John Speed
English Roman Catholic layman and martyr
Who they were
John Speed, also called Spence, used to guide the priest John Boste from one Catholic house to another in the north of England. For helping him he was condemned and executed at Durham on 4 February 1594.
He died firm in his faith, refusing the inducements offered him to conform. Grace Claxton, in whose house Boste was taken, was condemned with him but reprieved because she was with child.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A layman executed at Durham in 1594 for guiding a hunted 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.
Connected on this site
- John Boste Saint“John Speed, also called Spence, used to guide the priest John Boste from one Catholic house to another in the north of England.” — this site's research
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Blessed John Speed
- Roman Martyrology, 4 February (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q6258610 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — John Speed (martyr) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.