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

martyr 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 externa ...

s by the

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 ...

. 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 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 ...

. On 25 February 1570,

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 ...

's "

Regnans in Excelsis ''Regnans in Excelsis'' ("Reigning on High") is a papal bull that Pope Pius V issued on 25 February 1570. It excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England, referring to her as "the pretended Queen of England and the servant of crime", declared h ...

" bull excommunicated the English Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

, 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

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 ...

able 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 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 ...

(1572–85), authorisation was given for 63 recognised martyrs to have their

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

honoured and pictures painted for

Catholic devotions Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as "ex ...

. These martyrs were formally beatified by Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

, 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 Irish Catholic Martyrs () were 24 Irish men and women who have been beatified or canonized for dying for their Catholic faith between 1537 and 1681 in Ireland. The canonisation of Oliver Plunkett in 1975 brought an awareness of the others who d ...

. # (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 John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Fisher was executed by o ...

, Bishop of Rochester, 22 June 1535 #

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

, layman, 6 July 1535

Canonised by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970

# John Almond, priest, 1612 #

Edmund Arrowsmith Edmund Arrowsmith ''(baptized as "Brian Arrowsmith")'', SJ (c. 1585 – 28 August 1628) was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales of the Catholic Church. The main source of information on Arrowsmith is a contemporary account written ...

, Jesuit priest, 1628 #

Ambrose Edward Barlow Ambrose Edward Barlow, O.S.B. (1585 – 10 September 1641) was an English Benedictine monk who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is one of a group of saints canonized by Pope Paul VI who became known as the Forty Martyrs of E ...

, Benedictine priest, 10 September 1641 #

John Boste John Boste (c. 1544 – 24 July 1594) is a saint in the Catholic Church, and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Life John Boste was born in Dufton, Westmorland around 1544, the son of Nicholas Boste, landowner of Dufton and Penri ...

, priest, 24 July 1594 #

Alexander Briant Alexander Briant (17 August 1556 – 1 December 1581) was an English Jesuit and martyr, executed at Tyburn. Life He was born in Somerset, and entered Hart Hall, Oxford (now Hertford College), at an early age. While there, he became a p ...

, Jesuit priest, 1 December 1581 #

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 h ...

, Jesuit priest, 1 December 1581 #

Margaret Clitherow Margaret Clitherow (1556 – 25 March 1586) was an English saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, known as "the Pearl of York". She was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. She was ...

, laywoman, 25 March 1586 # Philip Evans, Jesuit priest, 1679 #

Thomas Garnet Thomas Garnet (9 November 1575 – 23 June 1608) was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London. He is the protomartyr (i.e., the first martyr associated with a place) of Saint Omer and of Stonyhurst College. He was executed at Tyburn an ...

, Jesuit priest, 1608 #

Edmund Gennings Edmund Gennings, sometimes called ''Edmund Jennings'', (1567 – 10 December 1591), was an English martyr, who was executed during the English Reformation for being a Roman Catholic priest. He came from Lichfield, Staffordshire. Life Gen ...

, priest, 1591 # John Griffith (alias Jones, Buckley, or Griffith, or Godfrey Maurice), Franciscan friar, 1598 #

Richard Gwyn Richard Gwyn (ca. 1537 – 15 October 1584), also known by his anglicised name, Richard White, was a Welsh teacher at illegal and underground schools and a Bard who wrote both Christian and satirical poetry in the Welsh language. A Ro ...

(alias Richard White), layman, 1584 # John Houghton, Prior of the London Charterhouse, 4 May 1535 #

Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel (28 June 155719 October 1595) was an English nobleman. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He is variously numbered as 1st, 20th or 13th Earl of Arunde ...

, layman, 1595 # John Kemble, priest, 1679 #

Luke Kirby Luke Farrell Kirby (born June 29, 1978) is a Canadian actor. In 2019, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role as Lenny Bruce on the television series ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''. Early life Kirby was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to ...

, priest, 30 May 1582 # Robert Lawrence, Prior of the Beauvale Charterhouse, 4 May 1535 # David Lewis, Jesuit priest, 1679 #

Anne Line Anne Line (''c.'' 1563 – 27 February 1601) was an English Catholic martyr. After losing her husband, she became very active in sheltering clandestine Catholic priests, which was illegal in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Finally arrested, she ...

, laywoman, 1601 # John Lloyd, priest, 1679 #

Cuthbert Mayne Cuthbert Mayne (c. 1543–29 November 1577) was an English Roman Catholic priest executed under the laws of Elizabeth I. He was the first of the seminary priests, trained on the Continent, to be martyred. Mayne was beatified in 1886 and canonise ...

