ABBOT, HENRY, BL.

Lay martyr; b. Howden, East Riding, Yorkshire, England; hanged, drawn, and quartered at York, July 4, 1597. Challoner relates his acta as follows: "A certain Protestant minister, for some misdemeanour put into York Castle, to reinstate himself in the favor of his superiors, insinuated himself into the good opinion of the Catholic prisoners, by pretending a deep sense of repentance, and a great desire of embracing the Catholic truth …. So they directed him, after he was enlarged, to Mr. Henry Abbot, a zealous convert who lived in Holden in the same country, to procure a priest to reconcile him …. Mr. Abbot carried him to Carlton to the house of Esquire Stapleton, but did not succeed in finding a priest. Soon after, the traitor having got enough to put them all in danger of the law, accused them to the magistrates …. They confessed that they had explained to him the Catholic Faith, and upon this they were all found guilty and sentenced to die." Sentenced with Abbot were BB. George errington, William knight, and William gibson. Abbot was declared venerable in 1886 and 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]