William Harrington (priest)

William Harrington (b. 1566; executed 18 February1594) was an English Jesuit priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.

Life

His father had entertained Edmund Campion at the ancestral home, Mount St. John, early in 1581. The family's Catholicism lapsed, but William, the youngest son, went abroad to train as a priest.

He was first at the seminary at Reims, then went to the Jesuits at Tournai (1582-1584). He would have joined the order, but his health broke down and forced him to keep at home for the next six or seven years.

In February, 1591, however, he was able to return once more to Reims, and, having been ordained, returned at midsummer 1592. Next May he fell into the hands of the English authorities, and nine months later was executed at Tyburn.

A posthumous detractor, Friswood or Fid Williams, an apostate Catholic, claimed that he had had a child by her before he was a priest. [Harsnet] Fid also made many other accusations, both against him, as well against the rest of the clergy and the whole Catholic body.

References

*"The Month", April, 1874, 411-423
*Samuel Harsnet, "Declaration of egregious Popish Impostures, whereunto are annexed the confessions of the parties themselves" (London, 1603), 230-232
*"Academy" (London, 19 Feb., 1876), 165
*John Morris, "Troubles of our Catholic Forefathers" (London, 1875), 104-107
*Thomas Francis Knox, "Douay Diaries" (London, 1878)