Maurus Scott - Arrest, Trial and Martyrdom

Arrest, Trial and Martyrdom

After his arrest, he was examined by George Abbot, who had been Bishop of London at the time of the execution of John Roberts and Scott's arrest in 1610, and was now Archbishop of Canterbury. Abbot offered Scott an oath of loyalty to King James I. However, seeing that the oath was constructed in such a way that it implied disloyalty to the Pope and the Catholic Church, Scott instead suggested his own formula, declaring "that I am a loyal servant to His Majesty... also for the past and for the future, that I have been and to the last moment of my life will ever be loyal to my King; which is more than you exact by your statute". However, this was not accepted and Scott was placed in close confinement (although not before drawing on his legal expertise to insist that Abbot did not have jurisdiction to hand down such a punishment).

Scott was tried on the 28 May 1612 at the Old Bailey. Again, his legal training was in evidence, as he skillfully avoided the questioning of those accusing him of being a priest, and insisted that it was the business of the prosecutor to bring evidence against him, not for him to convict himself. He entered a plea of not guilty. Only after the jury had found him guilty did he fall to his knees, crying out Deo Gratias, and admitted to his being a priest. He then addressed the people in the court, explaining that the only reason that he had not yet confessed himself as a priest was to see if the law would take its course, or whether he would be condemned on presumption of guilt without any proof.

On the morning of May 30 he was to be executed with Richard Newport, another Catholic priest. He appeared wearing his Benedictine habit and declared himself once again a loyal subject of the King, before being tied to a horse and dragged through the streets to the gallows at Tyburn. Before being executed, he made a declaration of his life, his faith and his conversion to the Catholic Church, and gave the small number of gold coins he had in his purse to the executioner, saying, "Take these, friend, for love of me. I give them to you with good will and gladly do I forgive you my death". He was then hanged, drawn and quartered.