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Richard Langley
16th-century Roman Catholic martyr
BlessedResearched
Feast: 1 December (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1600
Died
1 December 1586
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
—
not yet
Who they were
Richard Langley, a Yorkshire gentleman with a wife, a son and four daughters, gave his energy and much of his fortune to helping persecuted priests, and built a hidden refuge for them.
Betrayed, he was seized in 1586 with two priests found in his house. He remained steadfast in his faith and was executed at York on 1 December 1586.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A gentleman who spent his fortune sheltering priests.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Richard Langley
- Wikidata Q7327251 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Richard Langley (martyr) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.