Thomas Holford (sometimes called Thomas Acton) (1541–1588) was an English

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

schoolteacher who became a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

during the reign of Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. He was

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloquial ...

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

in London, and is recognised by the Catholic Church as having the status of '' Blessed''.

Early life

Thomas Holford, the son of a minister, was born in 1541 near

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture ...

, Cheshire, at Aston'The Seminary Priests', Godfrey Anstruther, published by St Edmund's College, Ware and Ushaw College, Durham, 1968, entry for Thomas Holford in the parish of Acton.Nine Martyrs of the Shrewsbury Diocese
by Kevin Byrne, accessed 7 November 2012 He was raised as a Protestant and became a schoolteacher. He moved to

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

to become resident tutor to the children of Sir James Scudamore of

Holme Lacy Holme Lacy is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 466 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Etymology The name of Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse language, Old No ...

. There, through the ministry of a Catholic priest, Richard Davis, around 1579 he became a Catholic himself. On 18 August 1582, Holford entered the English College at

Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, where he trained to become a Catholic priest. He was ordained at

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

9 April 1583 and was sent to England on 4 May the same year.

Priesthood

Holford, and his mentor Richard Davis, narrowly avoided capture when staying with the Bellamys of Uxenden Hall near

Harrow-on-the-Hill Harrow on the Hill or Harrow-on-the-Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of London Borough of Harrow, Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. The Bellamy house was raided on 2 November 1584. Holford returned to his native Cheshire, but was arrested at Nantwich in May 1585. A letter survives, sent by Holford from prison to his brother, in which he asks for some of his clothing to be sent so he can have it sold for funds. In it, he signs his name as ''Tho: Holforde.'' In captivity, Holford was interrogated by the Anglican Bishop of Chester. The bishop left a description of Thomas as a ''tall, black (haired), fat, strong man, the crown of his head bald, his beard marquessated (shaven except for a moustache)''. Holford refused to accept exile, stating instead his expectation that he would be executed at

Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...

or Boughton. He was sent back to London for trial, but escaped by feigning insanity when his guards were suffering from a hangover. In 1586, Holford again narrowly escaped capture at the Bellamy house when

Sir Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her " spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wa ...

raided London Catholic houses following an unsuccessful Catholic plot to replace Elizabeth I with

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. Holford, using the alias ''Acton'', then stayed away from London for some time but returned in 1588 to buy clothes. He was spotted after celebrating a clandestine Mass in

Holborn Holborn ( or ), an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part (St Andrew Holborn (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon Without i ...

, at the home of Swithin Wells. He was followed to the tailors, and arrested.

Martyrdom and liturgical cult

Thomas Holford was held in custody at

Newgate Newgate was one of the historic seven gates of the London Wall around the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. Newgate lay on the west side of the wall and the road issuing from it headed over the River Fleet to Mid ...

, where he was condemned on 26 August 1588. He was hanged (though not drawn and quartered) on 28 August 1588, at Clerkenwell. The executions which took place on this day and shortly thereafter were not all at the usual sites for executions in London, but were spread across the city to make an example of those condemned for their treasonous acts. This has been interpreted as a gesture of reprisal following the defeat of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

.'The Seminary Priests', Godfrey Anstruther, published by St Edmund's College, Ware and Ushaw College, Durham, 1968, entry for James Claxton In the 2004 edition of the

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...

, Holford is listed as one of a group of eight martyrs who died in London on 28 August 1588. Following the Roman custom of naming a principal martyr 'and companions', the principal martyr is one

William Dean William, Will, Bill or Billy Dean is the name of the following people: Arts and entertainment * Bill Dean (1921–2000), British actor * Billy Dean (born 1962), American country music singer Sports * William Dean (Hampshire cricketer) (c. 1882� ...

, a priest. Three other priests are named besides Holford: William Gunter, Robert Morton and James Claxton. The group is completed by Thomas Felton, a Franciscan cleric, and the laymen Henry Webley and Hugh More.''Martyrologium Romanum'', 2004, Vatican Press (Typis Vaticanis), pp. 482 and 833. Blessed Thomas is the eponymous patron of Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College in Altrincham. There is a panel picture of him in St Joseph’s Church, Sale.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holford, Thomas 1541 births 1588 deaths 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 16th-century venerated Christians English beatified people 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests Martyred Roman Catholic priests People executed under Elizabeth I by hanging, drawing and quartering Executed people from Cheshire People from Nantwich One Hundred and Seven Martyrs of England and Wales