Blessed Anthony Turner
Blessed Anthony Turner (born 1628 AD in Worcestershire, England; died June 20, 1679 AD in Tyburn, London, England) was an English Jesuit priest who was martyred at Tyburn during the Titus Oates "Popish Plot" hysteria of 1678–1681. He was falsely accused of complicity in a "Popish Plot" to murder King Charles II and was executed along with other innocent Catholics. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987, as one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is June 20.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Anthony Turner
| Blessed Anthony Turner | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 20 |
| Profession | Jesuit priest; English Catholic missionary; martyr of the Titus Oates Popish Plot; member of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales (beatified 1987) |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order); 17th-century English Jesuit missionary tradition; 85 Martyrs of England and Wales; English recusant Catholic tradition |
| Patronage | England; Jesuit priests; those falsely accused; victims of judicial murder; Worcestershire; Tyburn martyrs; the Society of Jesus in England |
| Attributes | Jesuit habit or missionary priest's vestments; a hangman's noose (Tyburn martyrdom); a cross; English landscape; a scroll (false indictment); palm frond of martyrdom |
| Birthplace | Worcestershire, England |
| Death Place | Tyburn, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered on June 20, 1679, at Tyburn (now the Marble Arch area of London), England; he was one of five Jesuit priests and one layman executed on the same day — collectively known as the Tyburn Martyrs of 1679; they were condemned on the perjured testimony of Titus Oates (1649–1705), a Protestant informer who fabricated a "Popish Plot" — an alleged Catholic conspiracy to murder King Charles II and impose Catholicism on England; the accusations were entirely false; Oates's testimony led to the judicial murder of approximately 22 innocent Catholics between 1678 and 1681; Anthony Turner was among them; beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987 |
| Primary Shrine | Tyburn Convent, London, England — Tyburn Martyrs shrine; June 20 feast |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; June 20 feast locally; also commemorated November 22 (feast of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales) |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Anthony Turner was born in 1628 in Worcestershire, a strongly recusant Catholic county of the English Midlands. He entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained a priest, serving in the English Jesuit mission to the underground Catholic community.
During the manufactured "Popish Plot" hysteria of 1678–1681 — when Titus Oates fabricated a Catholic conspiracy to murder King Charles II — Anthony Turner was among the innocent Catholics accused, tried, and condemned on perjured testimony.
At Tyburn on June 20, 1679, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered alongside four other Jesuit priests — all victims of the same false accusation. At the scaffold he declared: "I die a Roman Catholic, a Jesuit, and a loyal subject of the King."
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987, as one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Worcestershire, England
Death location: Tyburn, London, England
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Known shrines
- Tyburn Convent (Adorers of the Sacred Heart), Hyde Park Place, London — Tyburn Martyrs shrine; June 20 feast.
Feast day
June 20
Veneration
Blessed Anthony Turner (1628–1679) was an English Jesuit priest from Worcestershire, judicially murdered at Tyburn on June 20, 1679, as a victim of the fabricated Titus Oates "Popish Plot." One of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales. Beatified John Paul II, 1987. Feast June 20.
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