Southwell, Robert (1561?-1595), was a Roman Catholic martyr and poet. He was born at Horsham St. Faith, in Norfolk, England, and educated in France. He became a Jesuit in 1580 and was ordained a priest in 1585. In 1586, Southwell returned to England on a mission to win converts, an offence that was punishable by death under the Protestant reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1592, he was betrayed and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was convicted of treason and hanged on Feb. 21, 1595.
Southwell was the leading Roman Catholic literary figure in Elizabethan England. He wrote many letters to Roman Catholics in England that were secretly published or circulated as manuscripts. Southwell’s poetry has been praised for its simplicity and direct quality. His use of striking imagery points to the work of the Metaphysical poets in England during the 1600’s. Southwell’s best-known poems are “St. Peter’s Complaint” and “The Burning Babe.”