, priest, 1577 #

Henry Morse Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, Jesuit priest, 1645 # Nicholas Owen, Jesuit lay-brother, 1606 # John Payne, priest, 1582 #

Polydore Plasden Polydore Plasden (1563–1591) was one of the Catholic Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A native of London, he studied for the priesthood at Rheims and Rome and was ordained in 1586 before being sent back to England soon after. Life Po ...

, priest, 1591 #

John Plessington John Plessington (c. 1637 – 19 July 1679), also known as John Plesington, William Scarisbrick and William Pleasington, was an English Catholic priest who was executed by the English Crown for violating the ban on the presence of Catholic pri ...

, priest, 1679 # Richard Reynolds, Brigittine monk of Syon Abbey, 4 May 1535 # John Rigby, layman, 1600 #

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...

, Benedictine priest, 1610 # Alban Bartholomew Roe, Benedictine priest, 1642 #

Ralph Sherwin Sherwin (25 October 1550 – 1 December 1581) was an English Roman Catholic priest, executed in 1581. He is a Catholic martyr and saint. Early years and education Sherwin was born at Rodsley, Derbyshire to John and Constance Sherwin and ...

, priest, 1 December 1581 # John Southworth, priest, 1654 # Robert Southwell, Jesuit priest, 1595 # John Stone, Augustinian friar #

John Wall Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Wall was chosen with the first overa ...

, Franciscan priest, 1679 #

Henry Walpole Henry Walpole (1558 – 7 April 1595) was an English Jesuit martyr, executed at York for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy. Early life Walpole was born at Docking, Norfolk, in 1558, the eldest son of Christopher Walpole, by Margery, heir ...

, Jesuit priest, 1595 # Margaret Ward, laywoman, 1588 #

Augustine Webster Augustine Webster (died 4 May 1535) was an English Catholic martyr. He was the prior of Our Lady of Melwood, a Carthusian house at Epworth, on the Isle of Axholme, in north Lincolnshire, in 1531. His feast day is 4 May. Background At the out ...

, Prior of the Axholme Charterhouse, 4 May 1535 #

Swithin Wells Swithun Wells (c. 1536 – 10 December 1591) was an English Roman Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. Wells was a country gentleman and one time schoolmaster whose family sheltered hunted priests. He himself often ...

, layman, 1591 #

Eustace White Eustace White (1559 - 1591) was a Catholic priest. Due to his service he was put on trial in December 1591 and subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 10 December 1591, along with another priest and three laymen. He is one of the ...

, priest, 1591

Canonised by Pope Paul VI on 12 October 1975

Oliver Plunkett Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket) ( ga, Oilibhéar Pluincéid), (1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland who was the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 an ...

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

Beatified 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII

As well as those listed below,

and

were beatified on this date, as were 11 members of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, making a total of 54. #

Thomas Abel Thomas Abel (or Abell) (ca. 1497 – 30 July 1540) was an English priest who was martyred during the reign of Henry VIII. The place and date of his birth are unknown. He was educated at Oxford, where in 1516 he took the degree of Master of ...

, 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 Richard Fetherston (Fetherstone, Featherstone) (died 30 July 1540) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He was Archdeacon of Brecon"Pedro de Ribadeneyra’s 'Ecclesiastical History of the Schism of the Kingdom" p303: Leiden, Brill, 1683 and Cha ...

, Archdeacon, 30 July 1540 # William Filby, 30 May 1582 # Thomas Ford, 28 May 1582 #

John Forest John Forest (1471 – 22 May 1538) was an English Franciscan friar and martyr. Confessor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, Forest was burned to death at Smithfield for heresy, in that he refused to acknowledge the King as head of the church. Life ...

, Franciscan friar, 22 May 1538 #

German Gardiner German Gardiner (Germain, Jermyn) (date of birth unknown; executed at Tyburn, 7 March 1544) was a Roman Catholic layman and nephew to Stephen Gardiner who became involved in the Prebendaries' Plot against Thomas Cranmer. Henry VIII was becoming ...

, 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 Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

, 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 Humphrey Middlemore, (died 19 June 1535) was an English Catholic priest and Carthusian hermit, who was executed for treason during the Tudor period. He is considered a martyr by the Catholic Church, and, along with other members of his religio ...

, Carthusian monk, 19 June 1535 # John Nelson, priest, 1577 #

Sebastian Newdigate Sebastian Newdigate, (7 September 1500 – 19 June 1535) was the seventh child of John Newdigate, Sergeant-at-law. He spent his early life at court, and later became a Carthusian monk. He was executed for treason on 19 June 1535 for his refusal to ...

, Carthusian monk, 19 June 1535 # Walter Pierson, Carthusian brother, 10 June 1537 # Thomas Plumtree, priest, 1570 - Chaplain to the

Rising of the North 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 ...

