Oswald Tesimond

Oswald Tesimond, SJ (1563 – 23 August 1636) was an English Jesuit born in either Northumberland or York who, while not a direct conspirator, had some knowledge of the Gunpowder Plot beforehand.

Life

He was educated in York, in the Royal School of William and Mary in the Horse Fayre,

Tesimond spent most of his adult life in Italy, under the name of Philip Beaumont, (Beamond, Bémont). but urged Tesimond to dissuade Catesby. Garnet later told Catesby that the Pope did not want English Catholics to cause disturbances as that would only bring harsher treatment, but Catesby was unmoved. Tesimond and Garnet kept their knowledge secret, which constituted a violation of the law.

Flight Tesimond's arrest warrant was sworn out on 15 January 1606, describing him in detail: "..of a reasonable stature, black hair, a brown beard cut close on the cheeks and left broad on the chin, somewhat long-visaged, lean in the face but of a good red complexion, his nose somewhat long and sharp at the end, his hands slender and long fingers, his body slender, his legs of a good proportion, his feet somewhat long and slender. (Excerpt from the proclamation for Tesimond's arrest.) Written in Italian, Tesimond's narrative probably comprises one of the most detailed and complete accounts of the plot itself. It may have been based on another Latin account of an unknown and unnamed secular priest. The narrative was sent to Rome to better inform the Jesuit authorities.

Later, from the year 1617, Tesimond was prefect of studies and consulter in Messina. He held this position there for many years, among time spent in Rome during the most of 1621, and among other minor occupations. After some time there, he moved to Naples, Italy, where he died in 1636. This was documented in a letter by Sir Edwin Rich to James I of England, which warned the king against accepting any gift he might receive, which might consist of poisoned clothing from Tesimond; in England, vigilance was still elevated after the events that transpired following the Gunpowder Plot.