Catholics Martyred In England

The Catholic martyrs of the English Reformation are men and women executed under treason legislation in the English Reformation, between 1534 and 1680, and recognised as martyrs by the Catholic Church. Though consequences of the English Reformation were felt in Ireland and Scotland as well, this article only covers those who died in the Kingdom of England.

On 25 February 1570, Pope Pius V's " Regnans in Excelsis" bull excommunicated the English Queen Elizabeth I, and any who obeyed her. This papal bull also required all Catholics to rebel against the English Crown as a matter of faith. In response, in 1571 legislation was enacted making it treasonable to be under the authority of the Pope, including being a Jesuit, being Catholic or harbouring a Catholic priest. The standard penalty for all those convicted of treason at the time was execution by being hanged, drawn and quartered.

In the reign of Pope Gregory XIII (1572–85), authorisation was given for 63 recognised martyrs to have their relics honoured and pictures painted for Catholic devotions. These martyrs were formally beatified by Pope Leo XIII, 54 in 1886 and the remaining nine in 1895. Further groups of martyrs were subsequently documented and proposed by the Catholic bishops of England and Wales and formally recognised by Rome.

Numbers in various categories

In 1874 a process was begun, containing 353 names, to which six were added in Rome, making 359. Of those: -
# 54 were beatified in 1886, of whom two were canonized in 1935, and 11 in 1970.
# 9 were beatified in 1895.
# One (Oliver Plunkett) was beatified in 1920, and canonized in 1975.
# 136 were beatified in 1929, of whom 29 were canonized in 1970
# 85 were beatified in 1987.
# (So 285 were beatified at various times, of whom 43 were subsequently canonised).
# 30 were declared venerable, of whom one, John Travers, was executed in Dublin and appears in Irish Catholic Martyrs.
# (So 315 were declared venerable, of whom 285 were subsequently beatified).
# 44 were postponed ("dilati") - 36 died in prison and 8 were postponed for other reasons.

Canonised by Pope Pius XI on 19 May 1935

# John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, 22 June 1535
# Thomas More, layman, 6 July 1535

Canonised by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970

# John Almond, priest, 1612
# Edmund Arrowsmith, Jesuit priest, 1628
# Ambrose Edward Barlow, Benedictine priest, 10 September 1641
# John Boste, priest, 24 July 1594
# Alexander Briant, Jesuit priest, 1 December 1581
# Edmund Campion, Jesuit priest, 1 December 1581
# Margaret Clitherow, laywoman, 25 March 1586
# Philip Evans, Jesuit priest, 1679
# Thomas Garnet, Jesuit priest, 1608
# Edmund Gennings, priest, 1591
# John Griffith (alias Jones, Buckley, or Griffith, or Godfrey Maurice), Franciscan friar, 1598
# Richard Gwyn (alias Richard White), layman, 1584
# John Houghton, Prior of the London Charterhouse, 4 May 1535
# Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, layman, 1595
# John Kemble, priest, 1679
# Luke Kirby, priest, 30 May 1582
# Robert Lawrence, Prior of the Beauvale Charterhouse, 4 May 1535
# David Lewis, Jesuit priest, 1679
# Anne Line, laywoman, 1601
# John Lloyd, priest, 1679
# Cuthbert Mayne, priest, 1577
# Henry Morse, Jesuit priest, 1645
# Nicholas Owen, Jesuit lay-brother, 1606
# John Payne, priest, 1582
# Polydore Plasden, priest, 1591
# John Plessington, priest, 1679
# Richard Reynolds, Brigittine monk of Syon Abbey, 4 May 1535
# John Rigby, layman, 1600
# John Roberts, Benedictine priest, 1610
# Alban Bartholomew Roe, Benedictine priest, 1642
# Ralph Sherwin, priest, 1 December 1581
# John Southworth, priest, 1654
# Robert Southwell, Jesuit priest, 1595
# John Stone, Augustinian friar
# John Wall, Franciscan priest, 1679
# Henry Walpole, Jesuit priest, 1595
# Margaret Ward, laywoman, 1588
# Augustine Webster, Prior of the Axholme Charterhouse, 4 May 1535
# Swithin Wells, layman, 1591
# Eustace White, priest, 1591

Canonised by Pope Paul VI on 12 October 1975

# Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh, 1 July 1681 (beatified in 1920).

