Kirkman, Richard, Bl.

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KIRKMAN, RICHARD, BL.

Priest and martyr; b. Addingham, West Riding, Yorkshire, England; d. hanged, drawn, and quartered at York, Aug. 22, 1582. He studied at the seminaries of Douai and Rheims prior to his presbyterial ordination on Holy Saturday 1579. In order to disguise his priestly nature, Kirkman served as tutor in the household of Robert Dymoke, hereditary Champion of England (d. in Lincoln gaol for his faith, Sept. 11, 1580), at Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire. Fr. Kirkman was eventually discovered and arrested, Aug. 8, 1582. He was arraigned shortly thereafter for being an illegal priest and confined to a turret cell with Bl. William lacey. For the last 12 days of his earthly life, Richard was held in a verminous underground dungeon. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on Dec. 9, 1886.

Feast of the English Martyrs: May 4 (England).

See Also: england, scotland, and wales, martyrs of.

Bibliography: r. challoner, Memoirs of Missionary Priests, ed. j. h. pollen (rev. ed. London 1924; repr. Farnborough 1969). j. h. pollen, Acts of English Martyrs (London 1891).

[k. i. rabenstein]

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