| William Knight | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1572,South Duffield, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 29 November 1596,York, England |
| Martyred by | QueenElizabeth I of England |
| Means of martyrdom | Hanging, drawing and quartering |
| Venerated in | Great Britain |
| Beatified | 22 November 1987, London, England,byPope John Paul II |
| Feast | 4 May |
William Knight (1572 – 29 November 1596) was an Englishlayman put to death for his Catholic faith atYork, England. With him also sufferedGeorge Errington of Herst,Northumberland;William Gibson ofRipon; andHenry Abbot ofHowden, Yorkshire.
Knight, apparently a secret convert to the Catholic Church, was the son of a Leonard Knight and lived atSouth Duffield, a hamlet currently inNorth Yorkshire but part of theEast Riding of Yorkshire at the time. On coming of age, he claimed from his uncle some property which had been left to him by his father, anAnglican, and his uncle denounced him to the authorities for being a Roman Catholic. He was at once seized and committed to the custody of Roger Colyer, apursuivant, who treated him with indignity and severity.[1]
He was sent in October 1593, toYork Castle,[2] where William Gibson and George Errington were already confined, the latter having been arrested some years before for participation in a rising in the North.[1]
AChurch of England clergyman was among the prisoners at York. To gain his freedom, he had recourse to an act of treachery: feigning a desire to convert to the Roman Church, he won the confidence of Knight and his two companions, who explained their faith to him. With the connivance of the authorities, he was directed to Henry Abbot, then at liberty, who endeavoured to procure a priest to reconcile him to the Church. When the minister had sufficient evidence, Abbot was arrested and, together with Knight and his two comrades, accused of attempting to persuade the clergyman to embrace Roman Catholicism — an act oftreason under thepenal laws. The men were found guilty, and, with the exception of Abbot who was executed later, sufferedhanging, drawing and quartering atYork on 29 November 1596.[1] Knight was about 24 years old when he died.
Knight was one of theeighty-five martyrs of England and Walesbeatified byPope John Paul II on 22 November 1987 during a trip to Great Britain.[3]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ven. William Knight".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.