Mary Gunter: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Mary Gunter |
| name = Mary Gunter |
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| image = |
| image = |
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| caption = |
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| birth_name = |
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| birth_date = 1586 |
| birth_date = 1586 |
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| birth_place = |
| birth_place = |
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| death_date = 1622 |
| death_date = {{death date and age|1622|2|6|1586}} |
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| death_place = |
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| death_cause = |
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| other_names = |
| other_names = |
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| known_for = |
| known_for = a recorded conversion of a Catholic |
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| education = |
| education = |
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| employer = |
| employer = [[Lettice Knollys|Countess of Leicester]] |
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| occupation = servant |
| occupation = servant |
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| religion = |
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| spouse = Humphrey Gunter |
| spouse = Humphrey Gunter |
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| children = one |
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| nationality = [[Kingdom of England]] |
| nationality = [[Kingdom of England]] |
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'''Mary Gunter''' born '''Mary Cresswell''' ( |
'''Mary Gunter''' born '''Mary Cresswell''' (1586–1622) was an [[England|English]] Catholic ward and servant who became a celebrated convert to Protestantism. She had become the ward of a man who was executed for his part in a rebellion and was then adopted by his widow. She was subjected to a rigorous conversion after she planned to be a nun. |
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Her husband later published the sermon of her funeral and her biography which went to three editions and it was reprinted as that of an "eminent person" sixty years later. |
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==Early life== |
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| ⚫ | Mary was born in 1586 and her father was a gentleman named Thomas Cresswell, probably of [[Odiham]] in [[Hampshire]]. She was said to be a kinswomen of Sir [[Christopher Blount]]<ref name=mary>{{Cite ODNB|title=Gunter [née Cresswell], Mary (1586–1622), convert to protestantism|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-71780|access-date=2021-02-15|year = 2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/71780}}</ref> and Blount was known to Queen Elizabeth because he was the third husband of [[Lettice Knollys|Lettice Dudley]]. Lettice Dudley was hated by the Queen and banned from her court because she had married the Queen's suitor the [[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester|Earl of Leicester]]. |
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| ⚫ | When she was fourteen her guardian died and she was taken in by Sir Christopher Blount. Blount was executed in March 1601 for his part in the [[Essex Rebellion]] five weeks before.<ref>Hammer, P.E.J. (1999): ''The Polarisation of Elizabethan Politics: The Political Career of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 1585–1597'' Cambridge UP {{ISBN|0-521-01941-9}}</ref> However she was still welcome as his kinswoman and she was looked after by the Countess of Leicester, Lettice Dudley.<ref name=mary/> |
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==Life== |
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==Conversion== |
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| ⚫ | When she was fourteen her guardian died and she was taken in by Sir Christopher Blount. Blount was executed in March 1601 for his part in the [[Essex Rebellion]] five weeks before.<ref>Hammer, P.E.J. (1999): ''The Polarisation of Elizabethan Politics: The Political Career of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 1585–1597'' Cambridge UP {{ISBN|0-521-01941-9}}</ref> However she was still welcome as his kinswoman and she was looked after by Lettice |
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| ⚫ | The countess was alarmed to find that Gunter was intending to join the many English Catholic women who were leaving for what is now Belgium to become nuns in English-founded convents. The countess and her chaplain, John Wilson (or John White), decided to intercede. Her Catholic books, images and rosary were taken from her and she was obliged to attend Protestant services for a year. At the end of this John White/Wilson converted her to the Protestant faith.<ref name=bukybuk>{{Cite book|last1=Travitsky|first1=Betty|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7bMfOlgEgoC&q=mary+gunter+knollys&pg=PA176|title=Attending to Women in Early Modern England|last2=Seeff|first2=Adele F.|last3=Amussen|first3=Susan|date=1994|publisher=University of Delaware Press|isbn=978-0-87413-519-0|pages=17–18|language=en}}</ref> She later questioned God's existence<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Levin|first1=Carole|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kDglDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Pilgrim's+Profession%22+humphrey+gunter&pg=PA436|title=A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650|last2=Bertolet|first2=Anna Riehl|last3=Carney|first3=Jo Eldridge|date=2016-11-03|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-315-44071-2|language=en}}</ref> under what could later be called [[brainwashing]] and she thought her soul was imperilled for attending Protestant services whilst still considering herself a Catholic.<ref name=bukybuk/> She was thought at one time to be suicidal, but in time she retained her well-being<ref name=mary/> and she would remain a very enthusiastic Protestant reading the bible through every year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Rest Is Silence|url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7m3nb4n1&chunk.id=d0e10076&toc.depth=100&toc.id=d0e9778&brand=ucpress|access-date=2021-02-15|website=publishing.cdlib.org}}</ref> |
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==Marriage and biography== |
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| ⚫ | The countess was alarmed to find that Gunter was intending to join the many English Catholic women who were leaving for what is now Belgium to become nuns in English |
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Mary was "in service" with the countess for over twenty years. In time she was married to another of the countesses' servants, Humphrey Gunter of [[Fawley, Berkshire|Fawley]] in [[Berkshire]]. She would die a year later on 6 February 1622. She was buried at Fawley where her husband had a brass plate featuring her likeness installed to her memory in the parish church.<ref name=WBTVH>{{cite book|url=http://www.nashfordpublishing.co.uk/publications/west_berkshire_town_and_village_histories.html|last=Ford|first=David Nash|title=West Berkshire Town and Village Histories|publisher=Nash Ford Publishing|year=2020}}</ref> |
