John Goodman (1590–1642) was a Welsh Jesuit novice and secular priest active in England. He was born in Denbighshire and graduated from St John's College, Cambridge, being ordained in the Church of England in 1618.[1] He became a Catholic convert and seminary priest in France, around 1621, before returning to England on mission.[2]

John Goodman
Born1590 (1590)
Died1642 (1643) (aged 51–52)
Newgate Prison, London, England
NationalityWelsh
OccupationJesuit secular priest
Criminal chargesBeing a Jesuit in England
Criminal penaltyDeath
Criminal statusDied in prison

Goodman was jailed and sentenced to death under an Elizabethan penal law which made it illegal for Jesuits to be in England. He was granted a reprieve by Charles I but was questioned by the Long Parliament. Charles I did not interfere and Parliament was content to let Goodman die in prison in 1642.

References edit

  • Austin Woolrych, Britain in Revolution. (New York : Oxford University Press, 2002).
  • Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ven. John Goodman" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Goodman, John (GDMN612J2)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  2. ^ Sheils, William Joseph. "Goodman, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67455. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)