Thomson, William, Bl.
THOMSON, WILLIAM, BL.
Priest, martyr; alias Blackburn; b. c. 1560 at Blackburn, Lancashire, England; hanged, drawn, and quartered April 20, 1586, at Tyburn. He was ordained at Rheims in 1584. Returning to England, he worked in and around London until his arrest in the home of Roger Line, the husband of St. Anne line, while saying Mass. He was indicted on April 17, 1586, at the Old Bailey with Bl. Richard Sergeant and condemned for his priesthood. Thomson 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). j. h. pollen, Acts of English Martyrs (London 1891).
[k. i. rabenstein]