John Gavan
English Jesuit
Feast: 20 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
At London, Blessed martyrs Thomas Whitbread and his companions William Harcourt, John Fenwick, John Gavan and Anthony Turner, priests of the Society of Jesus, who, under the false accusation of having plotted the death of King Charles II, suffered martyrdom at Tyburn for the kingdom of heaven.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 20 June as a Jesuit priest martyred at Tyburn on a false charge of plotting against King Charles II.
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.
Connected on this site
- Anthony Turner Blessed“At London, Blessed martyrs Thomas Whitbread and his companions William Harcourt, John Fenwick, John Gavan and Anthony Turner, priests of the Society of Jesus, who, under the false accusation of having plotted the death of King Charles II, suffered martyrdom at Tyburn for the kingdom of heaven.” — this site's research
- John Fenwick Blessed“At London, Blessed martyrs Thomas Whitbread and his companions William Harcourt, John Fenwick, John Gavan and Anthony Turner, priests of the Society of Jesus, who, under the false accusation of having plotted the death of King Charles II, suffered martyrdom at Tyburn for the kingdom of heaven.” — this site's research
- Thomas Whitbread Blessed“At London, Blessed martyrs Thomas Whitbread and his companions William Harcourt, John Fenwick, John Gavan and Anthony Turner, priests of the Society of Jesus, who, under the false accusation of having plotted the death of King Charles II, suffered martyrdom at Tyburn for the kingdom of heaven.” — this site's research
- Roman Martyrology, 20 June (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q16838489 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — John Gavan (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.