Bethune Catholic: Feast of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Feast of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales

Looking for some books on these heroic saints? You won't find many in print. (Of course there is our - which is on sale for today only-but even this is not comprehensive.)

There are a number of survey books on these martyrs which you may be able to get 2nd hand (one may still be in print): Prey of the Priest-Hunters by Leo Knowles; Forty English and Welsh Martyrs by Clement Tigar SJ; Martyrs of the English Reformation by Dr. Malcolm Brennan (Angelus Press-this one may still be available). Then of course there is the comprehensive-but long out of print 2 volume set Lives of the English Martyrs edited by Dom Bede Camm OSB. (our booklet on Cuthbert Mayne comes from these volumes, as does the our forthcoming sketch of St. Thomas More. These volumes cover more than the 40 martrys as only a selection of all the martrys were canonized.)

Then we do have some books on specific martyrs. Again most of these will be out of print. The Pearl of York-St. Margaret Clitherow is one who has at least one book written about her. (Long-skirts has written a beautiful peom about the Pearl of York-I wish she would post it today.)

The Carthusian Martyrs some of whom are among the 40 have had several books written about them. Not the least of which is an eyewitness account by one of their brother Carthusians, Dom Maurice Chanuncy. He actually wrote the account more than once. We have two of the accounts here (maybe one day they will be avaiable again.)

Then in the late 19th century Dom Lawrence Hendriks wrote an account of the Carthusian Martyrs (The London Charterhouse). Dom Bede Camm OSB wrote a book about Sebastian Newdigate-another of the Carthusian marytrs.

At the same time (around 1890) there is another account of the Carthusian martyrs written in French by Dom Victor-Marie Doreau (Prior of the the St. Hugh Charterhouse in England.).

Then of course we have many larger works which include a chapter here or there on the Carthusian Martyrs; for example The History of the Carthusian Order in England by E. Margaret Thompson and John Fisher by Michael Davies.

(Update: I guess I got this backwards-they were celebrated on 4 May until the canonization in 1970-Thanks to Pro Ecclesia for clarifying this.) Of course the 40 martyrs are now more often celebrated on May 4 -but 25 October was their original feast day-so we can celebrate on both. Finally is a print from the French book of the Carthusians martyrdom at Tyburn.