The family was staunchly Catholic, and already included four priests when John studied for his priesthood and was ordained at Douai College on 23rd February 1625, following which he returned to England and began his work as a missionary in Herefordshire and Monmouthsire. His popularity steadily grew, and not just among the Catholics…..he was a very likeable man, and he continued to serve for more than 50 years, living with his brother at Pembridge Castle.

Then, poor John was caught up in the horrific doings of Titus Oates the perjurer who fabricated the Popish Plot, which was the non-existent conspiracy by Catholics to kill King Charles II. Oates was a spectacularly nasty character, with no scruples whatsoever, and his fraud was eventually uncovered but sadly too late to save many an innocent man.

In 1678, Captain John Scudamore of Kentchurch (a lapsed Catholic, although his wife and children were parishions of John Kemble) arrived at Pembridge Castle to Arrest the elderly John Kemble, and although people tried hard to get him to escape he merely said “According to the course of nature I have but a few years to live. It will be an advantage to suffer for my religion and therefore I will not abscond.” He was taken to Hereford, where he spent three months in gaol, before being taken to Newgate Prison in London…….no comfortable trip as he was bundled backwards onto a horse like a sack. For anyone that would have been torture, but for an 80 year old it must have been almost unbearable. When interrogated, John refused to admit to a non existent plot, and eventually was sent back to Hereford…by foot. There, in accordance with Elizabeth I’s Statute 27 he was tried for the treasonable offence of being a Catholic priest and for saying Mass, and was duly declared guilty, being condemned to be hanged drawn and quartered.

On 22nd August, his execution day, he requested one last smoke of his pipe, one last drink and to be allowed to finish his prayers. (To this day a “Kemble Cup” and Kemble Pipe” refer to a final drink or smoke before the parting of friends in Herefordshire). He was then dragged by means of a hurdle to Widemarsh Common, where after a declaration that he was dying for his religion and not for treason, and that he forgave all his enemies, he was forced to comfort and give courage to his executioner who really did not want to carry out the task of killing this likeable old gentleman. This may have been why the hanging went badly wrong – a little like someone being too gentle when wringing a chicken’s neck……. And it was a good half hour before Kemble actually died. He was then beheaded, and it would appear that his left hand was beneath his neck because this too was cut off; it is preserved at the church of St. Francis Xavier in Hereford; at least Kemble was only drawn and quartered AFTER he was dead. He was buried at the church of St Mary the Virgin at Welsh Newton.

Before long, people started talking of miracles, and one day when a deaf Scudamore’s wife was praying at Kemble’s grave, her hearing was suddenly restored. Likewise, her daughter was cured of throat cancer.

John Kemble was beatified in 1929 and Canonized on 25th October 1970.

Churches of St. Weonards

• St. Weonard's Church - St. Weonards

  Much of this church is 16th century although the door is thought to be around 13th century.

   

  

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People of St. Weonards

• Saint John Kemble - Martyr

  John Kemble was born in 1599 at Rhydicar Farm, St. Weonards in Herefordshire to parents John, and Anne the daughter of John Morgan from the Waen, Skenfrith in Monmouthshire. John’s uncle, George Kemble of Pembridge Castle, Welsh Newton, was the father of Captain Richard Kemble who was responsible for saving Charles II at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. (Not that Charles took this into account in later years!)

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  The family was staunchly Catholic, and already included four priests when John studied for his priesthood and was ordained at Douai College on 23rd February 1625, following which he returned to England and began his work as a missionary in Herefordshire and Monmouthsire. His popularity steadily grew, and not just among the Catholics…..he was a very likeable man, and he continued to serve for more than 50 years, living with his brother at Pembridge Castle.

  Then, poor John was caught up in the horrific doings of Titus Oates the perjurer who fabricated the Popish Plot, which was the non-existent conspiracy by Catholics to kill King Charles II. Oates was a spectacularly nasty character, with no scruples whatsoever, and his fraud was eventually uncovered but sadly too late to save many an innocent man.

  In 1678, Captain John Scudamore of Kentchurch (a lapsed Catholic, although his wife and children were parishions of John Kemble) arrived at Pembridge Castle to Arrest the elderly John Kemble, and although people tried hard to get him to escape he merely said “According to the course of nature I have but a few years to live. It will be an advantage to suffer for my religion and therefore I will not abscond.” He was taken to Hereford, where he spent three months in gaol, before being taken to Newgate Prison in London…….no comfortable trip as he was bundled backwards onto a horse like a sack. For anyone that would have been torture, but for an 80 year old it must have been almost unbearable. When interrogated, John refused to admit to a non existent plot, and eventually was sent back to Hereford…by foot. There, in accordance with Elizabeth I’s Statute 27 he was tried for the treasonable offence of being a Catholic priest and for saying Mass, and was duly declared guilty, being condemned to be hanged drawn and quartered.