Edward Powell Edward Powell (c.1478 – 30 July 1540) was a Welsh Roman Catholic priest and theologian, in opposition to Henry VIII of England. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1886. Life Powell was born in Wales. He was M.A. of the University of Oxf ...

, 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 Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), also called Margaret Pole, as a result of her marriage to Sir Richard Pole, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, a brother ...

, 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) *

(canonized 1970) *

* John Houghton *

* Robert Lawrence *

* John Payne * Richard Reynolds *

* John Stone *

Beatified 13 May 1895 by Pope Leo XIII

Hugh Faringdon plaque, English Martyrs Church, Liebenhood Road, Reading - geograph

# John Beche (or Thomas Marshall), Abbot of Colchester, 1 December 1539 # John Eynon, priest, 14 November 1539 #

Hugh Faringdon Hugh Faringdon, OSB (died 14 November 1539), earlier known as Hugh Cook, later as Hugh Cook alias Faringdon and Hugh Cook of Faringdon, was a Benedictine monk who presided as the last Abbot of Reading Abbey in the English town of Reading. At th ...

, Abbot of Reading, 14 November 1539 #

Adrian Fortescue Adrian Henry Timothy Knottesford Fortescue (14 January 1874 – 11 February 1923) was an English Catholic priest and polymath. An influential liturgist, artist, calligrapher, composer, polyglot, amateur photographer, Byzantine scholar, an ...

, 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

# 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 Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...

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 Thomas Aufield (1552 – 6 July 1585), also called Thomas Alfield, was an English Roman Catholic martyr. He was born in Gloucestershire and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and in Se ...

, priest, 6 July 1585 #

Christopher Bales Christopher Bales, also spelled Christopher Bayles, alias Christopher Evers (1564–1590), was an English Catholic priest and martyr. He was beatified in 1929. Biography Christopher was born at Coniscliffe near Darlington, County Durham, England ...

, 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 John Bodey (15492 November 1583) was an English Roman Catholic academic jurist and lay theologian. He was martyred in 1583, and beatified in 1929. Life John Bodey was born in Wells, Somerset, in 1549. His father was a wealthy merchant. He stud ...

, priest, 2 November 1583 #

Thomas Bosgrave 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 ...

, layman, 4 July 1594 # William Browne, layman, 5 September 1605 # Christopher Buxton, priest, died Canterbury, 1 October 1588 #

Edward Campion The Oaten Hill Martyrs were Catholic Martyrs who were executed by hanging, drawing and quartering at Oaten Hill, Canterbury, on 1 October 1588. The gallows had been put up in 1576. These four were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929.John Carey, Dublin born lay helper of John Cornelius S.J., 4 July 1594 #

Edmund Catherick Edmund Catherick (''c''. 1605 – 13 April 1642) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Catherick was probably born in Lancashire about 1605. He was descended from the Catholic family of Cather ...

, priest, 1642 # James Claxton (Clarkson), priest, 1588 # Edward Colman (or Coleman), layman, 1678 #

Ralph Corbie Ralph Corbie (Corby, Corbington, at times Corrington) (25 March 1598 – 7 September 1644) was an Irish Jesuit. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Corbie was born near Dublin. His parents were from Durham and returned to England ...

, Jesuit, 7 September 1644 # John Cornelius, Jesuit priest, 4 July 1594 # Ralph Crockett, priest, 1 October 1588 #

Robert Dalby Robert Dalby (died 1589) was an English Catholic priest and martyr. Life Robert Dalby (sometimes called Drury), came from Hemingbrough in the West Riding of Yorkshire (now North Yorkshire) lived at first as a Protestant minister. Becoming a Ca ...

, priest, York, 16 March 1589 # William Dean, priest, 28 August 1588 #

Francis Dicconson Miles Gerard (born about 1550 at Wigan; executed at Rochester 13 (30?) April, 1590) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Descended perhaps from the Gerards of Ince, he was, about 1576, tutor to t ...

, priest, 1590 # Roger Dicconson, priest, 7 July 1591 # James Duckett, layman, 1601 #

John Duckett John Duckett (1613 – 7 September 1644) was an English Catholic priest and martyr. Life John Duckett was born at Underwinder, in the parish of Sedbergh, in Yorkshire, in 1613, the son of James and Francis Duckett. He was a relative, poss ...

, priest, 1644 # Thomas Felton, Franciscan, 1588 # James Fenn, priest, 1584 # John Fenwick, Jesuit priest, 1679 # John Finch, 1584 # William Freeman, priest, 1595 #

Edward Fulthrop William Andleby (Anlaby) (executed at York, 4 July 1597) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life William Andleby was born in Etton, East Riding of Yorkshire, Etton, Yorkshire, into a gentry family. At ...

