Thurston Hunt

Blesseds Thurston Hunt and Robert Middleton S.J.
Priests, Martyrs
Born	c. 1555 (Hunt) c. 1571 (Middleton) Carlton Hall, near Leeds (Hunt) York, England (Middleton)
Died	31 March 1601 (Hunt aged 45 - 46) (Middleton aged 29 - 30) Lancaster, Lancashire, England
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Beatified	22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II
Feast	31 March, August 7 (feast day of the Lancaster Martyrs), 22 November

Thurston Hunt (executed 31 March 1601 at Lancaster) was an English Catholic priest. He was tried and executed with Robert Middleton, also a priest. They were declared to be martyrs by the Catholic Church, and beatified in 1987, by Pope John Paul II.

A contemporary sang of

Hunt's hawtie corage staut,

With godlie zeale soe true,

Myld Middleton, O what tongue

Can halfe thy vertue showe!

History

Thurston Hunt was born in 1555, and belonged to a family living at Carlton Hall, near Leeds. He also had studied for the priesthood at Rheims (1583–84). When Middleton was arrested by chance near Preston, an attempt to rescue him was then made by four Catholics, of whom Hunt was one, but the attempt failed. After a long tussle, Hunt was himself captured. ^[1]

Robert Middleton was from York. Born in 1571, he was a nephew of Margaret (Middleton) Clitheroe, who was pressed to death in 1586 for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. Initially a member of the Church of England, he became a practising Catholic and went to Rheims to study at the English College. From there he went to the English College of St Gregory in Seville, and then in 1597 to the English College in Rome. He was ordained on 4 January 1598 and then a few months later left for the English mission. Prior to being captured in the autumn of 1600, he had expressed a wish to join the Jesuits. ^[2]

The two were heavily shackled night and day. By order of the Privy Council, with their feet tied beneath their horses' bellies, they were carried in public disgrace up to London and back again to Lancaster, where they were condemned and executed for having been ordained overseas and daring to return as priests. The local population showed their disapproval; no one would hire his horse to drag them to the place of execution. They were hanged until almost dead, then cut down and beheaded. Their relics were quickly carried off after their death. ^[1]

Blue plaque for Thurstan Hunt on Carlton Hall

See also

• Douai Martyrs

References

1. Pollen, John Hungerford. "Ven. Thurston Hunt." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 2 December 2021 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
2. Rochford, S.J., Tom. "Robert Middleton", Jesuits-global

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ven. Thurston Hunt". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. The entry cites:
  • John Hungerford Pollen, Unpublished Documents relating to the English Martyrs, Catholic Record Society Records series V (1908), 384–9;