Thomas Bullaker, also known as ''John Baptist Bullaker'', (born at

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

about the year 1604; executed at

Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...

, 12 October 1642) was an English Catholic priest and member of the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...

. He is a Catholic martyr,

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 ...

in 1987.

Life

Early life

Contemporary accounts usually give Bullaker's birthdate as 1602 or 1604, although baptismal records suggest that he may have been born in 1598. He was the son of John and Eleanor Bullaker; John Bullaker, a doctor and teacher, was the leader of a local group of

recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

s. His grandfather, William Bullaker, was also a recusant and schoolteacher, as well as the author of the first English Grammar. Bullaker had one sister, Eleanor, baptized 29 October 1601. Throughout Bullaker's childhood, his family moved frequently to avoid persecution for their recusancy. Soon after Eleanor's birth, the Bullakers left Chichester for

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother (Western), River Rother, inland from the English Channel and north of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first reco ...

, where they lived with the

Viscount Montagu Viscount Montagu was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 2 September 1554 for Anthony Browne of the Noble House of Montagu. It became extinct on the death of the ninth Viscount in 1797. The title Viscount Montagu was chose ...

. At other times, they lived with the Shelley family in

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

, or returned to various parts of Chichester. At an early age, Bullaker was sent to the English College at St-Omer, where he may have studied for some time or simply made a spiritual retreat. From there, he went to

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

in Spain to complete his studies, arriving on 19 December 1621. There he used the pseudonym Thomas Taylor. In March 1622, he was excommunicated from the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

''in absentia'' at Chichester.

Missionary work

Under the guidance of Alexander Baker, Bullaker entered the Franciscan order at Abrojo on the

Feast of Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; the feast is observed by the Latin Church, in addition to ...

in 1622. He made his profession in 1624, and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1628. He petitioned to be sent to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

as a missionary, but was instead sent to England. There he landed at

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, but was immediately seized and imprisoned, having been reported by the captain of his ship. Bullaker was confined briefly at Plymouth, and then transferred to

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, where he remained imprisoned until the spring

Assizes The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

in 1630. Nothing could be proved against him at trial, and a supposed

missal A missal is a liturgical book containing instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the liturgical year. Versions differ across liturgical tradition, period, and purpose, with some missals intended to enable a priest ...

in his possession, offered as evidence, was shown to be a secular book on Spanish history. Bullaker was therefore transferred to London, where friends successfully effected his release. Over the next ten years, Bullaker held various offices throughout England. He served for some time as secretary to

Christopher Davenport Francis Davenport, O.M.R., also known as Francis of Saint Clare, (1598 – 31 May 1680) was an English Catholic theologian, a Recollect friar and royal chaplain. Life He was born Christopher Davenport in Coventry, England, in 1598, the son ...

. In 1640 he became titular guardian of Oxford, and he briefly held the same office in Chichester. In 1641, the Franciscan provincial, George Perrot, gave him permission to move to London and work among the poor Catholics there.

Death and legacy

On 11 September 1642, Bullaker was seized by James Wadsworth while celebrating

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

in the house of Margaret Powell. He was interrogated, imprisoned in

Newgate prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...

, and condemned for treason as a seminary priest. Bullaker was sentenced to be drawn on a hurdle to Tyburn and there

hanged, drawn, and quartered To be hanged, drawn and quartered was a method of torturous capital punishment used principally to execute men convicted of high treason in medieval and early modern Britain and Ireland. The convicted traitor was fastened by the feet to a h ...

, and beheaded. Bullaker was beatified by

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on 22 November 1987, along with 84 other martyrs.

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullaker, Thomas 1600s births 1642 deaths English Franciscans 17th-century English Roman Catholic priests English beatified people People executed by Stuart England by hanging, drawing and quartering 17th-century venerated Christians Year of birth uncertain Year of birth unknown People from Chichester Executed people from West Sussex Executed Roman Catholic priests Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales