Str ...

in York. Snow was hanged, draw and quartered; Grimston hanged. Their severed heads were place on spikes and set atop

Micklegate Bar York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City W ...

until retrieved by some local Catholics. He was 32.

Relics in Leeds Cathedral

In 1845, two skulls were discovered under the stone floor of the ancient chapel of

Hazlewood Castle Hazlewood Castle is a country residence, now a hotel, in North Yorkshire, England, by the A1 and A64 between Aberford and Tadcaster. It is one of the oldest fortified houses to survive in the whole of Yorkshire. The site overlooked the batt ...

, near

Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...

. At the time they were thought to be

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of two other English martyrs, John Lockwood and Edmund Catherick and the skulls were placed in a niche near the altar. In 1909, Hildebrand Lane Fox, who was familiar with local traditions, stated that they were the relics of Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston. In 1968, the Carmelites acquired Hazlewood and a forensic examination was conducted on the skulls. By determining the approximate age of the individuals, Lockwood and Catherick were excluded. In 2005,

Arthur Roche Arthur Roche (born 6 March 1950) is a British cardinal of the Catholic Church who has served as prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments since 2021. He previously served as secretary of the congregation fr ...

, Bishop of Leeds, decided to place relics in

Leeds Cathedral Leeds Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Anne, also known as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West Yo ...

altar. The BBC's Inside Out program commissioned computerised likenesses from the

University of Dundee The University of Dundee is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...

. Pictures of the reconstructed faces of Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston can be found on Leeds Cathedral webpage. Nidd Hall - geograph

References

External links

Relics in the Cathedral
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Peter 1598 deaths 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests English beatified people 16th-century venerated Christians Year of birth unknown People from Ripon 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Martyred Roman Catholic priests 16th-century births People executed under Elizabeth I Executed people from North Yorkshire People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales

Life

Relics in Leeds Cathedral

See also

References

External links