Picture: Royal English College in Valladolid · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
William Richardson
English Roman Catholic priest and martyr
BlessedResearched
Born
1572
Died
17 February 1603
verified
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
—
not yet
Who they were
William Richardson studied at Reims and Valladolid and was ordained at Seville. Betrayed by a trusted friend, he was condemned for being a priest after a hurried trial.
He died at Tyburn on 17 February 1603 with great courage and cheerfulness, praying for the queen, the last martyr under Elizabeth.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
The last martyr of Elizabeth's reign, who died praying for the queen.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - William Richardson
- Wikidata Q8017556 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — William Richardson (martyr) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.