Like
most people I waited in the queue outside the Tower of London to get a glimpse
of Kohinoor diamond which is believed to be arranged by the then governor
General of India Lord Dalhousie to be given as gift to queen Victoria, the
Empress of India in 1851 by Ranjith Singh’s successor Duleep Singh. As I was
hoping to see it from a close range, I passed through many interesting places
in the Tower. Interesting is not the right word because the appalling
atrocities and torture done to the Catholic martyrs was almost echoing from the
walls of the cold stone cells. It was like walking through the Death Valley
where blood of the martyrs resonated the typical torture by the Tudor rulers.
By now I had no more curiosity on the diamond but my history nerves were roused
to know what happened to these martyrs?
First
of all I was thrilled to know one among only two people to escape from the
tower of London was a Jesuit priest John Gerard. A plaque at the mouth of moat
leading to river Thames depicted the complicated and notorious escape from the
high security Tower of London in 1599. It explained how the plan of escape was
executed with the help of his Jesuit companions.
In
1594 John Gerard was captured with another Jesuit Brother Nicholas Owen and
sent to notorious Tower of London. Both were questioned and tried with
different methods of torture. John Gerard was mainly questioned and tortured in
order to know the hiding whereabouts of Hendry Garnet, the then superior of
Jesuits in Britain. John Gerard would not utter anything despite being
tortured. It is said that, he was tortured so much that he was weak to slide in
rope, which was used to escape through the river. I can only imagine how could
he do it. It is like escaping from an ‘A’ grade prison in London.
Nicholas
Owen was another incredible Jesuit who with his carpentry skills dug holes for
the priests to hide from being arrested and executed. He dug secret holes up
and down the country such a way that no authorities could trace them. It was
remarkable and ingenious mind of a Jesuit who managed to sustain the Catholic
faith in Britain. I think English Catholics should know about Nicholas Owen,
because of whom they are Catholics today. Eventually he was captured and sent
to Tower of London. March 02, 1606 he was tortured to death. One gruesome
report stated that they tortured Owen ‘such in human ferocity’ that he became disemboweled.
In fact he was instrumental in the escape of John Gerard.
I
wonder how many of us know about it? It is worth noting that Jesuits have a
great history in Britain particularly during the time of Tudors. When I walked
those little cells in the Tower, I came across a tiny table on which sat a
blank paper, candle and an orange. My curiosity ran wild to know what it meant?
And to my surprise, I was told that John Gerard wrote a letter using orange
peels on a blank paper, which actually remained blank unless it was read
against the fire. This is how the escape was planned. This remained strong in
my mind and heart.
William
the Conqueror commissioned the Tower of London in 1078 intended to protect the
city against the invaders. This became Britain’s most infamous prison where
martyrs like Thomas More were tried and executed.
When
I made my way into different cells of the Tower, it almost felt like the blood
of those who were tortured cried out from the stonewalls. On the one hand I
felt grateful to the Lord that we don’t have such atrocities but on the other
hand my heart went out for those who are being tortured in different parts of
the world, like Syria. It is appalling to know that our so called advanced
world witnesses so much violence, it seems like the world is valley of blood
crying out for help. These are my short reflections on the Tower of London and
its connection to Jesuits. There are enough details of it available online.
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