Blessed John Felton
Profile
Wealthy layman in Southwark, England. Father of Blessed Thomas Felton. His wife had been a playmate and maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth, and was the widow of an auditor of the former Queen. John was referred to as “a man of little statue and complexion black”.
When Pope Saint Pius V‘s Bull that excommunicated Queen Elizabeth reached London on 24 May 1570, he nailed a copy onto the door of the bishop of London, England in the middle of the night, challenging the bishop to declare his allegiance – the Queen or the Pope. Arrested on 26 May 1570, imprisoned and tortured in the Tower of London for a couple of months, and condemned to death on 4 August 1570. Martyr.
Born
- at Bermondsey, Southwark, England
- hanged, drawn, and quartered on 8 August 1570 at Saint Paul’s churchyard, London, England
MLA Citation
- “Blessed John Felton“. CatholicSaints.Info. 2 February 2020. Web. 19 April 2024. <>