The Tudor Society

September 24 – The executions of priest William Spenser and the man who harboured him

On this day in Tudor history, 24th September 1589, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Roman Catholic priest, William Spenser, and layman Robert Hardesty were executed at York. Spenser was executed for being a priest, and Hardesty for sheltering him.

In 1987, the two men were beatified as two of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England and Wales.

Find out more about William Spenser and Robert Hardesty, and how they came to their awful ends...

Leave a Reply

September 24 – The executions of priest William Spenser and the man who harboured him