John Haile was an elderly secular priest who was vicar of

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London, England. It lies immediately east of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's original area of ...

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 ...

in the early 16th century; his significance in history, like that of many of the English

martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, 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 ...

, begins only with the events which led to his death.

Life

He was a fellow of Kings Hall, Cambridge, and is said to have lived an edifying life. He held the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

before his promotion to Isleworth on 13 August 1521. He was arrested in March 1535 by

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

's men and accused of the crime of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

for speaking against the King's divorce and remarriage. The information was laid by another priest, Fern of Teddington who was also convicted of treason, but received a pardon. John Haile was 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 ...

on 4 May 1535, together with the first

Carthusian Martyrs of London The Carthusian Martyrs of London were the Carthusians, Carthusian monks of the London Charterhouse who were put to death by the England, English state from 4 May 1535 to 20 September 1537. The Hanged, drawn and quartered, method of execution wa ...

and the

Bridgettine The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour (; abbreviated OSsS), is a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta (Bridg ...

priest Richard Reynolds, the confessor of nearby

Syon Abbey Syon Abbey , also called simply Syon, was a dual monastery of men and women of the Bridgettines, Bridgettine Order, although it only ever had abbesses during its existence. It was founded in 1415 and stood, until its demolition in the 16th cent ...

. He was the first secular priest to suffer for the Catholic Faith under King Henry VIII and be recognised as a martyr and he was

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

on 29 December 1886 by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

with 53 others.

References

Sources

*
Tyburn Convent. ''The one hundred and five martyrs of Tyburn''
* ''Parish priests among the saints; canonized or beatified parish priests''. Walter Gumbley, Freeport, N.Y., Books for Libraries Press, 1971, London, Burns & Oates (1917) pp39-40 1535 deaths English beatified people Forty-one Martyrs of England and Wales Beatifications by Pope Leo XIII {{RC-clergy-stub