Wednesday, September 16

1604: Venerable Lawrence Bailey

This final picture of the martyrs' plaque, taken on their feast day (7th August) 2009, is given to mark the death of Venerable Lawrence Bailey. Although the plaque records his date of death as unknown, Canon Billington's very brief account gives today's date as the anniversary of his execution. Here are our historian's words in full: "In the same year [1604], on 16th September, Lawrence Baily, a yeoman who had assisted a priest to escape from the pursuivants, was hanged at Lancaster as a felon on that account." Lawrence Bailey (or Baily) is the only one of the fifteen recognised martyrs who has not been beatified; he is also the one about whom we know the least.