Robert Anderton
English Roman Catholic priest and martyr
Feast: 25 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Robert Anderton, of the Isle of Wight and Brasenose College, Oxford, was converted abroad and studied at Reims with William Marsden, his inseparable companion.
Sailing for England, they were caught in a storm and prayed to die on land rather than at sea. Cast ashore, they were seized; though they acknowledged the queen in temporal matters, they would not deny the Pope's spiritual authority. They were executed near the place where they had landed on 25 April 1586.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A priest whose prayer to die on land for Christ was granted.
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
- William Marsden Blessed“Along with his companion, William Marsden, he was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Robert Anderton
- Wikidata Q7341520 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Robert Anderton (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.