St.Edmund Arrowsmith

Born 1585 at Haydock, England as Brian Arrowsmith; preferred his confirmation name of Edmund

Son of the farmer Robert Arrowsmith and Margery Gerard Arrowsmith.

Entered Douai College in 1605, he was forced to quit due to ill health.
Ordained in France in 1611.

Worked among beleaguered English Catholics in Lancashire for 15 years.
Even in these oppressive times he was known for his pleasant disposition, sincerity, and energy.

Edmund was arrested in 1622 for his faith.

Edmund was unexpectedly freed by a pardon issued by King James I.
After making the Spiritual Exercises, Edmund entered the Jesuits in 1623, and returned to Lancashire for the remaining five years of his life.

Betrayed by the son of the landlord of the Blue Anchor Inn in south Lancashire, he was arrested by priest hunters, and imprisoned for his vocation.

Died martyred on 28 August 1628 by hanging, drawing and quartering at Lancaster, England; his hand is preserved as a relic in Saint Oswald's Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield, England

Canonized in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales