The Eighty-five Martyrs of England and Wales, also known as George Haydock and Eighty-four Companion Martyrs, are a group of men who were executed on charges of treason and related offences in the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On 1 ...

between 1584 and 1679. Of the eighty-five, seventy-five (sixty-one priests and fourteen laymen)The 25th Anniversary Mass of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales, Diocese of Westminster
/ref> were executed under

Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 An act against Jesuits, seminary priests, and such other like disobedient persons, also known as the Jesuits, etc. Act 1584, (27 Eliz.1, c. 2) was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of England passed during the English Reformation. The A ...

. They are considered

martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and were

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

on 22 November 1987 by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

List of individual names

They were chosen from a number of

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

and laymen executed between 1584 and 1679. Their names are: *

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

* Thomas Atkinson *

Edward Bamber Edward Bamber (alias Reading) (b. c. 1600, at the Moor, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire; executed at Lancaster 7 August 1646) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He was beatified in 1987. Life Educated at the English College, Valladolid, he was ...

* George Beesley * Arthur Bell *

Thomas Belson Thomas Belson (c. 1563 - 5 July 1589) was an English Roman Catholic layman and martyr, beatified in 1987. Life Belson was born at Brill in Buckinghamshire, although the date is uncertain. He was the son of Augustine Belson. He studied at St Ma ...

Robert Bickerdike Robert Bickerdike (17 August 1843 – 28 December 1928) was a Canadian live stock shipping and insurance agent and politician. Born in Kingston, Ontario, the son of Thomas Bickerdike, of Yorkshire, England, and Agnes Cowan, Bickerdike spent m ...

* Alexander Blake * Marmaduke Bowes * John Britton * Thomas Bullaker *

Edward Burden Edward Burden (''c''.1540–1588) was a sixteenth century recusant priest. Biography Born in County Durham, he was a graduate of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He studied at Duoay College and was ordained a priest in Rheims in 1584. He is pro ...

Roger Cadwallador Roger Cadwallador (1568 – 27 August 1610) was a Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. Life Roger Cadwallador was born to a Welsh family at Stretton Sugwas, near Hereford. He was ordained subdeacon at Reims, 21 Se ...

* William Carter *

Alexander Crow Alexander Crow (died 1586/7) was born in Yorkshire around 1550. He took up an early trade as a shoemaker, and hearing of an opportunity to follow his trade at the English College, then at Rheims, he travelled to France. He worked as a cobbler, ...

* William Davies * Robert Dibdale * George Douglas * Robert Drury * Edmund Duke * George Errington *

Roger Filcock Roger Filcock (alias Arthur Naylor) (died 27 February 1601, London) was an English Jesuit priest. He was beatified as a Catholic martyr by Pope John Paul II on 22 November 1987. Life Born at Sandwich, Kent, England, the son of Simon and Margar ...

* John Fingley * Matthew Flathers * Richard Flower *

Nicholas Garlick Nicholas Garlick (c. 1555 – 24 July 1588) was an English Catholic priest, martyred in Derby in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Early life He was born around 1555, near Dinting in Glossop, within the county of Derby. In January 1575 he m ...

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

* Ralph Grimston * Robert Grissold * John Hambley *

Robert Hardesty The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

George Haydock George Haydock (born 1556; executed at Tyburn, 12 February 1584) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. He is not to be confused with his relative, also a priest, George Leo Haydock (1774–1849). L ...

* Henry Heath * Richard Hill * John Hogg * Richard Holiday * Nicholas Horner * Thomas Hunt * Thurstan Hunt *

Francis Ingleby Francis Ingleby (c. 1551 – 3 June 1586) was a Roman Catholic martyr executed in York, England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Born about 1551, he was the fourth son of Sir William Ingleby and Anne Malory of Ripley Castle, North Yorkshi ...

* William Knight * Joseph Lambton * William Lampley *

John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...

* Robert Ludlam * Charles Mahoney *

Robert Middleton Robert Middleton (born Samuel G. Messer, May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977) was an American film and television actor known for his large size, beetle-like brows, and a deep, booming voice (for which he was known as "Big Bob Middleton"), usually ...

* George Nichols * John Norton *

Robert Nutter Robert Nutter (c. 155026 July 1600) was an English Catholic priest, Dominican friar and martyr. He was beatified in 1987. Life Throughout the religious upheavals following the English Reformation, the vast majority of English Catholics, many of ...

