Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury
English peeress, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence (1473-1541)
Feast: 28 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, daughter of the Duke of Clarence and mother of Cardinal Reginald Pole, was so esteemed by Henry VIII that he called her the saintliest woman in England and made her governess to Princess Mary.
When her son opposed the king, her family was destroyed. Examined for hours, she would admit nothing; she was attainted without trial, held two years in the Tower, and beheaded on 27 May 1541, aged sixty-seven.
The miracles
As a martyr she was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A noblewoman put to death for her family's loyalty to the Church.
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 - Margaret Pole
- Wikidata Q241806 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.