William Knight (martyr)
Encyclopedia
The Blessed
William Knight (1572 – 29 November 1596) was an Englishman put to death for his Roman Catholic faith at York
, England. With him also suffered the Venerable George Errington
of Herst, Northumberland
; the Venerable William Gibson of Ripon
; and the Venerable William Abbot of Howden, Yorkshire
.
Knight was the son of a Leonard Knight and lived at South Duffield, Hemington
. On coming of age, he claimed from his uncle some property which had been left to him by his father, an Anglican
, and his uncle who denounced him to the authorities for being a Roman Catholic; he was at once seized and committed to the custody of a pursuivant
named Colyer who treated him with indignity and severity.
He was sent in October, 1593, to York Castle
, where William Gibson and George Errington were already confined, the latter having been arrested some years before for participation in a rising in the North.
A Church of England
clergyman was among the prisoners at York. To gain his freedom, he had recourse to an act of treachery: feigning a desire to convert to the Roman Church, he won the confidence of Knight and his two companions, who explained their faith to him. With the connivance of the authorities, he was directed to one Henry Abbot, then at liberty, who endeavoured to procure a priest to reconcile him to the Church. Thereupon Abbot was arrested and, together with Knight and his two comrades, accused of persuading the Anglican clergyman to embrace Roman Catholicism — an act of treason
under the penal laws. They were found guilty, and were hanged, drawn, and quartered at York
, on 29 November 1596.
Knight was one of the eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales
beatified
by Pope John Paul II
on 22 November 1987.
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
William Knight (1572 – 29 November 1596) was an Englishman put to death for his Roman Catholic faith at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, England. With him also suffered the Venerable George Errington
George Errington (martyr)
Blessed George Errington of Hurst Castle - from the minor gentry branch of Bingfield, St John Lee, Northumberland - was a Roman Catholic martyr who was hanged, drawn and quartered at York, on 29 November 1596. Two years before his own death, Errington had ridden with Father John Boste on his last...
of Herst, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
; the Venerable William Gibson of Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
; and the Venerable William Abbot of Howden, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Knight was the son of a Leonard Knight and lived at South Duffield, Hemington
Hemington
Hemington may refer to:*Hemington, Leicestershire*Hemington, Northamptonshire*Hemington, Somerset...
. On coming of age, he claimed from his uncle some property which had been left to him by his father, an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
, and his uncle who denounced him to the authorities for being a Roman Catholic; he was at once seized and committed to the custody of a pursuivant
Pursuivant
A pursuivant or, more correctly, pursuivant of arms, is a junior officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to official heraldic authorities, such as the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. In the mediaeval era, many great nobles employed their own officers of...
named Colyer who treated him with indignity and severity.
He was sent in October, 1593, to York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
, where William Gibson and George Errington were already confined, the latter having been arrested some years before for participation in a rising in the North.
A Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman was among the prisoners at York. To gain his freedom, he had recourse to an act of treachery: feigning a desire to convert to the Roman Church, he won the confidence of Knight and his two companions, who explained their faith to him. With the connivance of the authorities, he was directed to one Henry Abbot, then at liberty, who endeavoured to procure a priest to reconcile him to the Church. Thereupon Abbot was arrested and, together with Knight and his two comrades, accused of persuading the Anglican clergyman to embrace Roman Catholicism — an act of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
under the penal laws. They were found guilty, and were hanged, drawn, and quartered at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, on 29 November 1596.
Knight was one of the eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales
Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales
The Eighty-five Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of men who were executed on charges of treason and related offences in the Kingdom of England between 1584 and 1679...
beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on 22 November 1987.