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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2015
Seven of these letters were written to John Darell, SJ. who was rector and headmaster of St. Omers College from September 1752 till May 1759. Three are from a fellow-Jesuit, Bernard Baker in London, one is from John Darell’s sister, Olivia, who was a nun at the English convent of the Canonesses of St. Augustine at Bruges and three are from John Darell’s eldest brother, Philip, of Calehill in Kent.
(These letters which are in the Ushaw College library are reproduced by courtesy of the college and librarian)
1 This letter is from Bernard Baker, a Jesuit working in or near London and at the chapel in Lincoln’s Inn Fields between 1753 and 1772. He was writing to Darell, John, rector/headmaster of St. Omers College (1752–59). C.R.S.19 Catholic registers of Lincoln’s Inn Fields Chapel, pp. 320–78 passim (Ushaw reference OS/C 9)Google Scholar
2 Philip Carteret, the English Jesuit provincial, was on the Continent for a visit. C.R.S.70 (English Jesuits, 1650–1829), pp. 24, 53. Sir John not identified.
3 No explanation is given why there should be an embassy—to the Court of Spain, apparently. It was possibly an attempt to obtain money for executing the building plans mentioned below. Mr. Cross was probably Bernard Cross working in London at the time. William Blakiston and Francis Scarisbrick who were in Flanders, and James Darell who was in London, had all been at Valladolid and were therefore more suitable. John Hartley who had been ordained at Valladolid was the most suitable. The negotiations at the French Court may have been about the activities of the French Jesuit, Antoine La Valette in Martinique. The English Jesuits were to be involved in efforts to settle the temporal affairs of that mission. (C.R.S.70 pp. 73, 34, 221, 76, 113; G. Holt, The English Jesuits in the Age of Reason, 1993, pp. 151, seq.).
4 The plan was to build a new church at St. Omers College, involving the demolition of the present church and some other buildings and their replacement. Even with the help of the eighteenth century engraving it is not easy to be quite clear what was intended but all the rebuilding was to be on the right hand side of the engraving. The provincial’s room (not marked) was one kept for his occasional visits. The print house was the St. Omers press. (The date, 1685, over the main entrance of the college was the date of rebuilding after a fire in 1684).
5 Virgil, Georgics IV, 491–2.
6 Perhaps Bernard Baker was referring to the chapel at the English College at Douai (the college was near S. Jaques church) which was rebuilt by Dr. Witham in 1723–24. See E. H., Burton The Life and Times of Bishop Challoner I. pp. 54–8 Google Scholar and plate which shows the chapel ‘along side of the street’.
7 The main entrance of the college would not be central. The frontispiece was the decorated entrance to the building,
8 Annuities would be a means of borrowing the money needed for the building.
9 Edward Galloway, S.J. then in London acted as procurator or agent in England for St. Omers College, forwarding school fees and arranging for the stay of boys in London and their travelling to the Continent. (C.R.S.70, p. 98).
10 This letter is also from Bernard Baker to John Darell (Ushaw reference OS/14).
11 Taking up money on life rents would be another way of borrowing for the proposed building at the College.
12 Ignatius Visconti 16th general of the Jesuits, known for security reasons in correspondence as the viscount, died on 4 May 1755. A general congregation would have to be held in Rome to elect a successor. Provincial congregations would be held to choose delegates to go to the general congregation. The provincial congregation of the English Jesuits would be held in Flanders (not in England for obvious reasons) at St. Omers College or one of the three other English Jesuit houses in Flanders.
13 The project was the rebuilding of the church and other parts of the college.
14 The Seven Years war did not break out until May in 1756 but there were warlike activities between France and England from 1754.
15 John Poyntz was the procurator or treasurer of the English Jesuits and managed in London the central funds of the province which were distinct from the funds of the individual houses such as St. Omers College.
16 Philip Darell was the eldest of the seven sons (there were four daughters) of John and Olivia (Smythe). Six, possibly all seven of the sons, were educated at St. Omers College. Three of them became Jesuits—John, James and Thomas but Thomas was dead by this date, as were Joseph and Nathaniel. Philip inherited Calehill from his father in 1739. (Kent Recusant History 4, p. 99).
17 George Darell was the second eldest of the sons of John and Olivia. He inherited Scotney Castle in Kent under the will of a cousin. His wife was Mary Lawe (Pedigrees collected by Henry Maire of Lartington in the Jesuit Province Archives (JPA)).
