ENGLISH CARTHUSIAN MARTYRS

Roman Calendar : May 4
Carthusian Calendar : May 4

The Carthusian Martyrs of the English Reformation suffered martyrdom between 1535-1540 during the reign of King Henry VIII. In all, eighteen Carthusians were beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 along with a large group of English and Welsh Martyrs of the Reformation. On October 25, 1970 Pope Paul VI canonized a representative group of forty martyrs of the English Reformation, of which three, John Houghton, Robert Lawrence, and Augustine Webster were Carthusians.

What follows is a list of the fifteen Beatified Carthusian Martyrs of the English Reformation:

1. Blessed Humphrey Middlemore, vicar of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on June 19, 1535.

2. Blessed William Exmew, procurator of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on June 19, 1535.

3. Blessed Sebastian Newdigate, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on June 19, 1535.

4. Blessed John Rochester, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, exiled by the government to the Charterhouse of St Michael at Hull in Yorkshire, executed at York on May 11, 1537, by being hanged in chains from the city battlements until dead.

5. Blessed James Walworth, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, exiled by the government to the Charterhouse of St Michael at Hull in Yorkshire, executed at York on May 11, 1537, by being hanged in chains from the city battlements until dead.

6. Blessed William Greenwood, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 6, 1537.

7. Blessed John Davy, deacon, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison on June 8, 1537.

8. Blessed Robert Salt, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 9, 1537.

9. Blessed Walter Pierson, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 10, 1537.

10. Blessed Thomas Green (perhaps alias Thomas Greenwood), choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 10, 1537.

11. Blessed Thomas Scryven, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 15, 1537.

12. Blessed Thomas Redyng, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 16, 1537.

13. Blessed Richard Bere, choir monk of the London Charterhouse and former Abbot of Glastonbury, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on August 9, 1537.

14. Blessed Thomas Johnson, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on September 20, 1537.

15. Blessed William Horne, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, hanged, disembowelled, and quartered at Tyburn, London on August 4, 1540.

http://www.angelfire.com/nv2/monastic2/carthusian/martyrs.html


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Died 1535-40; beatified in 1886, by Pope Leo XIII, 18 Carthusian monks who were put to death in England under King Henry VIII for maintaining their allegiance to the Pope.

The Carthusians, founded by St. Bruno in 1054, are the strictest and most austere monastic order in the western Church. They live an austere hermitic life, their ‘monastery’ actually being a number of hermitages built next to each other.

When Henry VIII issued his “Act of Supremacy” declaring that all who refused to take an oath recognizing him as head of the Church of England committed an act of high treason, these 18 Carthusians refused and were sentenced to death.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=227





The first to die were the Carthusian prior of London, John Houghton, and two of his brothers, Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster, who were hanged, drawn and quartered, on May 4, 1535. The prior is said to have declared his fidelity to the Catholic Church and forgiven his executioners before dying.



The Carthusians were the first martyrs to die under the reign of Henry VIII. Two more were killed on June 19 of that year and by August 4, 1540, all 18 had been tortured and killed for refusing to place their allegiance to the king before their allegiance to the Pope.