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The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales: A New Series
An often overlooked part of Church history
In November 2022, I began a series profiling some key figures from a pivotal era of Church history: the English Reformation, and in particular the Catholic martyrs of that era (a period from roughly 1533 to 1679). This period began when that old rascal King Henry VIII broke with Rome (naming himself head of the Church in England), continued when his daughter Elizabeth I took the persecution of dissenting Catholics to a whole new level, and lasted into the reign of Charles II. I had grand plans for the series, but then life intervened.
As I have recounted in my Mayberry Chronicles, my mother got sick in January of 2023, and for much of the year I relocated to East Texas to help care for her. After she passed in January of this year, I moved here permanently to help my octogenarian stepfather navigate life without her. In some ways, it’s amazing that I’ve been able to write at all, and the series on the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales was one casualty of the chaos of the past two years. With a new year upon us, I want to correct that.
Before going any further, I need to make a critical disclaimer. This series will, as you can tell from the title, cover some of the forty most notable martyrs recognized by the Catholic Church (as well…