18 Levinius Browne, John Gifford and William Newton were members of the community at St. Omers College at this time, Newton being the procurator or treasurer. Mrs James has not been identified. It would seem she was to be paid interest on money lent to the college or to the province. (C.R.S.70 pp. 44, 102, 178).
19 This letter from Baker to John Darell (Ushaw reference OS/C 16) deals again with the building plans. Berrington was on his way to Douai College. His sons were surely William and Thomas who entered there 19 July 1755 (C.R.S.63, P. R. Harris, Douai College Documents, p. 206). By ‘Ours’ Baker means the English Jesuits. Elliott and Berrys not identified.
20 Philip Carteret, the English provincial superior had excused Baker for reasons of health from going to the provincial congregation but if his health improved he proposed to attend. See note 12.
21 This letter (Ushaw reference OS/C 15) is from Olivia Darell (1705–76) a Canoness of St. Augustine at Bruges. She was one of the four daughters—Catherine, Frances, Olivia and Martha Elizabeth (who died young) of John and Olivia. The letter is to her brother John at St. Omers College. Kent Recusant History 4, pp. 92, 99.
22 The provincial, Philip Carteret, was in Flanders on business.
23 Fanny (Frances) was writing from Calehill. Her brother, Philip had been staying in Bath during the rebuilding of Calehill. Francis and Catherine had been to stay at Lodge—presumably Linsted Lodge in Kent, the home of the Teynham family. Lady Teynham, the wife of the tenth Lord, lived at Sandford in Oxfordshire before her marriage. James Darell, who was at this time stationed in or near London, was over probably for the provincial congregation. Later he was to be at Calehill. Samuel Musson alias Brown was chaplain at Calehill from 1732. (C.R.S.70 pp. 76, 174).
24 The globes were no doubt for the teaching of geography at St. Omers College.
25 Anne Dacre, baroness in her own right, was the third wife of the eighth Lord Teynham. She died 26 June 1755. (Complete Peerage, XII pt 1, p. 684).
26 Thomas Maire of Hardwick and Mary (Fermor) his wife had three daughters one of whom, Dame Mary Joseph, was a nun at the Benedictine convent at Ghent; her sister ‘Babby’ (Barbara?) who has not been identified was apparently a postulant or novice at Olivia’s convent.
27 The name is illegible. He may have been the chaplain at the convent and perhaps a foreigner.
28 Kitty—her sister Catherine.
29 The hurry and bustle mentioned before may have been due to the business of the provincial congregation.
30 Philip Darell, the eldest of the sons of John and Olivia, who had married Mary Constantine, was writing to John the rector of St. Omers College. He had been staying in Bath while his new mansion at Calehill was being built. (Ushaw reference OS/C15; L. E. Whatmore, Recusancy in Kent, Studies and Documents (1973) p. 55).
31 The war, see note 14.
32 His brother James had been over to St. Omers and sent or brought back news of Philip’s sons. Harry was the eldest of the five sons (there were four daughters) of Philip and Mary Darell. He was at the college from 1754/55-c.1760. (C.R.S.69, p. 82). (St. Omers and Bruges Colleges, 1593–1773).
33 In a draft of a letter dated 16 November 1755 to Lady Petre about the proposed new church, John Darell asked her for a loan of £3,500. He had already £1500. ‘With proper encouragement’ he wrote, he hoped to begin the work ‘early in the spring’ of 1756. But it may be noted here that there is no evidence that these building plans were ever put into execution. One reason may have been the outbreak of war in 1756; then again, the finances of the English Jesuits were affected by the troubles of La Valette (see note 3); the action of the French government in 1762 forced the English Jesuits to leave St. Omers College which they had founded in 1593.
34 What he writes about the stone may refer to the building at Calehill—some special stone ordered from France, it seems, which had been damaged during the winter.
35 The vacancys were the holidays. The boys did not go home during their years at the college. Harry may have wished to visit his aunt Olivia at Bruges.
36 Calehill was near the Kent hopfields.
37 Jack was John, the second son of Philip and Mary (Kent Recusant History, 4 p. 99); C.R.S. 69 St. Omers and Bruges Colleges, p. 82.
38 Philip Darell to his brother John (Ushaw reference OS/C 19) For Mr. Galloway see note 9.
39 The damaged stone—see note 34.
40 Joseph Cole, a Jesuit but not yet ordained priest, was a master at St. Omers College 1752–58. Presumably he was master of the class of which Harry was a member. (C.R.S.70 p. 62).