  On 22nd August, his execution day, he requested one last smoke of his pipe, one last drink and to be allowed to finish his prayers. (To this day a “Kemble Cup” and Kemble Pipe” refer to a final drink or smoke before the parting of friends in Herefordshire). He was then dragged by means of a hurdle to Widemarsh Common, where after a declaration that he was dying for his religion and not for treason, and that he forgave all his enemies, he was forced to comfort and give courage to his executioner who really did not want to carry out the task of killing this likeable old gentleman. This may have been why the hanging went badly wrong – a little like someone being too gentle when wringing a chicken’s neck……. And it was a good half hour before Kemble actually died. He was then beheaded, and it would appear that his left hand was beneath his neck because this too was cut off; it is preserved at the church of St. Francis Xavier in Hereford; at least Kemble was only drawn and quartered AFTER he was dead. He was buried at the church of St Mary the Virgin at Welsh Newton.

  Before long, people started talking of miracles, and one day when a deaf Scudamore’s wife was praying at Kemble’s grave, her hearing was suddenly restored. Likewise, her daughter was cured of throat cancer.

  John Kemble was beatified in 1929 and Canonized on 25th October 1970.

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News from the Past of St. Weonards

• St. Weonards - News from the Past

  Poetry and tragedy

  1840 – Lines Written on the Mound at the Back of the Treago Arms, St. Weonards

  How hath my childhood lov’d to sport upon

  A rude fantastic hillock at the back

  of our old mansion;  round its rugged top

  The lofty firs would bend them to the breeze –

  And oft at fall of day, with boding sound,

  Would cause a terror to my childish heart,

  And make me leave the spot in pallid haste,

  As my fix’d eye would rest upon some tomb

  Within the ancient churchyard close beneath.

   

  How doth maturer age e’en now delight

  To stand upon that haunt of early days, and think

  On those lov’d forms which glided round me thn

  As in a fairy vision!  Oh childhood!

  Thou happiest, purest portion of our days,

  Why wilt thou not remain?  they very act

  Is friendship, love, and unity – no guile,

  No coldness – but all fervor and delight –

  Religion’s purity is in each thought;

  And feelings such as fail in later years

  Are then in bright development – each eye

  Is beaming with parental love, so oft

  Forgotten in the worldly strife, which draws

  Us on in after life – corrodes our hearts,

  And freezes up our nature’s noblest warmth.

  Yes, all those thoughts possess my soul whene’er

  I cast my eyes upon that rustic mound.

   

  1855 – Concealment of Birth at St. Weonards

  An inquest was held following the discovery of the body of a new born child which had been buried in St. Weonards.

  William Jenkins stated that he saw Lucy Gwatkin in a meadow with a spade in her hand at around 11 o’clock in the morning, and when talking to his mother two months later it became clear that Lucy had been obviously pregnant until that time and then appeared not to be.  This was verified by several witnesses.

   

  William’s mother then became concerned and went to the spot that her son had described, where helped by a hedger she searched until two flat stones were found barely covered by some leaves, underneath which they could see the toes of a child. They immediately called for help.

   

  It transpired that Lucy had consistently denied being pregnant, despite her growing size, and it was thought that Daniel Johnson was the father as he had frequently visited Lucy – however Daniel said that it wasn’t him and he wanted nothing to do with it.

   

  On the morning that the child was found buried Lucy was apparently ill in bed, but nobody heard her crying out as if in labour – however when she got up she looked thin and unwell.  She still denied that she had been pregnant and said that there was no baby.

  Post Mortem on the child

  The post mortem was carried out by Mr. John Morris of Hereford, and he said that the male child was a full term fine child weighing 7lbs 8oz, and was 18 inches long.  He was of the opinion that the child had not lived for long after birth, but that he had breathed because the lungs floated in water showing that air had entered the cells.   Although he conceded that it was slightly possible that delivery was incomplete because babies could take a breath before arriving in the outside world.

  There was too much decomposition on the body to determine whether there were any signs of violence but Mr. Morris did not think that the child had died from loss of blood.  The umbilical cord had not been tied off.

   

  The Verdict

  The jury returned a verdict of Found Dead on the child, and added that Lucy Gwatkin was the mother of the child and had concealed the birth.

  1891 – Fatal Accident at St. Weonards

  In April 1891, Mr. James Embry a 59 year old farmer of Villendra, St. Weonards, left his house and took an unbroken two year old colt into a nearby field where he mounted it without a saddle.

   

  The colt went quietly for a little while then suddenly bolted;  after some 100 yards the horse stumbled into a ditch and threw Mr. Embry to the other side.  The accident was seen by a lad who was in the field at the time, and he ran to help but found the poor man unconscious, so he rushed to the house for help.

   

  James was carried into the house and Dr. Doig of Ross was sent for, but all medical assistance was to no avail and James never regained consciousness.  He left a widow and six daughters.

  1910 – Tragic Suicide at St. Weonards

  Mr. John Evans, aged 54,  of Moor Farm, St Weonards had been missing from his home for nearly two weeks, during which time no stone had been left unturned in the search for him.

   

  Sadly his body was found in Darren Wood Garway, two miles from his home;   he had hung himself with a handkerchief looped over a hazel sapling.

   

  At the inquest, John’s eldest son John Edgworth Evans,  said when he had last seen his father he seemed to be suffering from a bad cold and was rather unwell, but did not appear to be depressed.    He said that he had no financial difficulties and was a deeply religious man, however some 7 or 8 years previously he had had a period of depression.

