FEATURE
The Chideock Martyrs Maurice Quinn remembers the Dorset men who died for the Faith
The Church of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and St Ignatius
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even Chideock men – three priests and four laymen – were cruelly put to death for their Catholic faith between 1587 and 1642, whereas an eighth, John Jessop, died in prison. The church of Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs, and St Ignatius, is a memorial to them and to all those who kept the faith throughout the times of bloody repression. Chideock Castle was built by John de Chideocke in 1380. In the late Middle Ages, it passed into the hands of the Arundells of Lanherne, a powerful West Country family. When the old religion was banned, the Arundells remained loyal to their faith, and the castle became a refuge for priests where local Catholics could attend Mass. The Arundells left Chideock when the castle was destroyed in the Civil War, but the local people kept the faith and worshipped in secret in the loft of a barn next to the site of the present Manor House.
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The martyrs are commemorated at their place of execution in South Walks Road, Dorchester, by a life-size bronze monument in memory of all the Dorset Martyrs. The first to suffer martyrdom, in 1587, was the Jesuit, Thomas Pilchard, who was concealed at Chideock Castle. While at the castle, Fr Pilchard SJ made
many converts, including Thomas Pike, a Chideock carpenter. Pilchard was arrested along with Pike and another companion, John Jessop, described as a gentleman. Pilchard was hanged, drawn and quartered in Dorchester in 1587, whereas Pike remained in prison until being butchered in 1594, and John Jessop died in 1588 in Dorchester prison.
AUTUMN 2019
