Brentwood: Bishop honours Abbot John Beche

Francoise Guild with her sketch and Bishop Alan Williams

On Sunday, the Rt Rev Alan Williams, Bishop of Brentwood, unveiled an information board recording the death of the last abbot of the 11th century Benedictine Abbey of St John in Colchester. The board is situated outside the Gatehouse, the only building remaining from what was once one of the largest abbeys in England. The plaque is the work of the Colchester & Ipswich Museum Service and records the execution of Abbot John Beche on the green on 1st December 1539, after his refusal to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the church. Abbot Beche was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1895.

The bishop was assisted in the ceremony by Theresa Higgins, the deputy mayor of Colchester. Others present included Sir Bob Russell MP, Fr Tony McKentey, parish priest at the local parish of St James the Less and St Helen, Philip Wise, collections and curatorial manager at the Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service and Jennie Guthrie-Stevens, a local historian and member of the Colchester Catholic Heritage Group.

Sir Bob Russell, MP for Colchester, said he was delighted to welcome Bishop Alan to the town, saying that he had felt the occasion important enough to leave another engagement in Greenstead early in order to be present.

Prior to the unveiling, Bishop Alan reflected on the sacrifice of Abbot John Beche, who ultimately refused to hand over his abbey to Henry VIII and accept him as head of the church. He said: “At the time of the Reformation this was one of the greatest Benedictine abbeys in the country and John Beche was a very important man. Amid all the suffering and persecution of that time, he was at first a bit overwhelmed and struggled but eventually he realised that his conscience and God had to come first and that enabled him to stand up to the king and face his execution. Today we are standing near the spot where he died.”

He added: “In the present world where there is still enormous persecution, one hopes that people of good will and faith will be able to stand up for that faith and for goodness in similar situations.”

The Bishop was presented with a sketched impression of the statue of Our Lady, missing from the central niche of the gatehouse, by local artist Francoise Guild, who has painted religious works for the parish church in Priory Street. The likeness is based on similar statues at other abbeys and religious houses, and the seal of nearby Wix Priory, an order of Benedictine nuns dedicated to St Mary. The priory was suppressed by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 in order to raise funds for building a college at Oxford and a grammar school with chapel attached at Ipswich.

“The seal showed the style of clothes worn in that period and Our Lady holding a palm in one hand and the Priory in the other. I have incorporated those details into my image and given Mary a Saxon crown,” said Francoise. She plans to turn the sketch into a painting.

Prior to the ceremony at the Gatehouse, Bishop Alan had presided at 10.30 Mass at the Priory Street parish. During the service, the congregation venerated a relic of Saint John Paul II, which has arrived in the parish. Also present was Fr Adam Podbiera, who worked with St John Paul in Krakow.

Fr McKentey said a Mass on Monday, 1 December to mark the anniversary of the Abbot’s death.

The abbey was founded in 1095 by Eudo Dapifer, William the Conqueror’s High Steward and Constable of Colchester Castle. The abbey made a major contribution to the development of medieval Colchester and became a wealthy and privileged house, despite losing part of its buildings to fire in 1133.

In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, perhaps as a result of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, the abbey strengthened its defences and the gatehouse was added as part of this revamping around 1400.

St John’s was one of a handful of abbeys that refused to surrender to Henry VIII’s Commissioners during the Dissolution, succumbing only after the execution of Abbot Beche for treason.

St John’s Abbey Gatehouse is in the care of English Heritage and managed by Colchester Borough Council.