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'''Robert Dibdale''', also spelled Debdale, was a Catholic priest and martyr.
{{Short description|English Roman Catholic priest and martyr}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2019}}
'''Robert Dibdale''' (or '''Debdale''') (ca. 1556 – 8 October 1586) was an English Catholic [[priesthood (Catholic Church)|priest]] and [[martyr]].


==Biography==
He was born the son of John Dibdale of [[Shottery]], in the parish of [[Stratford-on-Avon]] and the birthplace of [[William Shakespeare]]'s wife [[Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare's wife)|Anne Hathaway]] at a date unknown. He had a brother Richard and sisters Joan and Agnes. It would seem the family were Catholics. [[Peter Ackroyd]] placed Dibdale or Debdale in the King’s New School in Stratford, the same grammar school attended by [[William Shakespeare]].<ref name="ackroy1">[http://books.google.com/books?id=eXdRAAAACAAJ&dq=Peter+Ackroyd] [[Peter Ackroyd]], ''Shakespeare: The Biography''. Doubleday, 2005, p. 64</ref> English government records show that in 1581 his absence abroad at Louvain since about 1576 had been noted by the authorities. However, Catholic records show that by 1581 he had been to Rome and had reached the English College at [[Reims|Rheims]], arriving on December 29, 1579 and set out for England on June 22, 1580. At this point he had still not been ordained. He was immediately arrested on landing at Dover. It is recorded that he was committed to the [[Gatehouse]] by July 29 the same year, being discharged on September 10, 1582. His whereabouts immediately thereafter are obscure but on March 14, 1583 he again entered the English College at [[Reims|Rheims]] and was ordained a priest in Rheims Cathedral on March 31, 1584.
Dibdale was born the son of John Dibdale of [[Shottery]], a village in the county of [[Warwickshire]], within the parish of [[Stratford-upon-Avon]], the birthplace of [[William Shakespeare]]'s wife [[Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare's wife)|Anne Hathaway]], at a date unknown. He had a brother, Richard, and two sisters, Joan and Agnes. It would seem the family were Catholics. [[Peter Ackroyd]] speculates that Dibdale (or Debdale) attended the King's New School in Stratford, the same grammar school attended by [[William Shakespeare]].<ref name="ackroy1">[[Peter Ackroyd|Ackroyd, Peter]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=eXdRAAAACAAJ&dq=Peter+Ackroyd ''Shakespeare: The Biography''] Doubleday (2005), p.64</ref>


Government records show that in 1581 his absence abroad at [[Leuven|Louvain]] since about 1576 had been noted by the English authorities. Catholic records, however, show that, by that time, he had already been to Rome and had then gone to the [[English College, Reims|English College]] in [[Reims|Rheims]], France, arriving there on 29 December 1579, before setting out for England on 22 June 1580. At that point, he had still not been [[Holy Orders|ordained]].
⚫
Using the alias Palmer, he set out for England on August 2 [[1584|that year]]. He was arrested near Tothill Street in [[London]] on July 24, 1586 and was imprisoned first at the [[Counter]] then at [[Newgate]]. Given the 1585 Act making it a capital offence to be a Catholic priest in England the terrible sentence of [[hanging, drawing and quartering]] was inevitable. It was carried out at [[Tyburn, London]] on October 8, 1586. His fate was shared by two fellow priests, [[John Adams (martyr)|John Adams]] and [[John Lowe (martyr)|John Lowe]]. All three priests were declared Blessed (the last stage prior to sainthood) by Pope [[John Paul II]] on November 22, 1987.


Dibdale was immediately arrested upon landing at Dover. It is recorded that he was committed to the [[Gatehouse]] by 29 July the same year. While in prison his father sent him bread, cheese, and five shillings.<ref name=Wainewright>[https://archive.org/stream/livesofenglishma01burtuoft#page/234/mode/2up Wainewright, John Bannerman. "Venerable Robert Dibdale", ''Lives of the English Martyrs'', (Edwin H. Burton and J. H. Pollen eds.), London. Longmans, Green and Co., 1914]</ref> He was discharged on 10 September 1582. His whereabouts immediately thereafter are obscure but on 14 March 1583, he again entered the English College at Rheims and was ordained a priest in [[Rheims Cathedral]] on 31 March 1584.
⚫
==Sources==


⚫
Using the alias Palmer, he set out for England the following 2 August. He served as chaplain at the Manor of Denham in Buckinghamshire. Denham was held by Edmund Peckham, whose wife Dorothy was the sister of [[John Gerard (Jesuit)|John Gerard]] SJ. Dibdale was arrested near Tothill Street in London on 24 July 1586, and was imprisoned, first at the [[Compter|Counter]], then at [[Newgate]]. Given the 1585 Act making it a [[capital offence]] to be a Catholic priest in England, the terrible sentence of [[hanging, drawing and quartering]] was inevitable. It was carried out at [[Tyburn]] on 8 October 1586. His fate was shared by two fellow priests, [[John Adams (Catholic martyr)|John Adams]] and [[John Lowe (martyr)|John Lowe]].<ref name=Wainewright/>
⚫
The most reliable compact source is Godfrey Anstruther, ''Seminary Priests'', St Edmund's College, Ware, vol. 1, 1968, p.&nbsp;101.