, layman, 1597 #

John Gavan John Gavan (1640–20 June 1679) was an English Jesuit. He was a victim of the fabricated Popish Plot, and was wrongfully executed for conspiracy (criminal), conspiracy to murder Charles II of England, King Charles II. He was beatified in 1929 by ...

, Jesuit priest, 1679 #

Miles Gerard Miles Gerard (born about 1550 at Wigan; executed at Rochester 13 (30?) April, 1590) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Descended perhaps from the Gerards of Ince, he was, about 1576, tutor to t ...

, priest, 1590 # George Gervase, Benedictine, 1608 # David Gonson (or Gunston), Professed Knight in the Order of St John, 12 July 1541 # Hugh Green, priest, 1642 # John Grove, layman, 24 January 1679 # William Gunter, priest, 1588 # William Harrington, priest, 1594 # William Hartley, priest, 1588 # Thomas Hemerford, priest, 1584 # Richard Herst (Hurst), layman, 29 August 1628 # John Hewitt (alias Weldon, alias Savell), priest, 1588 # Sydney Hodgson, layman, 10 December 1591 #

Thomas Holford Thomas Holford (sometimes called Thomas Acton) (1541–1588) was an English Protestant schoolteacher who became a Catholic priest during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was martyred at Clerkenwell in London, and is recognised by the Catholic C ...

, priest, 1588 # Thomas Holland, priest, 12 December 1642 # Laurence Humphreys (or Humphrey), layman, 1591 # John Ingram, priest, 1594 #

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...

, priest, 7 March 1544 # William Ireland, Jesuit priest, 1679 #

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

, priest, 1588 # Edward Jones, priest, 1590 # Brian Lacey, layman, 1591 #

Richard Langhorne Richard Langhorne (c. 1624 – 14 July 1679) was an English barrister and Catholic martyr, who was executed on a false charge of treason as part of the fabricated Popish Plot. He fell under suspicion because he was a Roman Catholic and because he ...

, layman, 1679 # Richard Langley, layman, 1586 # Richard Leigh, priest, 1588 # John Lockwood, priest, 1642 # William Marsden, priest, 25 April 1586 # Richard Martin, layman, 30 August 1588 # John Mason, layman, 1591 #

Thomas Maxfield Thomas Maxfield (real name Macclesfield) (c.1590 – 1 July 1616) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life He was born in Stafford gaol, one of the younger sons of William Macclesfield of Chesterton ...

, priest, 1616 # Anthony Middleton, priest, 1590 # Ralph Milner, layman, 7 July 1591 #

Hugh More Thomas Holford (sometimes called Thomas Acton) (1541–1588) was an English Protestant schoolteacher who became a Catholic priest during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was martyred at Clerkenwell in London, and is recognised by the Catholic C ...

, layman, 28 August 1588 # Robert Morton, priest, 1588 #

John Munden Sir John Munden (c. 1645 – 13 March 1719) was a rear-admiral in the Royal Navy who was dismissed from the service for having failed to engage a French fleet, despite having been acquitted by a court-martial of any misconduct in the matter. Ear ...

, priest, 1584 #

George Napper George Napper (Napier) (born at Holywell manor, Oxford, 1550; executed at Oxford 9 November 1610) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI. Life George Napper was a son of Edward Napper (d ...

(alias Napier), priest, Oxford, 1610 #

John Nutter John Robert William Nutter (born 13 June 1982) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back. Nutter began his career at Blackburn Rovers F.C., Blackburn ...

, priest, 1584 #

Edward Oldcorne Edward Oldcorne alias ''Hall'' (1561 – 7 April 1606) was an English Jesuit priest. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot to destroy the Parliament of England and kill King James I; and although his involvement is unclear, ...

, Jesuit priest, 1606 # Francis Page, Jesuit, 1602 # William Patenson, priest, 1592 # John Pibush, priest, 1601 # Thomas Pickering, Benedictine, 1679 # Philip Powell, Benedictine, 1646 #

Alexander Rawlins Alexander Rawlins (1560 - 7 April 1595) was an English Roman Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life While Richard Challoner says that Rawlins was born somewhere on the border between Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, Rawlins stated to the ex ...

, priest, 1595 # Thomas Reynolds, priest, 21 January 1642 # William Richardson, priest, 1603 # John Robinson, priest, 1 October 1588 # John Roche, layman, 1588 #

Patrick Salmon Patrick Salmon (born 1952) is a historian of diplomatic history with a focus on Scandinavia. He is a chief historian at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a visiting professor at Newcastle University. In 2001, he was a fellow at the Norweg ...

, layman, 4 July 1594 # Maurus Scott (William Scot) 1612 # Edward Shelley, 30 August 1588, # John Slade, layman, 1583 # Richard Smith, (also known as Richard Newport), priest, 1612 # Thomas Somers, priest, 1610 # John Speed, layman, 4 February 1594 #

William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, FRS (30 November 1614 – 29 December 1680) was the youngest son of Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, and his wife, the former Alethea Talbot. A Fellow of the Royal Society from 1665, he was a Royalist ...

