No likeness on file
Richard Yaxley
English Roman Catholic martyr
BlessedResearchedKingdom of England
Feast: 5 July (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1560
Died
5 July 1589
verified
Beatified
22 November 1987
unverified
Canonised
—
not yet
Who they were
Richard Yaxley was a priest who was put to death at Oxford on 5 July 1589, under Elizabeth I, together with George Nichols, Thomas Belson and Humphrey Pritchard.
In 1913 the Catholic Encyclopedia counted him among the English martyrs whose cause had been admitted at Rome, who were then styled Venerable.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
One of the English martyrs who died for the Catholic faith under Elizabeth I.
Connected on this site
- George Nichols Blessed“Arrested at the Catherine Wheel inn in Oxford with Richard Yaxley and two laymen, he was executed at Oxford on 19 October 1589.” — this site's research
- Thomas Belson Blessed“Richard Yaxley was a priest who was put to death at Oxford on 5 July 1589, under Elizabeth I, together with George Nichols, Thomas Belson and Humphrey Pritchard.” — this site's research
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - English Confessors and Martyrs (1534-1729)
- Roman Martyrology, 5 July (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q21547554 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.