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MANY of the first reformers became martyrs, particularily in the reign
of Queen Mary I ('Bloody Mary'). One of these was the apprentice John
Leaf of Kirkbymoorside, who perished in London during the persecutions
of the time. Queen Elizabeth was more tolerant, except where Roman Catholics
were (rightly or wrongly) suspected of treason.
Not everyone took to the new ways of the church, and during the following century a number of brave priests continued to celebrate Mass in the Roman tradition. They were generally allowed to get on with their calling but some were thought to be associated with the political movements of the day and were condemned to death as traitors. One priest, Nicholas Postgate, who ministered for fifty years travelling throughout Ryedale and Eskdale, was falsely accused of supporting the 'Popish Plot' in 1678, though he was known to be a peaceful and holy man. The authorities at York were reluctant to see him executed, but they were overruled by London, to the disgust of the local population. |