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It may still be seen there today. Her funeral service was conducted by [[Thomas Taylor (priest, 1576–1632)|Thomas Taylor]] who did not make a eulogy. After her burial her husband obtained permission from the minister to publish his sermon and her husband attached to it her biography in 1622.<ref name=bukybuk/> The book, ''Pilgrim's Profession'', was dedicated to the Countess and it was reprinted three times up to 1633.<ref name=mary/> In 1683 her biography was included by [[Samuel Clark (minister)|Samuel Clarke]] in his ''The Lives of Sundry Eminent Persons in this Later Age''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Clarke|first=Samuel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5bwEAAAAIAAJ&q=The+Lives+of+Sundry+Eminent+Persons+in+this+Later+Age+clarke|title=The Lives of Sundry Eminent Persons in this Later Age: In Two Part, I. Of Divines; II. Of Nobility and Gentry of Both Sexes|date=1683|publisher=Thomas Simmons|language=en}}</ref> |
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==External links== |
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Mary was "in service" with the countess for over twenty years. In time she was married to another of the countesses servants Humphrey Gunter from Berkshire. She would die a year later on 6 February 1622. She was buried at [[Reading Minster|Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin]] where her husband had a brass plate memorial created to her.<ref name=mary/> Her funeral service was conducted by Thomas Taylor who did not make a eulogy. After her burial her husband obtained permission from the minister to publish his sermon and her husband attached to it her biography.<ref name=bukybuk/> |
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* [https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7m3nb4n1&chunk.id=d0e10076&toc.depth=100&toc.id=d0e9778&brand=ucpress e-print of the book about her] |
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== References== |
== References== |
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[[Category:1622 deaths]] |
[[Category:1622 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Converts from Catholicism]] |
[[Category:Converts from Catholicism]] |
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[[Category:People from West Berkshire District]] |
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[[Category:People from Odiham]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:49, 25 June 2024
Mary Gunter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1586 |
| Died | February 6, 1622 (aged 35–36) |
| Nationality | Kingdom of England |
| Occupation | servant |
| Employer | Countess of Leicester |
| Known for | a recorded conversion of a Catholic |
| Spouse | Humphrey Gunter |
| Children | one |
Mary Gunter born Mary Cresswell (1586–1622) was an English Catholic ward and servant who became a celebrated convert to Protestantism. She had become the ward of a man who was executed for his part in a rebellion and was then adopted by his widow. She was subjected to a rigorous conversion after she planned to be a nun. Her husband later published the sermon of her funeral and her biography which went to three editions and it was reprinted as that of an "eminent person" sixty years later.
Early life
[edit]Mary was born in 1586 and her father was a gentleman named Thomas Cresswell, probably of Odiham in Hampshire. She was said to be a kinswomen of Sir Christopher Blount[1] and Blount was known to Queen Elizabeth because he was the third husband of Lettice Dudley. Lettice Dudley was hated by the Queen and banned from her court because she had married the Queen's suitor the Earl of Leicester.
When she was fourteen her guardian died and she was taken in by Sir Christopher Blount. Blount was executed in March 1601 for his part in the Essex Rebellion five weeks before.[2] However she was still welcome as his kinswoman and she was looked after by the Countess of Leicester, Lettice Dudley.[1]
Conversion
[edit]The countess was alarmed to find that Gunter was intending to join the many English Catholic women who were leaving for what is now Belgium to become nuns in English-founded convents. The countess and her chaplain, John Wilson (or John White), decided to intercede. Her Catholic books, images and rosary were taken from her and she was obliged to attend Protestant services for a year. At the end of this John White/Wilson converted her to the Protestant faith.[3] She later questioned God's existence[4] under what could later be called brainwashing and she thought her soul was imperilled for attending Protestant services whilst still considering herself a Catholic.[3] She was thought at one time to be suicidal, but in time she retained her well-being[1] and she would remain a very enthusiastic Protestant reading the bible through every year.[5]
Marriage and biography
[edit]Mary was "in service" with the countess for over twenty years. In time she was married to another of the countesses' servants, Humphrey Gunter of Fawley in Berkshire. She would die a year later on 6 February 1622. She was buried at Fawley where her husband had a brass plate featuring her likeness installed to her memory in the parish church.[6] It may still be seen there today. Her funeral service was conducted by Thomas Taylor who did not make a eulogy. After her burial her husband obtained permission from the minister to publish his sermon and her husband attached to it her biography in 1622.[3] The book, Pilgrim's Profession, was dedicated to the Countess and it was reprinted three times up to 1633.[1] In 1683 her biography was included by Samuel Clarke in his The Lives of Sundry Eminent Persons in this Later Age.[7]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Gunter [née Cresswell], Mary (1586–1622), convert to protestantism". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/71780. Retrieved 2021-02-15. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Hammer, P.E.J. (1999): The Polarisation of Elizabethan Politics: The Political Career of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 1585–1597 Cambridge UP ISBN 0-521-01941-9
- ^ a b c Travitsky, Betty; Seeff, Adele F.; Amussen, Susan (1994). Attending to Women in Early Modern England. University of Delaware Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0-87413-519-0.
- ^ Levin, Carole; Bertolet, Anna Riehl; Carney, Jo Eldridge (2016-11-03). A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-315-44071-2.
- ^ "The Rest Is Silence". publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ Ford, David Nash (2020). West Berkshire Town and Village Histories. Nash Ford Publishing.
- ^ Clarke, Samuel (1683). The Lives of Sundry Eminent Persons in this Later Age: In Two Part, I. Of Divines; II. Of Nobility and Gentry of Both Sexes. Thomas Simmons.
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