Christopher Wharton
English priest and martyr
Who they were
Christopher Wharton, younger brother of the first Lord Wharton, was a fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. He entered the English College at Reims in 1583 and was ordained the next year.
Arrested in 1599 at the house of the widow Eleanor Hunt, he was condemned for high treason; both refused life and liberty at the price of conforming. He suffered with great constancy at York on 28 March 1600, remembered for his humility and fervent charity.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
An Oxford scholar who gave up everything to die a priest.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Christopher Wharton
- Wikidata Q5113410 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Christopher Wharton (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.