Thomas Belson
Encyclopedia
Blessed Thomas Belson was an English Roman Catholic layman. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1987.
, but did not take the B. A.; and then at the Catholic seminary in Reims
. In 1584 he returned to England and was arrested, and imprisoned in the Tower of London
. Eventually, in 1586, he was banished.
In 1589 he was in Aston Rowant
, Oxfordshire
when he evaded being captured and fled to Ixhill Lodge in Oakley, Buckinghamshire
where he hid in a priest hole
, after some days he went to Oxford and was again arrested, at the Catherine Wheel Inn, near Balliol College, Oxford
. He was with his confessor George Nicols, Richard Yaxley, a priest, and Humphrey Pritchard, a servant. They were sent to London, whence, after examination before Walsingham
and repeated tortures in Bridewell and the Tower, they were sent back to Oxford to be tried.
Belson was found guilty of felony for assisting the priests, and was executed with his companions at Oxford.
Life
He studied at St Mary's Hall, Oxford, part of Oriel CollegeOriel College
Oriel College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford...
, but did not take the B. A.; and then at the Catholic seminary in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
. In 1584 he returned to England and was arrested, and imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. Eventually, in 1586, he was banished.
In 1589 he was in Aston Rowant
Aston Rowant
Aston Rowant is a village and civil parish about south of Thame in South Oxfordshire, England. The parish includes the villages of Aston Rowant and Kingston Blount, and adjoins Buckinghamshire to the southeast....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
when he evaded being captured and fled to Ixhill Lodge in Oakley, Buckinghamshire
Oakley, Buckinghamshire
Oakley is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England of about 400 households with a population of 1,059 people and an area of...
where he hid in a priest hole
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
, after some days he went to Oxford and was again arrested, at the Catherine Wheel Inn, near Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He was with his confessor George Nicols, Richard Yaxley, a priest, and Humphrey Pritchard, a servant. They were sent to London, whence, after examination before Walsingham
Walsingham
Walsingham is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is famed for its religious shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary and as a major pilgrimage centre...
and repeated tortures in Bridewell and the Tower, they were sent back to Oxford to be tried.
Belson was found guilty of felony for assisting the priests, and was executed with his companions at Oxford.