Remembering the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

Today in the Church we remember the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

When I was in London a couple of years ago I was able to visit Tyburn Convent. The Convent is situated just down the street from the location of Tyburn Tree (the site of many English Martyrs).

You can feel the presence of these holy martyrs. In 1571, the "Tyburn Tree" was erected near the modern Marble Arch. The "Tree" or "Triple Tree" was a novel form of gallows, comprising a horizontal wooden triangle supported by three legs (an arrangement known as a "three legged mare" or "three legged stool"). Several felons could thus be hanged at once, and so the gallows was occasionally used for mass executions. The "Tyburn Tree" was the site of many of the Roman Catholic Martyrs of England. The most famous among them being St. Edmund Campion.

To learn more about these holy Martyrs please click here.