Margaret Ward (c. 1550-30 August 1588), the "pearl of Tyburn", was an English

Catholic 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 ...

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 ...

who was executed during the reign of

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 ...

for assisting a

priest 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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

to escape from prison. She was

canonised Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

in 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Life

Margaret Ward was born in

Congleton Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The town is by the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 26,482. Top ...

, Cheshire around 1550. She was living in London in the service of a lady of the "first rank" when she learned of the severe maltreatment of Richard Watson, a priest confined at

Bridewell Prison Bridewell Palace in London was built as a residence of King Henry VIII and was one of his homes early in his reign for eight years. Given to the City of London Corporation by his son King Edward VI for use as an orphanage and place of correc ...

."St. Margaret Ward", Diocese of Shrewsbury
/ref> She obtained permission to visit him. She was thoroughly searched before and after every visit, but gradually the authorities became less cautious, and she managed to smuggle a rope into the prison. Fr. William Watson jumped off the wall, slightly hurting himself. He escaped, but left the rope hanging from the window. The boatman whom Ward had engaged to convey him down the river then refused to carry out the bargain. Ward, in her distress, confided in another boatman, John Roche, who undertook to assist her. He provided a boat and exchanged clothes with the priest. Watson escaped, but Roche was captured in his place, and Ward, having been Watson's only visitor, was also arrested.Burton, Edwin. "St. Margaret Ward." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 29 May 2016 Margaret Ward was kept in irons for eight days, was hung up by the hands, and

scourged A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather. Etymology The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French ''escorg ...

, but absolutely refused to disclose the priest's whereabouts. At her trial, she admitted to having helped Watson to escape, and rejoiced in "having delivered an innocent lamb from the hands of those bloody wolves". She was offered a pardon if she would attend a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

service but refused. She was hanged at

Tyburn Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern Ox ...

on 30 August 1588, along with Edward Shelley, Richard Martin, Richard Leigh, Richard Lloyd (alias Flower) and John Roche.

Veneration

Margaret Ward was beatified in 1929 and

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

on 25 October 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Her feast day, along with all the English Martyrs, is on 4 May. However, in the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

dioceses of England, she shares a feast day with fellow female martyr saints

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 c ...

and

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 ...

, on 30 August. The three were officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day on 30 August. Ward is depicted in panels in St Joseph's, Sale and St Alban's, Wallasey. There are several schools named after her, including

St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Tunstall area of Stoke-on-Trent in the English county of Staffordshire. The school is named after Saint Margaret Ward, a Roman Catholic martyr who ...

Tunstall, Staffordshire Tunstall is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Hanley and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form th ...

.St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy
/ref>

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Margaret 1550s births 1588 deaths People from Congleton Canonizations by Pope Paul VI English Roman Catholic saints Forty Martyrs of England and Wales People executed under Elizabeth I Executed people from Cheshire Executed English women 16th-century Christian saints 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 16th-century English women People executed by the Kingdom of England by hanging Christian female saints of the Early Modern era Anglican saints