Edward Osbaldeston Edward Osbaldeston was an English martyr, born about 1560. Не was hanged, drawn and quartered at York, 16 November 1594. Life Edward Osbaldeston was born about 1560 at Osbaldeston Hall near Blackburn, Lancashire. He was the son of Thomas Osba ...

Anthony Page Anthony Page (21 September 1935 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India) is a British stage director, stage and film director. Biography When Page was 19, he went to Canada on a free passage with the Royal Canadian Air Force and hitchhiked to New York wh ...

Thomas Palasor Thomas PalasorAlso Palaser, Palliser. (c. 1570 - 9 August 1600) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. Life Palasor was born at Ellerton-on-Swale, parish of Catterick, North Riding of Yorkshire. He ...

* William Pike * Thomas Pilchard * Thomas Pormort *

Nicholas Postgate Nicholas Postgate (1596 or 1597 – 7 August 1679) was an English Catholic priest who was executed for treason on the Knavesmire in York on 6 August 1679 as part of the anti-Catholic persecution that was sweeping England at that time. He is on ...

* Humphrey Pritchard * Christopher Robinson *

Stephen Rowsham Stephen Rowsham (Rousham, Rouse) was an English Catholic priest, executed on 3 April 1587. He is a Catholic martyr, and was beatified by Pope John Paul in 1987. Life A native of Oxfordshire, born c. 1555,John Sandys * Montford Scott * Richard Sergeant * Richard Simpson *

Peter Snow Peter John Snow (born 20 April 1938) is a British radio and television presenter and historian. Between 1969 and 2005, he was an analyst of general election results, first on ITV and later for the BBC. He presented ''Newsnight'' from its laun ...

* William Southerne * William Spenser * Thomas Sprott *

John Sugar John Sugar or Suker (1558 – 16 July 1604) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. Life He matriculated at the University of Oxford from St. Mary's Hall of Oriel College, 30 October 1584, and is describ ...

Robert Sutton Robert Sutton may refer to: Politicians *Robert Sutton (died 1414), MP for Lincoln * Robert Sutton (MP for Derby), see Derby * Robert Dudley alias Sutton (died 1539), MP *Robert Sutton, 1st Baron Lexinton (1594–1668), Member of Parliament for No ...

Edmund Sykes Edmund Sykes (born at Leeds; executed at York Tyburn, 23 March 1587) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. Life He was a student at the English college at Reims, where he was ordained 21 February ...

* John Talbot * Hugh Taylor * William Thomson *

Robert Thorpe The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

* John Thules *

Edward Thwing Edward Thwing ( - 26 July 1600) was an English Catholic priest and martyr. Life Edward Thwing was born about 1565, the second son of Thomas Thwing of Heworth, York and Jane (née Kellet, of York), his wife. He was related to the 14th-century sa ...

Thomas Watkinson Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

* Henry Webley *

Christopher Wharton Christopher Wharton (before 1546 – 28 March 1600) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987. Life Wharton was born at Middleton, Yorkshire, before 1546. He was the second son of Sir Thomas Wharton o ...

Thomas Whittaker Thomas or Tom Whittaker may refer to: *Thomas Bartlett Whitaker (born 1979), American criminal, former Texas Death Row inmate *Thomas Whittaker (martyr) (1614–1646), English Roman Catholic priest *Thomas Whittaker (metaphysician) (1856–1935), E ...

* John Woodcock *

Nicholas Woodfen Nicholas Woodfen born Nicholas Wheeler (1550 - 21 January 1586), also known as Nicholas Devereux, was an English Roman Catholic priest who was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, London on 21 January 1586. He is considered a Catholic martyr an ...

* Roger Wrenno * Richard Yaxley

Liturgical Feast Day

In England, these martyrs, together with those beatified between 1886 and 1929, are commemorated by a

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

on 4 May. This day also honours the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales who hold the rank of

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

; the Forty Martyrs were honoured separately on 25 October until the liturgical calendar for England was revised in the year 2000.National Calendar for England
Liturgy Office for England and Wales. Accessed 2011-11-21. In Wales, 4 May specifically commemorates the beatified martyrs of England and Wales. Five of the martyrs named in this group of 85, Three – William Davies, Humphrey Pritchard (or Humphrey ap Richard) and Charles Mahoney – have Welsh connections, and two –

and George Douglas – have Scottish connections. In the Welsh calendar, 25 October is still kept as a distinct feast of the 'Six Welsh Martyrs and their companions', as the Forty canonised Martyrs are known in Wales.National Calendar for Wales
Liturgy Office for England and Wales. Accessed 2011-11-21.''Ordo for Wales 2010''
, Diocese of Menevia, pp.277, 294. Accessed 2011-11-21.

