ANDLEBY, WILLIAM, BL.

Priest, martyr; b. Etton near Beverley, East Riding, Yorkshire, England; hanged, drawn, and quartered at York, July 4, 1597. At age 25, the well-born Andleby left England to participate in the Dutch war. He visited Douai to debate Dr. Allen, but found that Allen's arguments made sense. Thereafter he converted to Catholicism and eventually was ordained. He labored for 20 years in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Bp. Challoner recorded of him: "His zeal for souls was such as to spare no pains and to fear no dangers. For the first four years of his mission he traveled always on foot, meanly attired, and carrying with him usually in a bag his vestments and other things for saying Mass; for his labors lay chiefly among the poor, who were not shocked with such things. Afterwards, humbly yielding to the advice of his brethren, he used a horse and went somewhat better clad. Wonderful was the austerity of his life in frequent watchings, fastings, and continual prayer, his soul so absorbed in God that he often took no notice of those he met; by which means he was sometimes exposed to suspicions and dangers from the enemies of his faith, into whose hands he at last fell after twenty years' labor in the vineyard of the Lord." He was condemned for his priesthood and was executed with three laymen: BB. Henry abbot, Thomas Warcop, and Edward Fulthrop. He was beatified by Pius XI on Dec. 15, 1929.

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]