Although Henry VIII broke away from the jurisdiction of the Pope he upheld fundamental Catholic teaching with greater zeal than most Catholic monarchs, particularly where the Mass was concerned. He also enforced the continued use of the traditional Latin liturgy. All this changed with his death in 1547 and the accession of his nine-year-old son Edward who was under the control of Protestant dominated Council. This Council wished to bring England into line with the Protestant Reformation in Europe as quickly as possible and by 1549 Thomas Cranmer, appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Henry VIII, had prepared the first Anglican Book of Common Prayer which in one volume was to replace all the Latin liturgical books.At least 99% of the English people were still Catholic minded at this time and the abolition of the Mass was received throughout the country with reactions varying from resentment to outrage, and nowhere more so than in the secluded village of Sampford Courtenay in Devon. The villagers heard the service read on Whit Sunday, decided that it was intolerable, and on Whit Monday, ordered their parish priest to return to the Latin Mass. The story of rebellion has been covered in the May Newsletter but it is worth repeating that at least 4,000 Westcountrymen died for the Mass during the course of the rebellion, a huge number at that time, and hundreds more perished afterwards on gallows in Devonshire and Somerset. Many priests were executed, some hanged from the towers of their churches while wearing their vestments.
The 400th anniversary of the 1549 rebellion was marked in 1949 with great celebrations in the west of England, including pontifical Masses and events at which thousands were present. There has been no official commemoration of its 450th anniversary despite the fact that on no other occasion in the history of England did so many Catholics give their lives for the faith in a single event. It may well be that those in authority considered that it would be inappropriate to honour men who preferred the traditional Latin Mass to a vernacular communion service similar in many respects to that imposed in Catholic parishes throughout Devon and Cornwall today. It may also have been felt that to honour these heroic Catholics would not be ecumenical, and might offend our Anglican brethren. The rising was, in fact commemorated rather incongruously by the Church of England by a celebration of the 1549 Communion Service in the church of St. Andrew, Sampford Courtenay.
On 18th/19th June 1999 a group of laymen who felt that these martyrs of the faith should not be forgotten organised a two-day pilgrimage in their honour. It began with Mass in the remains of the ancient Benedictine Priory of St. Nicholas in Exeter, followed by a visit to Fenny Bridges where the first serious battle of the campaign took place on 28th July 1549. The rosary was prayed in "Bloody Meadow" near the bridge which legend states was ankle deep in blood after the ferocious battle. On Saturday 19th June the pilgrims went to Sampford Courtenay where the traditional Latin Mass was celebrated and followed by a rosary procession around narrow country lanes ending in the village square where an inspiring talk on the rising was given by Robin Pannell from the steps of the medieval church house. The pilgrims were then able to visit St. Andrew's church and were pleased to find a fascinating exhibition commemorating the rebellion. Members of the Latin Mass Society might like to make a private pilgrimage to the beautiful village of Sampford Courtenay to see this exhibition and to honour the forgotten martyrs of the west country.
The 1999 pilgrimage was a moving and unforgettable event and all those who made the effort to come, even from as far afield as Scotland, were deeply grateful to Robin Pannell and all those whose hard work made the event possible, and to Fr. Michael Crowdy for offering the traditional Mass and leading the other devotions. A beautifully illustrated account of the Prayer Book Rebellion, The Western Rising 1549, by the late Fr. Philip Caraman S.J. can be obtained from Carmel Books, P.O. Box 281, Bristol BS99 3ER at 11.50 post included.
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's August 1999 Newsletter.]