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21 Jan: Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine #OTD 1793, 230 years ago.
He was attended by the Abbé de Firmont the night before, who witnessed the deposed king's farewell to his family, heard #LouisXVI 's confession, and stayed with him right up to the foot of the guillotine.
de Firmont had been born in Co. Longford. His name in English was Henry Essex Edgeworth, and he was a cousin of #MariaEdgeworth.
#DIB bio:
https://www.dib.ie/biography/edgeworth-de-firmont-abbe-henry-essex-a2885
Pic: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_XVI_au_pied_de_l'%C3%A9chafaud.jpg
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When he was 4 (in 1749) Henry Edgeworth's father gave up his living (he was a rector) because he had converted to Catholicism. The family moved to France. While training as a priest Henry became friends with Francis Moylan, later Catholic Bishop of Cork.
His memoirs and (in English) some letters to Moylan and an account of his time with #Louis XVI before execution. https://books.google.ie/books?id=zkkuAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
#SundayMiscellany (audio) Confessor to the King https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/21980918/