Blessed John Roche | |
|---|---|
 Statue of John Roche in the church of St Etheldreda, Ely Place, London | |
| Martyr | |
| Born | Ireland |
| Died | 30 August 1588 Tyburn, London |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI |
| Feast | 30 August |
| Patronage | sailors, mariners, boatmen |
John Roche (also known as John Neele or Neale) was a Catholic martyr, born in Ireland, who died in London, England on 30 August 1588. [1]
He helped Margaret Ward arrange the escape of Richard Watson from Bridewell Prison when the boatman she had originally asked to help her refused to do so. [2] Roche exchanged clothes with the prisoner and was arrested in his place. [3] Offered his freedom if he would ask Queen Elizabeth I's pardon and promise to attend a Protestant church, he refused, and was hanged at Tyburn, London on 30 August 1588, along with Ward, Edward Shelley, Richard Martin, and Richard Leigh and Richard Lloyd (alias Flower). [4]
Pope Pius XI beatified Roche in 1929. A school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets was named after him.
Usually shown in working-class Elizabethan dress and holding an oar or a miniature boat, he is the patron of sailors, mariners and boatmen.
The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales or Cuthbert Mayne and Thirty-Nine Companion Martyrs are a group of Catholic, lay and religious, men and women, executed between 1535 and 1679 for treason and related offences under various laws enacted by Parliament during the English Reformation. The individuals listed range from Carthusian monks who in 1535 declined to accept Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy, to seminary priests who were caught up in the alleged Popish Plot against Charles II in 1679. Many were sentenced to death at show trials, or with no trial at all.
William Way was an English Catholic priest and martyr executed under Elizabeth I after the Protestant Reformation. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church.
Richard Gwyn, also known by his anglicised name, Richard White, was a Welsh teacher at illegal and underground schools and a Bard who wrote both Christian and satirical poetry in the Welsh language. A Roman Catholic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Gwyn was martyred by being hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason at Wrexham in 1584. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Since its creation in 1987, St. Richard Gwyn has been the Patron Saint of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wrexham. Along with fellow lay martyr St. Margaret Clitherow, Gwyn is the co-patron of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.
Richard Leigh was an English Roman Catholic martyr born in Cambridge, the scion of Cheshire gentry, squires of the West Hall, High Legh since the 11th century.
Margaret Ward, the "pearl of Tyburn", was an English Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I for assisting a priest to escape from prison. She was canonised in 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Edward James was an English Catholic priest and martyr.
Christopher Bales, also spelled Christopher Bayles, alias Christopher Evers (c.1564–1590), was an English Catholic priest and martyr. He was beatified in 1929.
Edward Waterson was an English Catholic priest and martyr. He served the hidden Catholics in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Edward was arrested in 1593 and executed at Newcastle upon Tyne. He was beatified in 1929.
Ralph Crockett was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
William Hartley was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
Nicholas Horner was an English Roman Catholic layman, hanged, drawn and quartered because he had "relieved and assisted" Christopher Bales, a seminary priest. A tailor by trade, he was charged with making a jerkin for a priest. Horner maintained that the customer was a stranger and he didn't know who he was. Horner is recognized as a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987.
Thomas Tunstall (Tunstal) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
Thomas Tichborne was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is regarded as a Catholic martyr.
John Hewitt or Hewett (date of birth unknown; executed at Mile End Green, 5 October 1588) was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
Richard Langley was an English Roman Catholic layman, condemned for sheltering Catholic priests. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.
William Dean or Deane was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is one of the Catholic martyrs, beatified in 1929.
The Oaten Hill Martyrs were Catholic Martyrs who were executed by hanging, drawing and quartering at Oaten Hill, Canterbury, on 1 October 1588. The gallows had been put up in 1576. These four were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929.
Richard Martin was an English martyr. A layman, Martin was charged with being a "receiver and maintainer of priests" for having bought supper for Robert Morton, a priest.
Thomas Felton (1566?–1588) was a Franciscan Minim, a Roman Catholic martyr and son of the Roman Catholic martyr, John Felton.
James Bell was an English Catholic priest and the only one of the Marian Priests that is known to have suffered martyrdom.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .