In Plain Sight

“Rest easy, William, Leicester will look after you and keep you safe from harm.”

A heartwarming biography of William Bentney,
Leicester’s long–forgotten Jesuit priest.
For fans of Niall Williams and James Martin, SJ.

In Plain Sight documents the life of a man who deserves to be remembered. He died for his faith and was loved and respected by a town that was tolerant, a relatively safe haven for nonconformists.

When it was treasonous to be a priest, William Bentney kept a low profile in Leicester for forty years. Not judged a high flyer by the Jesuits, he was sent as chaplain to a prosperous but not distinguished wool merchant. Those who knew him guessed his real role, but they liked the ‘gardener’ and out of kindness they let him be.

Betrayed when old and frail, the people of Leicester refused to testify against him. Confined to his prison cell, he felt useless without a sacramental life, without the chance to look after those who had been placed in his care. Father Bentney survived into his eighties. He felt a burden to those who supported him. Until he found a new vocation.

Something was different about this man. Something was different about Leicester.