, layman, 29 December 1680 #

Edward Stransham Edward Stransham (c. 1557 at Oxford – executed 21 January 1586, at Tyburn) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Edward Stransham was born at Oxford around 1557. He was educated at St John's Coll ...

, priest, 1586 #

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 ...

, layman, 5 October 1588 # George Swallowell, layman, 26 July 1594 #

Thomas Thwing Thomas Thwing (1635–1680) was an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr, executed for his supposed part in the Barnbow Plot, an offshoot of the fabricated Popish Plot invented by Titus Oates. His feast day is 23 October. Early life His fath ...

, priest, 1679 #

Thomas Tunstall Thomas Tunstall (Tunstal) (executed at Norwich, 13 July 1616) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Tunstall was born in Lancashire. He was descended from the Tunstalls of Thurland Castle, a Lan ...

, priest, 1616 # Anthony Turner, Jesuit, 1679 # Thomas Warcop, layman, 4 July 1597 # William Ward, priest, 1641 # Edward Waterson, priest, 1593 # Robert Watkinson, priest, 1602 #

William Way William Way (alias May, alias Flower) (died 1588) was an English Catholic priest and martyr executed under Elizabeth I after the Protestant Reformation. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. Early life and education William Way was born ...

(alias May or Flower), priest, 1588 # Thomas Welbourne, layman, 1 August 1605 #

Thomas Whitbread Thomas Whitbread (alias Harcourt) (1618–30 June 1679) was an English Jesuit missionary and martyr, wrongly convicted of conspiracy to murder Charles II of England and hanged during the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI and ...

, Jesuit, 1679 # Robert Widmerpool, layman, 1 October 1588 # Robert Wilcox, priest, 1 October 1588 # Peter Wright, Jesuit, 1651 (canonized 1970) * John Almond *

Ambrose Barlow Ambrose Edward Barlow, O.S.B. (1585 – 10 September 1641) was an English Benedictine monk who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is one of a group of saints canonized by Pope Paul VI who became known as the Forty Martyrs of En ...

* Philip Evans *

* John Griffith *

* John Kemble * David Lewis *

* John Lloyd *

* Nicholas Owen *

* John Rigby *

Alban Roe Alban Roe (20 July 1583 – 21 January 1642) was an English Benedictine priest, remembered as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Early life Bartholomew Roe was born in 1583, in Suffolk. He was brought up a Protestant and with his ...

* John Southworth * Robert Southwell *

* Margaret Ward *

Beatified 22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II

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

, priest, 8 October 1586 # Thomas Atkinson, priest, 1616 #

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 ...

, priest, 1646T.E. Muir, ''Stonyhurst'', (St Omers Press, Gloucestershire. Second edition, 2006) p.188 # George Beesley, priest, 5 July 1591 # Arthur Bell, Franciscan priest, 1643 #

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 ...

, layman, 5 July 1589 #

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 ...

, layman, 23 July 1586 # Alexander Blake, layman, 4 March 1590; # Marmaduke Bowes, layman, 26 November 1585 # John Britton (alias Bretton), layman, 1 April 1598 # Thomas Bullaker, Franciscan priest, 1642 # Edward Burden, priest, 1588 # Roger Cadwallador, priest, 1610 # William Carter, layman, 11 January 1584 # Alexander Crow, priest, 30 November 1587 # William Davies, priest, 27 July 1593 # Robert Dibdale, priest, 8 October 1586 # George Douglas, priest, 1587 # Robert Drury, priest, 1607 # Edmund Duke, priest, 27 May 1590 # George Errington, layman, 1596 #

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 ...

, priest, 1601 # John Finglow (Fingley), priest, 8 August 1586 # Matthew Flathers, priest, 1608 # Richard Flower, layman, 1588 #

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 ...

, priest, 1588 #

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, hi ...

, layman, 1596 # Ralph Grimston, layman, 1598 # Robert Grissold, layman, 1604 # John Hambley, priest, 1587 #

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 ...

, layman, 1589 # George Haydock, priest, 12 February 1584 # Henry Heath, Franciscan priest, 1643 # Richard Hill, priest, 27 May 1590 # John Hogg, priest, 27 May 1590 # Richard Holiday, priest, 27 May 1590 # Nicholas Horner, layman, 4 March 1590 # Thomas Hunt, priest, 1600 # Thurstan Hunt, priest, 1601 #

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 ...

, priest, 3 June 1586 # William Knight, layman, 1596 # Joseph Lambton, priest, 24 July 1592 # William Lampley, layman, 1588 #

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 ...

