Peter Snow (priest)
Peter Snow (executed at York, 15 June 1598) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, along with Ralph Grimston who died with him, beatified in 1987. Their liturgical celebration is on 15 June.
Blessed Peter Snow | |
|---|---|
 Facial reconstruction of the martyr, whose skull relic lies in Leeds Cathedral | |
| Martyr | |
| Born | c. 1564 Ripon, North Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 15 June 1598 (aged 32) Knavesmire, West Yorkshire, England |
| Beatified | 22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | 15 June, 22 November |
Life
He was born at or near Ripon and arrived at the English College, Reims, 17 April 1589. He received the first tonsure and minor orders 18 August 1590, the subdiaconate at Laon on 22 September, and the diaconate and priesthood at Soissons on 30 and 31 March 1591.[1] He left for England on the following 15 May.
It appears that he spent some time at Nidd Hall, the seat of the Trappes family, near Knaresborough. Nidd Hall was used to shelter priests. Ralph Grimston also lived at the hall. They were arrested on or about 1 May 1598, when on their way to York. Both were shortly after condemned, Snow of treason as being a priest and Grimston of felony, for having aided and assisted him, and, it is said, having lifted up his weapon to defend him at his apprehension.[2] They were executed at Knavesmire in York. Snow was hanged, draw and quartered; Grimston hanged. Their severed heads were place on spikes and set atop Micklegate Bar until retrieved by some local Catholics. He was 32. [3]
Relics in Leeds Cathedral
In 1845, two skulls were discovered under the stone floor of the ancient chapel of Hazlewood Castle, near Tadcaster. At the time they were thought to be relics of two other English martyrs, John Lockwood and Edmund Catherick and the skulls were placed in a niche near the altar. In 1909, Dom Hildebrand Lane Fox, who was familiar with local traditions stated that they were the relics of Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston. In 1968, the Carmelites acquired Hazlewood and a forensic examination was conducted on the skulls. By determining the approximate age of the individuals, Lockwood and Catherick were excluded.
Blessed Ralph Grimston | |
|---|---|
 Facial reconstruction of the martyr, whose skull relic lies in Leeds Cathedral | |
| Martyr | |
| Died | 15 June 1598 Knavesmire, West Yorkshire, England |
| Beatified | 22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | 15 June, 22 November |
In 2005, Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds, decided to place relics in Leeds Cathedral altar. The BBC's Inside Out program commissioned computerised likenesses from the University of Dundee.[4] Pictures of the reconstructed faces of Blessed Fr.Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston can be found on Leeds Cathedral webpage.[5]
References
- Wainewright, John. "Ven. Peter Snow." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 23 November 2021
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - Challoner, Richard. Memoirs of Missionary Priests: And Other Catholics of Both Sexes, that Have Suffered Death in England on Religious Accounts, from the Year 1577 to 1684 United States, John T. Green, 1839. p. 213 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- "Jun 15 – Bls Peter Snow, Priest, & Ralph Grimston, Husband, (d. 1598), Martyrs | ADULT CATECHESIS & CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS LITERACY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC TRADITION: Contemplata aliis tradere, Caritas suprema lex, or "How to think Catholic!!"". 13 June 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- "Skull reconstruction of men hanged in York for being Catholic". York Press. 4 November 2006.
- Dunne, John (2006). "Relics in Cathedral". Leeds Cathedral.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ven. Peter Snow". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