Beatified 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII

As well as those listed below, John Fisher and Thomas More were beatified on this date, as were 11 members of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, making a total of 54.

# Thomas Abel, priest, 30 July 1540
# Richard Bere, Carthusian monk, 9 August 1537
# Thomas Cottam, Jesuit priest, 30 May 1582
# John Davy, Carthusian, 8 June 1537
# William Exmew, Carthusian monk, 19 June 1535
# John Felton, layman, 8 August 1570
# Richard Fetherston, Archdeacon, 30 July 1540
# William Filby, 30 May 1582
# Thomas Ford, 28 May 1582
# John Forest, Franciscan friar, 22 May 1538
# German Gardiner, layman, 7 March 1544
# Thomas Green, Carthusian, 10 June 1537
# William Greenwood, Carthusian brother, 6 June 1537
# John Haile (or Hale), priest, 4 May 1535
# Everard Hanse, priest, 1581
# William Hart, priest, 1583
# William Horne, Carthusian lay brother, 4 August 1540
# Robert Johnson, priest, 1582
# Thomas Johnson, Carthusian, 20 September 1537
# Richard Kirkman, priest, 1582
# William Lacy (or Lacey), priest, 22 August 1582
# John Larke, priest, 7 March 1544
# Humphrey Middlemore, Carthusian monk, 19 June 1535
# John Nelson, priest, 1577
# Sebastian Newdigate, Carthusian monk, 19 June 1535
# Walter Pierson, Carthusian brother, 10 June 1537
# Thomas Plumtree, priest, 1570 - Chaplain to the Rising of the North
# Edward Powell, 30 July 1540
# Thomas Redyng, Carthusian, 16 June 1537
# Lawrence Richardson (also known as Lawrence Johnson), 30 May 1582
# John Rochester, Carthusian monk, 11 May 1537
# Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, laywoman, 27 May 1541
# Robert Salt, Carthusian brother, 9 June 1537
# Thomas Scryven, Carthusian, 15 June 1537
# John Shert, priest, 1582
# Thomas Sherwood, layman, 1579
# John Story, Chancellor to Bishop Bonner, 1571
# Richard Thirkeld, priest, 1583
# James Tompson, priest, York, 1582
# James Walworth, Carthusian monk, 11 May 1537
# Thomas Woodhouse, priest, 1573

(canonized 1935)
* John Fisher
* Thomas More

(canonized 1970)
* Alexander Briant
* Edmund Campion
* John Houghton
* Luke Kirby
* Robert Lawrence
* Cuthbert Mayne
* John Payne
* Richard Reynolds
* Ralph Sherwin
* John Stone
* Augustine Webster

Beatified 13 May 1895 by Pope Leo XIII

# John Beche (or Thomas Marshall), Abbot of Colchester, 1 December 1539
# John Eynon, priest, 14 November 1539
# Hugh Faringdon, Abbot of Reading, 14 November 1539
# Adrian Fortescue, Knight of St. John of Jerusalem, 9 July 1539
# Roger James, Benedictine, 15 November 1539
# Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, layman, 1572 - Leader of the Rising of the North
# John Rugg (or Rugge), Benedictine monk, 15 November 1539
# John Thorne, Benedictine monk, 15 November 1539
# Richard Whiting, Abbot of Glastonbury, 15 November 1539

Beatified 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

As well as those listed below, 29 members of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales were also beatified on that date, making a total of 136.

This beatification was attended by G.K. Chesterton as detailed in his book “The Resurrection of Rome.”

# Henry Abbot, layman, 4 July 1597
# John Amias, priest, 16 March 1589
# Robert Anderton, priest, 25 April 1586.
# William Andleby, priest, 4 July 1597
# Ralph Ashley, Jesuit priest, 7 April 1607
# Thomas Aufield, priest, 6 July 1585
# Christopher Bales, priest, 4 March 1590
# Mark Barkworth, Benedictine, 27 February 1601
# William Barrow, alias William Harcourt, 20 June 1679
# James Bell, priest, 1584
# James Bird (or Byrd or Beard), layman, 25 March 1592
# John Bodey, priest, 2 November 1583
# Thomas Bosgrave, layman, 4 July 1594
# William Browne, layman, 5 September 1605
# Christopher Buxton, priest, died Canterbury, 1 October 1588
# Edward Campion

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