, priest, 8 October 1586 # Robert Ludlam, priest, 1588 # Charles Mahoney (alias Meehan), Franciscan priest, 1679 #

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 ...

, priest, March 1601 # George Nichols, priest, 1589 # John Norton, layman, 1600 #

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 ...

, priest, 1600 # Edward Osbaldeston, priest, 1594 # Antony Page, priest, 1593 #

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 ...

, priest, 1600 # William Pike, layman, 1591 # Thomas Pilchard, priest, 21 March 1587 # Thomas Pormort, priest, 20 February 1592 #

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 ...

, priest, 1679 # Humphrey Pritchard, layman, 1589 # Christopher Robinson, priest, 1597 # Stephen Rowsham, priest, 1587 # John Sandys, priest, 11 August 1586 # Montford Scott, priest, 1591 # Richard Sergeant, priest, 2 April 1586 # Richard Simpson, priest, 1588 #

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 la ...

, priest, 1598 # William Southerne, priest, 1618 # William Spenser, priest, 1589 # Thomas Sprott, priest, 1600 # John Sugar, priest, 1604 #

, priest, 1587 #

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 ...

, priest, 23 March 1587 # John Talbot, layman, 1600 # Hugh Taylor, priest, 25 November 1585 # William Thomson, priest, 20 April 1586 #

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 ...

, priest, 1591 # John Thulis, priest, 18 Mar 1616 #

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 ...

, priest, 26 July 1600 #

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 ...

, layman, 31 May 1591 # Henry Webley, 28 August 1588 #

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 ...

, priest, 1600 # Thomas Whitaker, priest, 1646 # John Woodcock, Franciscan priest, 7 August 1646 #

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 ...

, priest, 21 January 1586 # Roger Wrenno, layman, 1616 # Richard Yaxley, priest, 1589

Declared venerable in 1886 and not subsequently beatified

Thomas Ashby Thomas Ashby, (14 October 1874 – 15 May 1931) was a British archaeologist. Family He was the only child of Thomas Ashby (1851–1906), and his wife, Rose Emma, daughter of Apsley Smith. His father belonged to the well-known Quaker family ...

, layman, 19 March 1544 - "there was some doubt that he died as a Catholic" # Roger Ashton, soldier, 23 June 1592 - assisted Sir William Stanley in the surrender of

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

to Spain # Laurence Bailey, layman, August 1604 # Anthony Bates (alias Battie), layman, 22 March 1602 # Thomas Bedingfeld (also known as Thomas Downes), 21 December 1678 (died in prison) #

Thomas Belchiam Thomas Belchiam (1508–1537) was an English Franciscan who died in Newgate Prison in the reign of Henry VIII. He is a Catholic martyr, declared venerable by Pope Leo XIII. The year of death is in question: the ''Victoria County History'' for K ...

, Franciscan friar, 3 August 1538: # Edmund Brindholme, priest, 4 August 1540 # Anthony Brookby, Franciscan, 7 July 1537:" ere was little hope of establishing sufficient evidence of martyrdom for ten Venerable martyrs who had suffered during the reign of Henry VIII" (the figure of ten includes John Travers, who was executed in Dublin) - se
James Walsh, The Catholic Martyrs of England and wales, PP 7-8
/ref> # Brian Cansfield (or Tansfield), 3 August 1645 (died of ill-treatment in prison) # Thomas Cort, Franciscan, 27 July 1538: # Sir

Thomas Dingley Sir Thomas Dingley (executed 9 or 10 July 1539) was an English prior of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. He is a Catholic martyr. Biography Sir Thomas was the son of John Dingley of Boston, Lincolnshire and his wife, Mabel, daughter of Edmun ...

, layman, 9 July 1539 # James Dowdall, layman, 13 August 1598 #

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC comedy series ''Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he rec ...

, priest, 8 April 1642 (died in prison) # John Griffith (or Clark), priest, 8 July 1539 # Thomas Hackshott (alias Hawkshaw), layman, 24 August 1601 # James Harrison, priest, 22 March 1602 # Richard Horner, priest, 4 September 1598 # Francis Levison, Franciscan, 11 February 1680 (died in prison) # John Lion, layman, 16 July 1598 # Edward Mico, Jesuit, 1678 (arrested, but too ill to be removed from sick-bed, where he died) # Edward Morgan, priest, 26 April 1642 # Francis Nevil, Jesuit, February 1679 (died in prison) # Clement Philpott (or Philpot), layman, 4 August 1540 # Robert Price (alias Aprece), layman, shot by Puritan soldiers, 7 May 1644 # Nicholas Tichborne, layman, 24 August 1601 # Thomas Tichborne, priest, 20 April 1602 # Friar Waire, Franciscan, 8 July 1539 # Thomas Webley, layman, 6 July 1585 # Richard Williams, priest, 21 February 1592 As stated above, John Travers was executed in Dublin and appears in

. The total number of those declared venerable in 1886 and not subsequently beatified is therefore 30.

