George Blackwell (priest)

George Blackwell (c. 1545 - 1613) was an English Roman Catholic priest and archpriest. He served as the first and only Archpriest of England from 1598 until his deposition in 1608.

Blackwell was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He studied at Exeter College, Oxford, where he took his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1567. He later converted to Catholicism and left England to study at the English College in Douai, France, where he was ordained a priest in 1575.

Returning to England as a missionary priest, Blackwell worked covertly to serve the Catholic population during a time of intense persecution under Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his zeal and devotion, but also for his uncompromising views.

In 1598, Pope Clement VIII appointed Blackwell as the first Archpriest of England, a position created to provide some measure of organization and leadership to the English Catholic clergy in the absence of a formal hierarchy. This appointment, however, proved controversial. Many English Catholics resented the authority granted to Blackwell, seeing him as an agent of papal interference in English affairs. Factionalism and internal disputes arose, particularly between the secular priests and the Jesuit order.

Blackwell’s authority was further undermined when he took an oath of allegiance to King James I in 1607, following the Gunpowder Plot. This oath, which required Catholics to deny the Pope's power to depose the King, was deeply divisive. Many Catholics considered it incompatible with their faith, and Blackwell’s decision to take it caused a major scandal.

In 1608, Blackwell was deposed as Archpriest by Pope Paul V for taking the oath. He was replaced by George Birkhead. Blackwell remained under house arrest until his death in 1613. His tenure as Archpriest was marked by significant internal conflict and ultimately failed to unite the English Catholic community. His legacy remains controversial within the history of English Catholicism.