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

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

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 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

during the reign of Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

. He was

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', 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 ...

at Clerkenwell in London, and is recognised by the Catholic Church as having the status of ''

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatura ...

''.

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 Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

.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 county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

to become resident tutor to the children of

Sir James Scudamore Sir James Scudamore (also spelled Skidmore, Skidmur, Skidmuer or Scidmore; 1568–1619) was a gentleman usher at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Born at Holme Lacy, Herefordshire, he was the eldest son of John Scudamore, Custos Rotulorum of ...

Holme Lacy Holme Lacy is a village in the English county of Herefordshire. The population of the civil parish was 466 at the 2011 Census. Category It is a primarily rural village. Etymology Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse ''holmr'' "island" like other pla ...

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

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

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territori ...

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 Uxenden Hall or Uxendon Hall was an English manor house near Harrow-on-the-Hill. In the sixteenth century it was inhabited by the Bellamy family. History The hall's name was first recorded in 1257 as ''Woxindon'', meaning "Wixan's Hill", and is ...

near

Harrow-on-the-Hill 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) and is located some hal ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

. 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 manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern ...

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, ...

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 Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

. 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 ) is a district in central London, which 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 ...

, at the home of

Swithin Wells Swithun Wells (c. 1536 – 10 December 1591) was an English Roman Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. Wells was a country gentleman and one time schoolmaster whose family sheltered hunted priests. He himself often ...

. 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 M ...

, 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 (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an a ...

.'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'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) 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 ...

, 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 may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Dean Howells (1837–1920), American novelist and playwright * Bill Dean (1921–2000), British actor * Billy Dean (born 1962), American country music singer ** '' ...

, 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 Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College is a secondary school based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. The school specialises in maths and computing, and is named after Blessed Thomas Holford, a 16th-century priest from Cheshire. The 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