Blessed Arthur Bell
Blessed Arthur Bell, O.F.M. (born 1590 AD in Temple Broughton, Worcestershire, England; died December 11, 1643 AD in Tyburn, London, England) was an English Franciscan priest martyred during the reign of King Charles I for exercising his priestly ministry in England. Born into a recusant Catholic family in Worcestershire, he was educated on the Continent, ordained a Franciscan priest, and returned to England as a missionary priest at a time when the practice of the Catholic religion and the presence of Catholic priests were capital crimes. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. He is one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales, beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987. His feast day is December 11.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Arthur Bell
| Blessed Arthur Bell | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 11 |
| Profession | Franciscan priest; missionary to England; martyr; recusant Catholic from Worcestershire; exile-trained priest |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans); English Catholic Church; English martyrs tradition; Tyburn martyrs; 85 Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Patronage | England; Worcestershire; Franciscan missionaries; persecuted Catholics; Tyburn martyrs; Catholic priests in hostile environments |
| Attributes | Franciscan habit; palm frond of martyrdom; a noose or gallows (instrument of martyrdom); the Tyburn gallows; English landscape; Franciscan cross |
| Birthplace | Temple Broughton, Worcestershire, England |
| Death Place | Tyburn, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn, London, on December 11, 1643; he was executed under the Elizabethan penal laws that made it a capital crime for an ordained Catholic priest to enter England or for a layperson to harbor a priest; he had been arrested and convicted of the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in England; the execution method (hanging, drawing, and quartering) was the standard punishment for high treason and was applied to Catholic priests as traitors; he was one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales, beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987 |
| Primary Shrine | Tyburn Convent, London, England — site of his martyrdom; December 11 feast; English Catholic pilgrimage |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; December 11 feast in England and among the Franciscans |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Arthur Bell was born around 1590 in Temple Broughton, Worcestershire, into a recusant Catholic family. He traveled to the Continent for his education and priestly formation — likely at the English Catholic colleges in Douai or elsewhere in exile — and was ordained a Franciscan priest.
He returned to England as a missionary priest at a time when the presence of Catholic priests in England was a capital crime under the Elizabethan penal laws. He ministered to the underground Catholic community until his arrest.
He was convicted of being an ordained Catholic priest in England and was executed by hanging, drawing, and quartering at Tyburn, London, on December 11, 1643.
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: Temple Broughton, Worcestershire, England
Death location: Tyburn, London, England
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Known shrines
- Tyburn Convent (Convent of the Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre), Marble Arch, London — the site of his martyrdom; December 11 feast.
Feast day
December 11
Veneration
Blessed Arthur Bell (c. 1590–1643) was an English Franciscan priest from Worcestershire, trained in exile on the Continent, who returned to England as a missionary priest and was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on December 11, 1643, for the crime of exercising his priestly ministry in England. One of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales. Beatified John Paul II, 1987. Feast December 11.
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