William Ward (priest)
Encyclopedia
William Ward (born at Thornby
in Westmoreland
, about 1560; executed at Tyburn
, 26 July 1641) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
on 16 December 1605; the subdiaconate on 26 October 1607; the diaconate on 31 May 1608; and the priesthood on the following day.
On 14 October he started for England, but was driven onto the shores of Scotland, arrested, and imprisoned for three years. On obtaining his liberty he came to England where he worked for thirty years, twenty of which he spent in various prisons. He was zealous and fiery by temperament, severe with himself and others, and especially devoted to hearing confessions. Though he had the reputation of being a very exacting director, his earnestness drew to him many penitents.
He was in London when Parliament issued the proclamation of 7 April 1641, banishing all priests under pain of death, but refused to retire, and on 15 July was arrested in the house of his nephew. Six days later he was brought to trial at the Old Bailey
and was condemned on 23 July. He was executed on the feast of St. Anne, to whom he ever had a great devotion.
An oil portrait, painted shortly after the martyrdom from memory or possibly from an earlier sketch, is preserved at St. Edmund's College
, Old Hall.
Thornby, Cumbria
Thornby is a village in Cumbria, England....
in Westmoreland
Westmoreland
Westmoreland is a historic county in England. It may also refer to:-Places:Australia*Westmoreland County, New South WalesCanada*Westmorland County, New BrunswickJamaica*Westmoreland, Jamaica, a parishNew Zealand...
, about 1560; executed at Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
, 26 July 1641) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
Life
He was over forty when he went to Douay College to study for the priesthood; no details have been preserved of his earlier life. He arrived there on 18 September 1604; received the minor ordersMinor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
on 16 December 1605; the subdiaconate on 26 October 1607; the diaconate on 31 May 1608; and the priesthood on the following day.
On 14 October he started for England, but was driven onto the shores of Scotland, arrested, and imprisoned for three years. On obtaining his liberty he came to England where he worked for thirty years, twenty of which he spent in various prisons. He was zealous and fiery by temperament, severe with himself and others, and especially devoted to hearing confessions. Though he had the reputation of being a very exacting director, his earnestness drew to him many penitents.
He was in London when Parliament issued the proclamation of 7 April 1641, banishing all priests under pain of death, but refused to retire, and on 15 July was arrested in the house of his nephew. Six days later he was brought to trial at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
and was condemned on 23 July. He was executed on the feast of St. Anne, to whom he ever had a great devotion.
An oil portrait, painted shortly after the martyrdom from memory or possibly from an earlier sketch, is preserved at St. Edmund's College
St. Edmund's College
There are a number of colleges named after Saint Edmund. These include:*St Edmund's College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge*St Edmund's College, Ware*St Edmund's College, Canberra*St. Edmund's College, Shillong...
, Old Hall.