The Irish standard., 1912-10-05
priests were relentlessly prosecuted,

and If discovered in the performance of
the rites of his religion a priest was
put to death. But in spite of that
there were during those times many
priests in England who considered it
their duty to brave death rather than
cease to do what they considered their
duty, says the London Globe.
After the Reformation many priests
were concealed in the country houses
of the Catholic nobility and gentry.
Their hiding places were unknown to
all except the master and mistress Of
the house. and possibly to one or two
old servants. AS rule, the priest
did not stay for long in the priest hole
at any one place, but certain Father
&, Blackhall spent many years thus con-
cealed in the house of the Viscountess
Melgum in Scotland
Many Houses Had Priest Holes.
Their are many old houses which
still boast priest holes. There is one
in an old manor in East Success, which
! contains good example of such a
chamber. Artfully contrived among
the huge chimney stacks in the roof -
a small room, perhaps twelve feet in
length and six in breadth. Until it
was broken into few years ago no
one living knew of it's existence. for
the hidden stairway which led up to it
through the ceiling had rotted away
and been covered in again, and the lit
tie room itself was almost Theoretically
sealed with the yellow straw plaster,
which was the best material known to
plasterers of former times.
Chill and wretched must the priest
have found 1t. the daylight visible only
through few small chinks in the root,
the wind penetrating through the tiles
! and beneath the draughty caves. At
night he had the bats for company, the
hard boards, with maybe an armful of
straw for a couch, and the fear of cap
ture ever looming large before him.
| A Famous Hiding Place.
OF houses famous for their priest
holes, perhaps the most renowned is
Hendlip House, some four miles from
| Worcester, and said to have been built
in the reign of Elizabeth by John Alb
! ingdon and devoted partisan of, Mary,
/ Queen of Scots. Thomas Abingdon,
son of the builder, took great pains
| to make the house a safe hiding place,
and hardly a room in the mansion was
there but could be entered secretly.
| For several weeks in 1906, Father
Garnet who later paid the penalty of
having known of the Gunpowder Plot,
was hidden at Hendlip.
/ The government was made aware of
his knowledge of the plot by the con-
fession of one Catesby, Bates's servant.
Suspicion having fallen on Hendlip as
the priests place of concealment, Sir
Henry Bromley was sent thither with
instructions, which show that the gov
eminent had had some experience in
! the finding of hidden holes.
In the search, first observe the
| parlor where they dine and sup: in
| the cast part of that parlor it is con-
| ceived there Is some vault which,
| to discover, you must take care to
| draw down the wainscot. The
lower parts Of the house must be
tried with breach. For the upper
rooms you must observe whether
they be more in breadth than the
lower rooms and look in which
places the rooms be enlarged. BY
| pulling up some boards you may
discover some vaults. And if it
| appear that there be some corners
to the chimneys, and the same
| boarded, if the boards be taken
| away there will appear some. If
| the walls seem to be thick, and
covered with wainscot, being tried
with a gimlet, If it strike not the
wall, some suspicion is to be had
| thereof.
Father Garnet Surrendered.
| The house was searched and search
ed again from top to bottom, but Sir
Henry could discover nothing but some
scholarly books. Mr.. and Mrs. Abing-
don, of course, denied any knowledge
of Father Garnet. Four days after
beginning the search two men, half
dead with hunger. gave themselves up,
but they proved to be servants. Sew
eral days passed, and the searcners
were in despair, when the confession
| of another conspirator condemned to
die made it certain that priest lay
concealed at Hendlip House. When ten
days had passed Father Garnet sur
rendered, and with him a Jesuit named
Hall. Lack of fresh air had forced
| them from their hiding place, not lack