Dilati

They "were left with their fate still in suspense, and are called Dilati. 6 of them were"Confessors", who certainly died in prison for their faith, though it is not yet proven that they died precisely because of their imprisonment... he remaining eight - William Tyrrwhit, James Atkinson, Matthias Harrison, Fr. Henry Garnet, S.J., John Mawson, Thomas Dyer, Lawrence Hill and Robert Greenwere put off for various causes." Those 'put off' are listed below ''in italics''. # Robert Dymoke, layman, 1580 (died in prison) # John Cooper, layman, 1580 (died in prison) # ''William Tyrwhit, layman, 1580 (died in prison - named by error for his brother Robert)'' # William Chaplin, seminary priest, 1583 (died in prison) # Thomas Cotesmore, priest, 1584 (died in prison) # Robert Holmes, priest, 1584 (died in prison) # Roger Wakeman, priest, 1584 (died in prison) # James Lomax, priest, 1584 (died in prison) # Mr Ailworth, layman, 1584 (died in prison) # Thomas Crowther, priest, 1585 (died in prison) # Edward Pole, priest, 1585 (died in prison) # Laurence Vaux, priest, 1585 (died in prison) #

John Jetter John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, priest, 1585 (died in prison) #

John Harrison John Harrison ( – 24 March 1776) was a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea. Harrison's solution revol ...

, priest, 1586 (died in prison) #

Martin Sherson Martin Sherson (1563–1588) was an English Roman Catholic priest. Biography A native of Yorkshire, he matriculated at St John's College, Oxford in 1575 at the age of twelve, becoming "a poor scholar of George Mannering who taught Rhetoric th ...

, priest, 1587 (died in prison) # Gabriel Thimelby, layman, 1587 (died in prison) #

Thomas Metham Sir Thomas Metham (died 1573 in York Castle) was an English Roman Catholic knight, imprisoned with his second wife for their beliefs. Life Metham was the eldest son of Thomas Metham, of Metham, Yorkshire, by his marriage to Grace, a daughter o ...

, Jesuit, 1592 (died in prison) # ''James Atkinson, layman, 1595 ("killed under torture by Topcliffe, but evidence is wanted of his constancy to the end")'' # ''Matthew/Matthias Harrison, seminary priest, 1599 (not yet sufficiently distinguished from James Harrison)'' # Eleanor Hunt, widow, 1600 (died in prison) # Mrs Swithun Wells, widow, 1602 (died in prison) # ''

Henry Garnet Henry Garnet (July 1555 – 3 May 1606), sometimes Henry Garnett, was an English Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Heanor, Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester Colle ...

, Jesuit, executed 1606 ("was he killed ex odio fidei, or was he believed to be guilty of the Powder Plot, by merely human misjudgment, not through religious prejudice?")'' # ''John Mawson, layman, executed 1614 (not yet sufficiently distinguished from John Mason, 1591)'' # ''Thomas Dyer, Benedictine, c.1618-1630 - his identity 'has not been fully proved # Edward Wilkes, priest, 1642 (died in prison) # Boniface Kemp, priest, OSB, 1642 (died in prison) # Ildephonse Hesketh (alias William Hanson), Benedictine, 1642 (died in prison) # Thomas Vaughan, priest, probably 1644 (died in prison) # Richard Bradley, Jesuit, 1645 (died in prison) # John Felton, priest, SJ, 1646 (died in prison) # Thomas Blount, priest, probably 1646 (died in prison) # Robert Cox, Benedictine, 1650 (died in prison) # ''Laurence Hill, layman, 1679 (Was it due to odium fidei, or an unprejudiced error?)'' # ''Robert Green, layman, 1679 (Was it due to odium fidei, or an unprejudiced error?)'' # Thomas Jennison, Jesuit, 1679 (died in prison) # William Lloyd, seminary priest, 1679 (died in prison) # Placid Adelham, Benedictine, 1680 (died in prison) # Richard Birkett, priest, 1680 (died in prison) # Richard Lacey, Jesuit, 1680 (died in prison) # William Atkins, Jesuit, 1681 (died in prison) # Edward Turner, Jesuit, 1681 (died in prison) # William Allison, priest, 1681 (died in prison) #

Benedict Constable Benedict may refer to: People Names *Benedict (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Benedict (surname), including a list of people with the surname Religious figures *Pope Benedict I (died 579), head of the Catholic Chu ...

