Little John

Little John was the nickname of Nicholas Owen.  He was a genius in his work as an architect, mason, and carpenter of priest holes.  His family was staunchly Catholic.  Two of his brothers were Jesuit priests.  Another brother ran a clandestine press for Catholic literature.  Owen himself was a Jesuit lay brother and was imprisoned for the faith.  He was tortured in a London prison in 1594.  His body was hung up for three hours with his arms pinioned in iron rings.

In 1599, Little John, who was a small man, fell off his horse in such a way that the horse fell on top of him.  It broke his leg and from then on he limped.  Being small and crippled, his demeanor was humble and simple.  Since his body was twisted, many people thought he himself was twisted (crazy).

 Far from it!  The priest holes Owen constructed were so innumerable that it is believed to be some still undiscovered. It turned out, that Owen's size helped him construct the small hiding places and people's perception of his person, helped keep himself from being discovered.

His biographer, Margaret Waugh called his work, "wordless prayers."  He worked alone.  That way no one could give away the hiding place.  Besides, his hiding places were small and there was room for only one man.  He prayed as he worked and worked at night, to avoid notice.  And no two hiding places were the same.  Not only was his work secret, but it was also protection for others.  If no one knew anything, they couldn't be blamed.

And, Owen never took payment for his work.  If money was forced upon him, he gave it to his brothers.

After the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, Nicholas Owen, "Little John," was captured and tortured to death. He was canonized a martyr by Pope Paul VI in 1970.