https://aleteia.org/2019/01/02/the-secret-priest-holes-of-england/ The secret “priest holes” of England In Queen Elizabeth I’s time, being a Catholic priest was a crime punishable by death… Helping one was almost as bad. Click here to launch the slideshow There has been a growing interest in panic rooms among the UK population. Previously thought of as being rather American, there has been talk of newlyweds the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) adding one to their house renovation list. Launch the slideshow Panic rooms are, of course, a descendant of the less-favored priest hole. More of an English than an American phenomenon, they were built for the same purpose but for a different category of occupant. The intruders in question were the “pursuivants” of the English Reformation. Enlisted by Queen Elizabeth I to hunt down Catholic priests, pursuivants were intruders with legal standing. The Christmas season represented rich pickings for the priest hunters.