, Benedictine, 1683 (died in prison) # William Bentney (alias Bennet), Jesuit, 1692 (died in prison)

Executed for their faith in England 1534–1680

1534–1547

During the reign of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. * John Allen, priest, 25 February 1538 * John Collins, priest, 1538Annales, or a general Chronicle of England, By John Stow, P576
/ref>The House of Commons, 1509-1558, Volume 1, By Stanley Thomas Bindoff, P117
/ref> * George Croft, priest, 1538 * Martin Condres, Augustinian monk, December 1538: * Paul of Saint William, Augustinian monk, December 1538: * Thomas Empson (or Epson), Benedictine, 4 August 1540: * Robert Bird, layman; 4 August 1540:'accused (perhaps from religious motives) of treason at Calais'
Lives of the English martyrs, declared, blessed by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 and 1895 - P483
/ref> * William Bird, priest, 4 August 1540: * William Peterson, priest, Commissary of Calais, Calais, 10 August 1540: or 10 April 1540

Decrees of Elizabeth I

During the reign of

Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...

, papal authority was officially reinstated and under three hundred of the minority Protestant population were

martyred 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 externa ...

. Upon

's accession to the throne, an

Act of Supremacy The Acts of Supremacy are two acts passed by the Parliament of England in the 16th century that established the English monarchs as the head of the Church of England; two similar laws were passed by the Parliament of Ireland establishing the En ...

denied papal authority over the English church; but only a decade later, in February 1570, did

excommunicate Elizabeth and any who obeyed her, issuing the bull ''

'', which purported to "release

Elizabeth I's Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (s ...

subjects from their allegiance to her".Barry, Patrick, "The Penal Laws", ''L'Osservatore Romano'', p.8, 30 November 1987
/ref> In the words of the ''New Catholic Encyclopedia'', "Without question it was Elizabeth I's intention to supplant the old religion with the new in a bloodless manner. It is significant that there were no martyrs in the first 12 years of her reign, and only five in the years 1570 to 1577." Of those five, Thomas Plumtree had been chaplain to the insurgents in the

, John Felton had published Pope Pius V's Bull

("reigning on high"), excommunicating Queen Elizabeth, John Story was tried for high treason, for having supported the Rising of the North and encouraging the Duke of Alba to invade,

Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, 1st Baron Percy, KG (152822 August 1572), led the Rising of the North and was executed for treason. He was later beatified by the Catholic Church. Early life Percy was the eldest son of Sir Thomas ...

, had led the Rising of the North, and Thomas Woodhouse had declared in a letter to William Cecil that Elizabeth "for her own great disobedience is most justly deposed". The threat of invasion by a Roman Catholic country assisted by English subjects led the Crown to try to repress Roman Catholicism.Chapman, John H
"The Persecution under Elizabeth"
''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Old Series Vol. 9 (1881), pp. 21-43. Retrieved 2012-02-19. Responding to Pius V's action, Elizabeth I's government passed anti-Roman Catholic decrees in 1571 forbidding anyone from maintaining the jurisdiction of the pope by word, deed or act; requiring use of the

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

in all cathedrals, churches and chapels, and forbidding criticism of it; forbidding the publication of any bull, writing or instrument of the Holy See (the death penalty was assigned to this); and prohibiting the importing of Agnus Dei images, crosses, pictures, beads or other things from the Bishop of Rome. Later laws made illegal the drawing of anyone away from the state church; non-attendance at a Church of England church; raising children with teachers who were not licensed by an Anglican diocesan bishop; and attending or celebrating the

Roman Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

. In 1585, a new decree made it a crime punishable by death to go overseas to receive the sacrament of Ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood. Nicholas Devereux (who went by the alias of

) and Edward Barber (see below

) were both put to death in 1586 under this law. William Thomson and Richard Lea (see below Richard Sergeant) were hanged, disembowelled and quartered under the same law. In 1588, eight priests and six laymen at Newgate were condemned and executed under this law.

1570–1603

* William Hambledon, priest, 1585 * John MacMahon, Jesuit priest, 1594The history and topography of the county of Clare, from the earliest times to the beginning of the 18th century
(1893), P67 - citing Anthony Bruodin, 'Propugnaculum Catholicae Veritatis', 1669

1606–1680

* James Brown, Benedictine, 1645

Died in prison

* Thomas Wood, priest, before 1588

References

Citations

Sources

* Pendrill, Colin (2000), ''The English Reformation 1485-1558'', Heinemann. * Pallen, C.B.; Wynne, J.J., eds. (1929), ''The New Catholic Dictionary'', New York: Universal Knowledge Foundation. *

External links

"English Confessors and Martyrs (1534–1729)".
article by Pollen, J.H. in ''

The Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' (1909) {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Catholic Martyrs Of The English Reformation List Catholic martyrs of the English Reformation

Catholic martyrs 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 ...

Religiously motivated violence in England