   

  It transpired that a short time before his death, John had visited some friends and whilst away had consulted Dr. Stevens of Cardiff, who was a specialist in nervous diseases.  Dr. Stevens confirmed the visit and said that John was very depressed with no obvious cause, and also that he felt that his state of mind was affected.

   

  After further witness accounts, the Jury concluded that the deceased committed suicide during a period of mental aberration, brought forward by excessive religious zeal on a constitution very much run down.

  In other words, suicide whilst temporarily insane.

   

   

   

  Read More >

1840 – Lines Written on the Mound at the Back of the Treago Arms, St. Weonards

How hath my childhood lov’d to sport upon

A rude fantastic hillock at the back

of our old mansion;  round its rugged top

The lofty firs would bend them to the breeze –

And oft at fall of day, with boding sound,

Would cause a terror to my childish heart,

And make me leave the spot in pallid haste,

As my fix’d eye would rest upon some tomb

Within the ancient churchyard close beneath.

How doth maturer age e’en now delight

To stand upon that haunt of early days, and think

On those lov’d forms which glided round me thn

As in a fairy vision!  Oh childhood!

Thou happiest, purest portion of our days,

Why wilt thou not remain?  they very act

Is friendship, love, and unity – no guile,

No coldness – but all fervor and delight –

Religion’s purity is in each thought;

And feelings such as fail in later years

Are then in bright development – each eye

Is beaming with parental love, so oft

Forgotten in the worldly strife, which draws

Us on in after life – corrodes our hearts,

And freezes up our nature’s noblest warmth.

Yes, all those thoughts possess my soul whene’er

I cast my eyes upon that rustic mound.

1855 – Concealment of Birth at St. Weonards

An inquest was held following the discovery of the body of a new born child which had been buried in St. Weonards.

William Jenkins stated that he saw Lucy Gwatkin in a meadow with a spade in her hand at around 11 o’clock in the morning, and when talking to his mother two months later it became clear that Lucy had been obviously pregnant until that time and then appeared not to be.  This was verified by several witnesses.

William’s mother then became concerned and went to the spot that her son had described, where helped by a hedger she searched until two flat stones were found barely covered by some leaves, underneath which they could see the toes of a child. They immediately called for help.

It transpired that Lucy had consistently denied being pregnant, despite her growing size, and it was thought that Daniel Johnson was the father as he had frequently visited Lucy – however Daniel said that it wasn’t him and he wanted nothing to do with it.

On the morning that the child was found buried Lucy was apparently ill in bed, but nobody heard her crying out as if in labour – however when she got up she looked thin and unwell.  She still denied that she had been pregnant and said that there was no baby.

Post Mortem on the child

The post mortem was carried out by Mr. John Morris of Hereford, and he said that the male child was a full term fine child weighing 7lbs 8oz, and was 18 inches long.  He was of the opinion that the child had not lived for long after birth, but that he had breathed because the lungs floated in water showing that air had entered the cells.   Although he conceded that it was slightly possible that delivery was incomplete because babies could take a breath before arriving in the outside world.

There was too much decomposition on the body to determine whether there were any signs of violence but Mr. Morris did not think that the child had died from loss of blood.  The umbilical cord had not been tied off.

The Verdict

The jury returned a verdict of Found Dead on the child, and added that Lucy Gwatkin was the mother of the child and had concealed the birth.

1891 – Fatal Accident at St. Weonards

In April 1891, Mr. James Embry a 59 year old farmer of Villendra, St. Weonards, left his house and took an unbroken two year old colt into a nearby field where he mounted it without a saddle.

The colt went quietly for a little while then suddenly bolted;  after some 100 yards the horse stumbled into a ditch and threw Mr. Embry to the other side.  The accident was seen by a lad who was in the field at the time, and he ran to help but found the poor man unconscious, so he rushed to the house for help.

James was carried into the house and Dr. Doig of Ross was sent for, but all medical assistance was to no avail and James never regained consciousness.  He left a widow and six daughters.

1910 – Tragic Suicide at St. Weonards

Mr. John Evans, aged 54,  of Moor Farm, St Weonards had been missing from his home for nearly two weeks, during which time no stone had been left unturned in the search for him.

Sadly his body was found in Darren Wood Garway, two miles from his home;   he had hung himself with a handkerchief looped over a hazel sapling.

At the inquest, John’s eldest son John Edgworth Evans,  said when he had last seen his father he seemed to be suffering from a bad cold and was rather unwell, but did not appear to be depressed.    He said that he had no financial difficulties and was a deeply religious man, however some 7 or 8 years previously he had had a period of depression.

It transpired that a short time before his death, John had visited some friends and whilst away had consulted Dr. Stevens of Cardiff, who was a specialist in nervous diseases.  Dr. Stevens confirmed the visit and said that John was very depressed with no obvious cause, and also that he felt that his state of mind was affected.

After further witness accounts, the Jury concluded that the deceased committed suicide during a period of mental aberration, brought forward by excessive religious zeal on a constitution very much run down.

In other words, suicide whilst temporarily insane.