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Luke Kirby
English Catholic priest and martyr
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 30 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1549
verified
Died
30 May 1582
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Luke Kirby, from the north of England, was reconciled to the Church at Louvain, studied at Douai and was ordained at Cambrai in 1577; he later took the oath at the English College in Rome.
Arrested on landing at Dover in 1580, he was tortured in the Tower with the 'Scavenger's Daughter' and condemned in 1581. He was executed at Tyburn on 30 May 1582 with three other priests.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A priest who bore torture and died for the Faith.
Connected on this site
- Lawrence Richardson Blessed“He was executed at Tyburn in 1582, with Luke Kirby.” — Wikipedia
- William Filby Blessed“He was put to death at Tyburn on 30 May 1582 with Thomas Cottam, Luke Kirby and Laurence Richardson.” — this site's research
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Luke Kirby
- Wikidata Q3046840 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Luke Kirby (priest) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.