No likeness on file
William Lacy
English Catholic priest and martyr
BlessedResearched
Feast: 22 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
—
unknown
Died
22 August 1582
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
—
not yet
Who they were
William Lacy, a Yorkshire gentleman who had held office under the Crown, suffered fourteen years of persecution for his faith, including imprisonment. After his wife's death he went abroad and, with a dispensation, was ordained in Rome.
Arrested in 1582 after a Mass in York Castle, he was loaded with heavy irons and kept in an underground dungeon, and was executed at York on 22 August 1582.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A widower who became a priest late in life and died for the Faith.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - William Lacy
- Wikidata Q16863447 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — William Lacy (Catholic priest) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.