John Kemble
English saint
Feast: 22 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
John Kemble, born in Herefordshire in 1599, was ordained at Douai in 1625 and worked on the mission for over fifty years, living in old age with his nephew at Pembridge Castle.
Arrested in the Titus Oates panic, the aged priest was condemned for his priesthood. Before going to his death he calmly smoked a pipe and drank a cup with the under-sheriff, giving rise to the Herefordshire 'Kemble pipe'. He was executed at Hereford on 22 August 1679.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
An old priest who met death with calm and good humour.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - John Kemble
- Wikidata Q11717979 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — John Kemble (martyr) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.