William Lacy
English Catholic priest and martyr
Feast: 22 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
William Lacy, a Yorkshire gentleman who had held office under the Crown, suffered fourteen years of persecution for his faith, including imprisonment. After his wife's death he went abroad and, with a dispensation, was ordained in Rome.
Arrested in 1582 after a Mass in York Castle, he was loaded with heavy irons and kept in an underground dungeon, and was executed at York on 22 August 1582.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A widower who became a priest late in life and 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.
Connected on this site
- Richard Kirkman Blessed“He and fellow priest Richard Kirkman were executed at York on 22 August 1582.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - William Lacy
- Wikidata Q16863447 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — William Lacy (Catholic priest) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.