All three priests were beatified (the last stage prior to [[canonisation]]) by [[Pope John Paul II]] on 22 November 1987.
==Notes and references==

<!--READ ME!! PLEASE DO NOT JUST ADD NEW NOTES AT THE BOTTOM. Use<ref></ref> in the text. -->
In 1998, the Catholic church in his home village, the Church of Our Lady Peace (opened in 1973), was rededicated to Our Lady of Peace and Blessed Robert Dibdale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/shottery-our-lady-of-peace-and-blessed-robert-dibdale/|title=Shottery – Our Lady of Peace and Blessed Robert Dibdale|publisher=Catholic Trust for England and Wales and [[English Heritage]]|year=2011|accessdate=16 October 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016113554/https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/shottery-our-lady-of-peace-and-blessed-robert-dibdale/|archivedate=16 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Douai Martyrs]]
* [[Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|2}}


⚫
==Sources==
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
⚫
*Anstruther, Godfrey. ''Seminary Priests'', St Edmund's College, Ware, vol. 1 (1968), p.101.
| NAME = Dibdale, Robert
*Brownlow, Frank W. ''Shakespeare, Harsnett, and the devils of Denham'', University of Delaware Press (1993), pp.167–168.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
{{Canonization}}
| DATE OF BIRTH =
{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= England}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
{{Authority control}}
| DATE OF DEATH = 1586
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dibdale, Robert}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dibdale, Robert}}
[[Category:1550s births]]
[[Category:1586 deaths]]
[[Category:1586 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Stratford-upon-Avon]]
[[Category:People from Stratford-on-Avon District]]
[[Category:English Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:16th-century English Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Martyred Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Martyred Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Beatified people]]
[[Category:English beatified people]]
[[Category:Clergy of the Tudor period]]
[[Category:People executed under Elizabeth I by hanging, drawing and quartering]]
[[Category:People executed by hanging, drawing and quartering]]
[[Category:Executed people from Warwickshire]]
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[[Category:People executed under the Tudors]]
[[Category:Executed English people]]
[[Category:16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs]]
[[Category:16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs]]
[[Category:16th-century venerated Christians]]
[[Category:16th-century venerated Christians]]
[[Category:People educated at King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon]]
⚫
[[Category:People executed at Tyburn]]
[[Category:Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales]]

Latest revision as of 11:54, 29 August 2023

Robert Dibdale (or Debdale) (ca. 1556 – 8 October 1586) was an English Catholic priest and martyr.

Biography[edit]

Dibdale was born the son of John Dibdale of Shottery, a village in the county of Warwickshire, within the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway, at a date unknown. He had a brother, Richard, and two sisters, Joan and Agnes. It would seem the family were Catholics. Peter Ackroyd speculates that Dibdale (or Debdale) attended the King's New School in Stratford, the same grammar school attended by William Shakespeare.[1]

Government records show that in 1581 his absence abroad at Louvain since about 1576 had been noted by the English authorities. Catholic records, however, show that, by that time, he had already been to Rome and had then gone to the English College in Rheims, France, arriving there on 29 December 1579, before setting out for England on 22 June 1580. At that point, he had still not been ordained.

Dibdale was immediately arrested upon landing at Dover. It is recorded that he was committed to the Gatehouse by 29 July the same year. While in prison his father sent him bread, cheese, and five shillings.[2] He was discharged on 10 September 1582. His whereabouts immediately thereafter are obscure but on 14 March 1583, he again entered the English College at Rheims and was ordained a priest in Rheims Cathedral on 31 March 1584.

Using the alias Palmer, he set out for England the following 2 August. He served as chaplain at the Manor of Denham in Buckinghamshire. Denham was held by Edmund Peckham, whose wife Dorothy was the sister of John Gerard SJ. Dibdale was arrested near Tothill Street in London on 24 July 1586, and was imprisoned, first at the Counter, then at Newgate. Given the 1585 Act making it a capital offence to be a Catholic priest in England, the terrible sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering was inevitable. It was carried out at Tyburn on 8 October 1586. His fate was shared by two fellow priests, John Adams and John Lowe.[2]

All three priests were beatified (the last stage prior to canonisation) by Pope John Paul II on 22 November 1987.

In 1998, the Catholic church in his home village, the Church of Our Lady Peace (opened in 1973), was rededicated to Our Lady of Peace and Blessed Robert Dibdale.[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ackroyd, Peter. Shakespeare: The Biography Doubleday (2005), p.64
  2. ^ a b Wainewright, John Bannerman. "Venerable Robert Dibdale", Lives of the English Martyrs, (Edwin H. Burton and J. H. Pollen eds.), London. Longmans, Green and Co., 1914
  3. ^ "Shottery – Our Lady of Peace and Blessed Robert Dibdale". Catholic Trust for England and Wales and English Heritage. 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.

Sources[edit]

  • Anstruther, Godfrey. Seminary Priests, St Edmund's College, Ware, vol. 1 (1968), p.101.
  • Brownlow, Frank W. Shakespeare, Harsnett, and the devils of Denham, University of Delaware Press (1993), pp.167–168.
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