John Rigby (ca. 1570 – 21 June 1600) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

layman who was executed during the reign of

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 is one of the

Forty Martyrs of England and Wales The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales or Cuthbert Mayne and Thirty-Nine Companion Martyrs are a group of Catholic Church, Catholic, lay and religious, men and women, executed between 1535 and 1679 for treason and related offences under variou ...

. (He is called "Thomas" Rigby in ''The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest'', a story about the Jesuit priest

John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular garde ...

Life

Rigby was born circa 1570 at Harrock Hall, Wrightington, Lancashire (near

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

), the fifth or sixth son of Nicholas Rigby, by his wife Mary (née Breres). In 1600 Rigby was working as a steward for Sir Edmund Huddleston. Sir Edmund sent him to the sessions house of the Old Bailey to plead illness for the absence of his daughter, the widow Mrs. Fortescue, who had been summoned on a charge of recusancy. A commissioner then questioned Rigby about his own religious beliefs. Rigby acknowledged that he was Catholic, and was sent to

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 ...

. The next day, the feast day of St Valentine, he signed a confession saying that since he had been reconciled to the Roman Catholic faith by

Saint John Jones John Jones O.F.M (c. 1530 - 12 July 1598), also known as John Buckley, John Griffith, Godfrey Maurice (in religion), or Griffith Jones, was a Franciscan priest and martyr. He was born at Clynnog Fawr, Caernarfonshire (Gwynedd), Wales, and was ...

, a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

priest, in

the Clink The Clink was a prison in Southwark, England, which operated from the 12th century until 1780. The prison served the Liberty of the Clink, a local manor area owned by the Bishop of Winchester rather than by the reigning monarch. As the Libe ...

some two or three years previously, he had not attended

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

services. He was sent back to Newgate and later transferred to the White Lion. Twice he was given the chance to recant, but twice refused. He told the judge that his sentence for treason "is the thing which I desire". His sentence was carried out. He gave the executioner who helped him up to the cart a piece of gold, saying, "Take this in token that I freely forgive thee and others that have been accessory to my death."Stanton, Richard, ''A Menology of England and Wales'', Burns & Oates, ltd., London, 1892
/ref> Rigby was hanged, drawn and quartered at St Thomas Waterings on 21 June 1600. Cut down too soon, he landed on his feet, but was thrown down and held while he was disembowelled. According to Challoner, "The people, going away, complained very much of the barbarity of the execution."

Canonization

He was canonized in 1970; his feast day is 25 October.Wainewright, John. "St. John Rigby." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 5 February 2013
/ref> John Jones, the priest who had reconciled Rigby, had died at the same place Rigby had died, St Thomas Waterings, two years earlier, on 12 July 1598.

Legacy

St John Rigby Roman Catholic Sixth Form College in Orrell,

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest town, Wigan, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Atherton, Greater Manchester, Atherton, Ashton-in-Ma ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

is named after John Rigby. One of its buildings, Harrock House, is named after Rigby's birthplace. There are stained glass windows of Rigby in the following churches: * Our Lady & All Saints Church,

Parbold Parbold is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England. Local government Parbold had a population of 2,582 at the 2011 Census. West Lancashire is divided into 19 parish councils, the first tier of local government. Parbold is border ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigby, John Year of birth unknown 1600 deaths Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism English Roman Catholic saints Forty Martyrs of England and Wales People from Eccleston, Lancashire People executed under Elizabeth I Executed people from Lancashire 16th-century Christian saints 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Year of birth uncertain People executed by the Kingdom of England by hanging