Historical context and treason accusations

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

was excommunicated by

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

, on 25 February 1570, creating a situation full of perplexity for English Roman Catholics. Once this declaration was made, a number of Catholics acted on it, and a number, under the influence of Spanish ambassador

Bernardino de Mendoza Bernardino de Mendoza (c. 1540 – 3 August 1604) was a Spanish military commander, diplomat and writer on military history and politics. Biography Bernardino de Mendoza was born in Guadalajara, Spain around 1540, as the son of Don Alonso Su ...

and others, were implicated in plots against Elizabeth which were undoubtedly treasonable from the English Government's point of view. That a certain party of English Catholics was in rebellion against Elizabeth is not disputed. Thus

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

, with many of the exiles of

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

and

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, and

Robert Persons Robert Persons (24 June 1546 – 15 April 1610), later known as Robert Parsons, was an English Jesuit priest. He was a major figure in establishing the 16th-century "English Mission" of the Society of Jesus. Early life Robert Person ...

, with many of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, saw in the rule of Elizabeth a greater danger to the highest interests of England than had previously been threatened in cases where history had justified the deposition of kings. And the supreme authority had sanctioned this view. In the eyes of Elizabeth and her ministers, such opposition was nothing less than

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. But a large number of English Catholics refused to go so far as rebellion. As

John Lingard John Lingard (5 February 1771 – 17 July 1851) was an English Roman Catholic priest and historian, the author of ''The History of England, From the First Invasion by the Romans to the Accession of Henry VIII'', an eight-volume work published i ...

writes: The next pope,

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

, on 14 April 1580 issued a declaration that although Elizabeth and her abettors remained subject to the excommunication, it was not to be binding on Catholics to their detriment. The majority of English Roman Catholics then did not give the royal government grounds for suspecting their loyalty, but they persisted in the practice of their religion, which was made possible only by the coming of the seminary priests. After the

Northern Rising The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of ...

, Parliament had passed a statute (13 Eliz. c. 2) declaring it to be high treason to put into effect any papal Bull of absolution to absolve or reconcile any person to the Church of Rome, to be absolved or reconciled, or to procure or publish any papal Bull or writing whatsoever. Purely religious acts were declared by Parliament to be treasonable. Elizabeth's government, for its own purposes, refused to make any distinction between Catholics who had been engaged in open opposition to the Queen and those who were forced by conscience to ignore the provisions of this statute of 1571. All were purposely identified by the government and treated as one for controversial purposes. This view was put forward officially in a pamphlet by

William Cecil, Lord Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

: In it, Burghley gave no credit to Catholic priests risking their lives for any religious purpose, but opined "the seminary fugitives come secretly into the realm to induce the people to obey the Pope's bull." Under the Act of 1585, it became high treason for any

seminary priest Seminary priests were Roman Catholic priests who were trained in England, English seminaries or houses of study on the European continent after the introduction of laws forbidding Roman Catholicism in Britain. Such Seminaries included that at Englis ...

, or any

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, simply to come to England; and

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

for any person to harbour or relieve them. Burghley insists that before the excommunication no one had been charged with capital crimes on the ground of religion, and brings everything back to the question of the Bull. The pamphlet ends by proposing six questions or tests by which traitors might be distinguished from simple scholars (the so-called "bloody questions").Burton, Edwin
"Accusations of Treason"
''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company (1912). Retrieved 2011-11-21.

Contemporary controversy

, in his ''Answer to the Libel of English Justice'' published in 1584, joined issue on all points, stating "that many priests and other Catholics in England have been persecuted, condemned and executed for mere matter of religion and for transgression only of new statutes which make cases of conscience to be treason without all pretence or surmise of any old treasons or statutes for the same". He defended

Edmund Campion Edmund Campion, SJ (25 January 15401 December 1581) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Anglican England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason, he was ...

and the other martyrs from the imputation of treason.

Notes

External links

George Haydock and Eighty Four companions
at Hagiography Circle {{DEFAULTSORT:England And Wales, Eighty-Five Martyrs Of Eighty-five English Reformation History of Catholicism in England Lists of Christian martyrs 1584 deaths Beatifications by Pope John Paul II