A Catholic Woman Was Pressed For Hiding Priests In Her House
A Catholic Woman Was Pressed For Hiding Priests In Her House During the bloody English Reformation, people practicing the "wrong" faith (AKA whatever faith had been declared illegal by the ruler of the moment) could easily find themselves on the chopping block. When Queen Mary took the throne in 1554, she burned hundreds of Protestants at the stake. As Queen, Elizabeth I outlawed Catholicism. Even sheltering a Catholic priest was a capital offense. In 1586, Margaret Clitherow was caught red-handed. She had created a secret room in her house to hide priests. When the room was discovered, Margaret was arrested. Even though she was clearly guilty – after all, she had already been thrown in jail three times for refusing to attend Anglican church services – Margaret refused to enter a plea. Without a plea, the trial could not move forward, and Margaret was ordered to endure the punishment of pressing. The date 29 March 1586 marks one of the saddest days in the history of York...