Vaux, Anne (fl. 1605–1635)
Vaux, Anne (fl. 1605–1635)
British radical. Flourished between 1605 and 1635; third daughter of William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux.
A strong-minded British woman, Anne Vaux often taunted the ecumenical and secular laws of her time. For instance, under the name of Mrs. Perkins, she sheltered the Jesuit Henry Garnett and was imprisoned at Hindlip in 1606 when Garnett was arrested at her home. Ultimately, she was deemed a recusant, a term most commonly associated with Roman Catholics who refused to accept or obey the established authority of the Church of England, including attending church services. So powerful was the Church of England at this time that such behavior was deemed a statutory offense. Vaux also held company with gunpowder plotters, who gathered at her home in Wandsworth in 1604 and in Enfield in 1605. Having established a school for Roman Catholic youth near Derby, she was forced by the Privy Council to close it in 1635.
suggested reading:
Fraser, Antonia. Faith and Treason. NY: Doubleday, 1999.
Lisa S. Weitzman , freelance writer, Cleveland, Ohio