Detail of An Illustration of Saint John Plessington Date And Artist Unknown

Saint John Plessington

Also known as: John Plesington; William Scarisbrick; William Pleasington

Saint

Post-Congregation

Feast Day

19 July; 25 October as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

Born

C.1637 at Dimples Hall, Lancashire, England

Died

Hanged, drawn, and quartered on 19 July 1679 at Barrows Hill, Boughton, England; buried in the local cemetery of Burton, England

Canonized

25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI

Beatified

15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

Venerated

8 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI (decree of martyrdom)

Biography

Saint John Plessington was born around 1637 at Dimples Hall, Lancashire, England, to Robert Plessington, a royalist Catholic, and Alice Rawstone. He came from a family that faced persecution due to their religious and political beliefs. As a young man, John received his education under the guidance of Jesuits at Scarisbrick Hall. He furthered his studies at the Royal College of Saint Alban in Valladolid, Spain, and later at Saint Omer's Monastery in France.