Archpriest Controversy - Resistance To Blackwell

Resistance To Blackwell

Affronted, and fearing their loss of independence, a vocal minority of seminary priests refused Blackwell's authority. William Bishop and Robert Charnock travelled to Rome to represent their views and appeal against Blackwell's appointment. They arrived in December 1598; but Parsons had them arrested; and the Pope excluded Bishop from both Rome and England. Some of the seminary priests supported Blackwell, while others continuing to appeal to Rome for his removal. The latter group came to be known as "Appellants". Their leaders included Christopher Bagshaw, Thomas Bluet, John Colleton, the layman Anthony Copley, John Mush and William Watson. Bagshaw and Parsons had been at odds since 1574. Henry Constable, a poet and theological polemicist, was a prominent lay Catholic advocate for the appellant side.

The approach taken in appealing against Blackwell changed over the space of about four years. The first appeal of 1598/9 was quite clumsy. In 1602 negotiations were backed by a decision of the French theologians of the Sorbonne, and had much greater success. As framed by Thomas Graves Law, the controversy turned on Blackwell's relationship to the Jesuits as laid down by Caetani, and this was the central thrust of the appeal of 1600. It was dated 17 November 1600 from Wisbech (where in Wisbech Castle around 30 priests were interned).