Thomas Atkinson
English Roman Catholic priest and martyr
Who they were
Thomas Atkinson was born in the East Riding of Yorkshire, ordained priest at Reims, and returned to England in 1588. He tirelessly visited his flock, especially the poor, always on foot until a broken leg forced him to ride, and became so well known that he could not travel safely by day.
At seventy he was betrayed and taken to York with the family who sheltered him. Rosary beads and a form of indulgence were found on him, and he was hanged, drawn and quartered at York on 11 March 1616, suffering with great patience and courage.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
An elderly English priest who served the poor for decades and was executed at York in 1616.
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 - Ven. Thomas Atkinson
- Roman Martyrology, 11 March (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q16151199 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Thomas Atkinson (priest) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.