Nicholas Postgate

Early life and priesthood Nicholas Postgate was born at Kirkdale House, Egton, Yorkshire, England. He entered Douay College in France on 11 July 1621. His parish, known by the extinct name of Blackamoor, extended between Guisborough, Pickering, and Scarborough. He was exceptionally conscientious in performing his pastoral duties. Historian J. P. Kenyon remarked that "for nearly half a century he tramped the high moors of North Yorkshire and the plains of the Holderness, ministering to a scattered flock".

Background to Arrest Although anti-Catholic sentiment in England had decreased by the late 1670s, it resurged due to the fabricated Popish Plot of 1678. Titus Oates falsely claimed there was a conspiracy to install a Catholic king, inciting renewed and fierce persecution of English Catholics. This period marked the last time Catholics were executed in England for their faith, with Nicholas Postgate being among the final victims.

During the panic incited by Oates, prominent Protestant magistrate Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey was murdered, and Oates blamed the Catholics. In response, Sir Edmund's manservant, John Reeves, sought revenge and decided to act in the Whitby area, possibly because he knew priests arrived there from France.

Arrest, Trial, and Execution Nicholas Postgate was apprehended by exciseman Reeves while performing a baptism at the house of Matthew Lyth in Little Beck, near Whitby. Reeves, accompanied by his colleague William Cockerill, raided the house during the ceremony and arrested Postgate, who was 82 years old at the time. Lyth had inadvertently alerted the authorities by speaking publicly about the ceremony.

Postgate was condemned under the Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 (27 Elizabeth, c. 2) for being a priest on English soil. He was executed by hanging, disembowelment, and quartering at the Knavesmire in York. His remains were given to his friends and interred, with one of his hands sent to Douay College. On the scaffold, he stated that he was too old and frail to make long speeches and would simply die for the Catholic faith to which he had devoted his life.

Reeves was recorded in a treasury book as having been paid 22 shillings for the apprehension of Postgate, but some believe he did not receive the money before committing suicide by drowning.

Legacy Postgate's portable altar stone is venerated at the front of the altar at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Pickering.

Since 1974, an annual open-air service has been held in his honour, alternating between Egton Bridge and Ugthorpe.

Given the uncommon nature of the name, he is likely related to the Postgate family, which includes many notable members from the 19th century onwards.

The Postgate Society aims to spread knowledge of Nicholas Postgate and promote interest in Catholic history during penal times.

The Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, named in his honour, comprises 27 Catholic schools across Teesside, North Yorkshire, and the City of York.