Sprott, Thomas, Bl.

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SPROTT, THOMAS, BL.

Priest, martyr; alias Parker; b. c. 1571 at Skelsmergh (near Kendal), Westmoreland, England; hanged, drawn, and quartered on July 11, 1600 at Lincoln, England. After studying at Douai, he was ordained in 1596 and sent on the English Mission that same year. During a search for robbers in a Lincoln inn, authorities found holy oils and breviaries among the possessions of Sprott and his companion Bl. Thomas hunt. They were arrested. During the trial Judge John Glanville directed the jury to find them guilty, though they neither confessed nor were proven to be priests. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Nov. 22, 1987 with George Haydock and companions.

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), nos. 118, 119. j.h. pollen, Acts of English Martyrs (London 1891).

[k. i. rabenstein]