Thomas Johnson, OCart, (died 20 September 1537) was a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

who was killed by starvation in

Tudor England Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, Welsh and English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England and Wales coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor a ...

. He is venerated in the

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

as a

martyr 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 ...

and has been

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 ...

. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is on 4 May.

Biography

On May 18, 1537, 18 lay brothers and 20 choir monks of the

London Charterhouse The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Clerkenwell, London, dating to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square, and lies within the London Borough of Islington. It was originally built (and ...

were arrested to force them to sign the

Oath of Supremacy The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in the Kingdom of England, or in its subordinate Kingdom of Ireland, to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church. Failure to do so was to be trea ...

. Johnson, six

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choi ...

s and four choir monks refused. Like his brothers, after his imprisonment in

Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...

, he was chained standing up and left to starve.

Margaret Clement Margaret Clement or Clements (1508–1570), née Giggs, was one of the most educated women of the Tudor era and the ward and in effect the adopted daughter of Sir Thomas More. Biography Clement's maiden name was Giggs. She was born in 1508, th ...

was temporarily able to bring him and the other Carthusians some food, by entering in disguise, but after

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 ...

became suspicious from their continued survival, this was ended. Johnson took the longest to die of starvation and died on 20 September 1537. A

of the Charterhouse named Horne survived and was not executed until 1540. In that year he was hanged, disembowelled, and quartered 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 ...

. Thomas Johnson and the other

Carthusian Martyrs The Carthusian martyrs are those members of the Carthusian monastic order who have been persecuted and killed because of their Christian faith and their adherence to the Catholic religion. As an enclosed order the Carthusians do not, on principle ...

were

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 ...

in 1886. There are paintings of Johnson along with other Carthusian martyrs in the church of the former Charterhouse of Bologna.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Thomas Year of birth missing 1537 deaths English beatified people Carthusian Martyrs of London Carthusian saints People executed by starvation 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests 16th-century venerated Christians English people who died in prison custody English Christian monks People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Martyred Roman Catholic priests Executed English people People executed under Henry VIII Forty-one Martyrs of England and Wales

Biography

See also

References