41 His book was the ordinary class work.
42 His school means his class.
43 Philip was hoping that his brother would not be moved to other work—to the English Jesuit house at Ghent for further study (this last in jest perhaps).
44 Paradise was his name for his new mansion at Calehill.
45 Mary, his wife, was expecting another child. In that year, 1756, the last of their four daughters, Margaret, was born. She was to enter among the Poor Clares at Gravelines at the age of 61. Philip wrote that if the child was a boy he would go to St. Omers College. (Kent Recusant History, 4 p. 99. C.R.S.14, Registers of the English Poor Clare Nuns at Gravelines, p. 163).
46 Honest Gifford—see note 18. He was a master at St. Omers College when Philip Darell was at school. (C.R.S.69 p. 70, p. 102).
47 William Blakiston was at Watten School the preparatory school near St. Omers College. He was the superior and headmaster. This suggests that Philip’s sons had begun there before moving to the college. (C.R.S.70, p. 34).
48 Sir Edward was possibly Sir Edward Hales, 5th Baronet, of Hales Place. Mr. Factor might be the chaplain there or agent.
49 It is not clear what was to be sent to Fr. Thomas Lawson who appears to have been travelling in France with Mrs Hawkins as her chaplain. Philip may have wanted her to know of his wife’s condition. It seems most probable that Mrs Hawkins was his wife’s sister. See note 51 below. The illegible word might be etuis (a small ornamental case for needles) . . . (O.E.D.).
50 Philip Darell to his brother John (Ushaw reference OS/C 20).
51 Cousin Hawkins was surely the son of Thomas and Mrs Hawkins of Nash Court, Kent, she being the Mrs Hawkins of the previous note. There was a Thomas Hawkins alias Constantine at the English College at Douai from 1749 till 1755. His alias was Constantine which was the name of Philip Darell’s wife. (C.R.S.28 (Seventh Douai Diary) 259, 287. C.R.S.63 (Douai College Documents, 1639–1794) 128 ...)
52 Great Figures was the second class from the bottom at the college.
53 At this time no Catholic could hold a commission in the British Army and Catholic soldiers could be forced to attend Protestant services. Jack Darell was to become an officer in the Imperial service and Philip, the youngest son, in the French service.
54 Ned was Edward the third son of Philip and Mary Darell. Born in 1744 he was at the college from 1755—c.1760. (C.R.S. p. 82).
55 Honest Samm—probably Samuel Musson see note 23.
56 See note 45.
57 Blakiston see note 47.
58 The letter is in the Jesuit province archives ‘St. Omers and North Wales’ papers f. 183. (12 February 1763).
59 ‘St. Omers and North Wales’ papers ff. 184–9 (19 February 1763).
60 In the Ushaw archives, ref. OS/C 18. There had been many members of the Petre family at the college and many became Jesuits. See ‘St. Omers and Bruges Colleges, 1593–1773’ (CRS. Vol. 69) and ‘English Jesuits 1650–1829’ (CRS.70).
61 Ushaw archives ref. OS/C 21. John Darell had left a previous appointment because of gout, see C.R.S.4 p. 250 (Miscellanea 4).
62 Ushaw archives ref. OS/C 21.
63 A line is drawn through Prefect of Studies. He was Fr. Thomas Hunter.
64 Perhaps Brother Anthony Oswald a member of the St. Omers community at the time. See CRS 70, p. 183.
65 This was presumably the proprietor of the establishment in which John Darell was staying. The spelling of the name in the letter makes it unlikely that he was saying a Berkeley of Spetchley was staying at Spa.
66 James Jenison (1737–99) is the first of the not yet ordained Jesuit masters at St. Omers College mentioned in this letter. For all of them see C.R.S.70.
67 John Thorpe (1726–92).
68 Joseph Smith (1725–68).
69 Joseph Cole (1727–63). See note 40. Edward Church (1728–1820).
70 Vacancies were the school holidays.
71 At Pentecost, Saturday to Tuesday, masters and boys might take a few days and go away. At Watten, a few miles from St. Omer, was the novitiate of the English Jesuits from 1625 until they had to leave France. As it was in the country it was very suitable for a short holiday.
72 The word appears to be chuse but the reading is uncertain. Holque was a farm and probably part of the Watten property. A priest from Watten used to say Mass for the local people there.
73 The word sleep is crossed out but the word substituted for it is illegible.
74 For John Darell’s activities at this time see his name in the index to St. Omers to Stonyhurst by H. Chadwick, S.J. (1962).
75 The outline of his life is in C.R.S.70, p. 76.