~1565 - 1600

A native of Yorkshire, England, Edward Thwing journeyed to Reims, France in the summer of 1583 to begin studying for the priesthood at the city’s English College. Soon afterward, he transferred from Reims to the Jesuit community at Pont-a-Mousson, evidently intending to enter the order. But within two years, he was back at the English College. After completing his studies with a stay in Rome, he returned to France for his ordination in Laon on December 20, 1590. As a student, he had acquired a proficiency in logic, rhetoric, Greek, and Hebrew. Father Thwing’s early years as a priest were troubled by an ulcer in one knee. In 1597, he was finally able to embark for England to serve in his own country, but immediately upon his arrival, he was captured by the Elizabethan authorities. He and a fellow priest, (Blessed) Robert Nutter, managed to escape from their prison, and eluded arrest for the next three years. In May of 1600, they were re-captured. On July 26, 1600, Father Thwing was executed at Lancaster by drawing and quartering, together with Father Nutter.