Thomas Maxfield
English Roman Catholic priest and martyr
Who they were
Thomas Maxfield was born about 1590 in Stafford gaol, where his father was imprisoned for harbouring priests. He studied at Douai, was ordained in 1614 and came to London, where he was arrested within three months.
After trying to escape, he was kept seventy hours in the stocks in a filthy dungeon, then set among the worst criminals, two of whom he converted. Condemned solely for being a priest, he was executed at Tyburn on 1 July 1616.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A priest born in prison who died for the Faith.
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 - Thomas Maxfield
- Wikidata Q7792240 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Thomas Maxfield (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.