Edward Waterson
English martyr
Feast: 8 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Edward Waterson of London, travelling in Turkey as a young man, refused with horror a rich Turk's offer of his daughter if he would become a Muslim. In Rome he was received into the Church, then studied at Reims and was ordained in 1592.
He was so eager for the mission that he said he would rather go to England than have the Kingdom of France. Though not learned, his humility and penance made him a model. Captured in 1593 and cruelly treated, he was executed at Newcastle on 7 January 1594.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A humble convert priest who chose England and martyrdom over every reward.
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 - Edward Waterson
- Wikidata Q5345818 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Edward Waterson (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.