William Hartley
16th-century English Catholic martyr
Who they were
William Hartley of Derbyshire, a chaplain of St John's, Oxford, was ejected in 1579, ordained at Châlons and returned in 1580, helping Parsons and Campion print and spread their books.
Imprisoned from 1581, he was caught saying Mass in prison, and was exiled in 1585. Returning, he was arrested in 1588 and, though suspected of having given way, showed great constancy when he died at Tyburn on 5 October 1588. He was of the meekest disposition, modest and virtuous.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A meek priest whose death proved his constancy.
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 - William Hartley
- Wikidata Q8010971 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — William Hartley (martyr) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.