page_title: Charles Reynolds (cleric)
section_title: Grave slab in Rome
hierarchical_section_title: Charles Reynolds (cleric) / Death / Grave slab in Rome
caption_attribution_description: English: Label stating the grave slab belongs to Charles Reynolds.
context_page_description: Charles Reynolds was an Irish Catholic cleric, canonist, and diocesan administrator. Born in County Leitrim, Reynolds entered a religious order and was appointed to influential posts as archdeacon and chaplain to the Earl of Kildare. His name in native Irish is Cathal Mac Raghnaill, but he anglicized his name to Charles Reynolds in order secure ecclesiastical benefices under English laws. He was educated at the University of Oxford and fluent in English, Irish, and Latin. Reynolds opposed Henry VIII of England's separation from the Catholic Church, declining to acknowledge him as Supreme Head of the Church of England and refusing to acknowledge the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
  During the Kildare Rebellion of 1534–5 against King Henry, Reynolds was dispatched as envoy to Rome to seek support from the pope. In May 1535 he secured a papal promise to excommunicate King Henry of England.
  Reynolds died of an "incurable fever" and was buried in Archbasilica of St. John Lateran on 15 July 1535.
context_section_description: Reynolds' grave-slab is in the cloister of the basilica of St John Lateran, where it is on display.  It is damaged on all sides but retains an almost complete inscription that helps better understand what happened to him. It is a large floor-slab measuring 1.42 meters (4.7 ft) tall by 0.62 meters (2.0 ft) wide. The finely carved frame of all'antica style foliate decoration originally framed the entire stone. The top of the slab is lost, though the lower portion of the Fitzgerald crest can be observed, alongside the hind legs of a lion rampant associated with the arms of the Reynolds family.
  Rev. Michael Walsh published the following inscription translation in 1961.
  Another translation by Senan Furlong O.S.B. was published by Conleth Manning in 2010.
  Both translations reveal he was buried on the ides of July (15 July) 1535, aged thirty-eight years. He died the day before he was to be ordained Bishop of Elphin and "Cluonensis" (Clonmacnoise or Clonfert). It praises his memory, whilst recording he was an Irishman, born of a noble family, and competent in civil and canon law. Charles belonged to the Mac Raghnaills, a Gaelic sept of Muintir Eolais, now forming part of southern county Leitrim. The inscription names his father as Maurus Mac Raghnaill, canon of the Augustinian Priory at Mohill. The Fergal 'Raynal' named in the last section is probably a relative of Charles.
caption: Label accompanying grave slab
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