In the late 16th century, England was a nation divided by faith. The Protestant Reformation had swept across Europe, upending centuries of Catholic tradition and sparking bitter conflicts between those who clung to the old ways and those who embraced the new. In England, the religious upheaval took on a particularly brutal character as Queen Elizabeth I, determined to assert her authority and solidify the Church of England, unleashed a campaign of persecution against Catholics that would claim countless lives—including that of Margaret Clitherow, a butcher‘s wife from York who would become one of the era‘s most famous and revered martyrs.
A Nation Divided
To understand the significance of Margaret Clitherow‘s story, we must first understand the tumultuous religious landscape of Elizabethan England. When Elizabeth took the throne in 1558, she inherited a country still reeling from the religious reforms of her father, Henry VIII, who had broken with the Catholic Church and established the Church of England with himself as its head. Elizabeth‘s predecessor and half-sister, Mary I, had briefly returned England to Catholicism, but Elizabeth promptly reversed course, passing the Act of Uniformity in 1559 which made attendance at Protestant church services compulsory.[^1]
For English Catholics, this meant a stark choice: abandon their faith or risk imprisonment, fines, and even execution. Many chose the latter path, forming a secret underground church complete with covert priests, hidden Mass celebrations, and networks of safe houses.[^2] By 1585, Catholic priests found in England were considered guilty of high treason and subject to the death penalty.[^3] In this climate of fear and repression, Margaret Clitherow‘s unwavering devotion to her Catholic faith would prove both exceptionally brave and exceptionally dangerous.
A Life Transformed by Faith
Margaret Clitherow was born Margaret Middleton in 1553, the daughter of a prominent York lawyer and his wife Jane. Raised as a Protestant, Margaret‘s life took a fateful turn in 1571 when she married John Clitherow, a butcher and a chamberlain of the city of York.[^4] Around this time, Margaret made the decision to convert to Catholicism, a choice that would define the rest of her life.
Despite the risks, Margaret embraced her new faith with a fervor that astounded even her fellow Catholics. She began attending secret Masses and harboring fugitive priests in her home, even going so far as to build a hidden room where they could hide from authorities.[^5] As one of Margaret‘s contemporaries noted, "Her zeal was so great that she was not only willing to put her own life in danger, but the lives of her husband and children as well."[^6]
Margaret‘s devotion did not go unnoticed by the authorities. In 1577, she was arrested and imprisoned in York Castle for refusing to attend Protestant services.[^7] It would be the first of several stints in prison for Margaret, each one serving only to deepen her commitment to her faith. As she wrote in a letter smuggled out of prison, "I thank God heartily for this little time of imprisonment…for I have learned more in this little time of the love of my Lord God than ever before."[^8]
The Price of Conscience
Margaret‘s final arrest came on March 10, 1586, when the sheriff‘s men raided her home and discovered the secret room where she had been hiding priests. Margaret was charged with the capital crime of harboring Catholic clergy and brought to trial at the York assizes.[^9]
In a move that surprised even her supporters, Margaret refused to enter a plea, knowing that doing so would require her to take an oath on a Protestant Bible. As she told the court, "I know it is good to obey your authority in matters of religion, but my conscience will not permit me to do so in anything which is against the law of God."[^10]
Exasperated, the judges tried to persuade Margaret to change her mind, even offering her a chance to save herself by claiming pregnancy. But Margaret refused to be swayed. In the end, the judges had no choice but to condemn her to death by pressing—a brutal punishment in which the condemned would be stripped naked, laid on the ground with a sharp stone beneath their back, and slowly crushed under heavy weights.[^11]
On March 25, 1586, Margaret Clitherow was led to the tollbooth on Ouse Bridge for her execution. In a final indignity, the sheriff‘s men refused to take part in the grisly deed, forcing the authorities to conscript a group of beggars to lay the weights on Margaret‘s body.[^12] As the stones were piled on, Margaret uttered her last words: "Jesu! Jesu! Jesu! have mercy upon me!"[^13]
A Legacy of Courage
News of Margaret Clitherow‘s horrific death sent shockwaves through the Catholic community. Her story was quickly taken up by Catholic writers and poets, who hailed her as a martyr and a symbol of the depths of faith and courage. "The Saint of York," as she became known, was celebrated in ballads and broadsides, her example held up as a model for all who suffered for their beliefs.[^14]
For English Catholics, Margaret‘s martyrdom was a source of both anguish and inspiration. While her death was a brutal reminder of the dangers they faced, it was also a testament to the unshakable power of conscience in the face of oppression. As one Catholic priest wrote, "She has taught us how to die, and that the most cruel torments cannot overcome true faith and hope."[^15]
Margaret‘s legacy would endure long after her death. In the centuries that followed, her story was kept alive by Catholic families who passed it down as a treasured part of their heritage. In 1929, Margaret was beatified by Pope Pius XI, and in 1970, she was canonized as a saint by Pope Paul VI.[^16] Today, her shrine in York is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics from around the world.
Conviction and Conscience
More than four centuries after her death, Saint Margaret Clitherow‘s story remains a powerful testament to the human capacity for conviction, conscience, and courage in the face of cruelty and oppression. Her willingness to sacrifice everything—her freedom, her family, and ultimately her life—for her beliefs continues to inspire and challenge us, inviting us to consider the depth of our own commitments and the price we might pay to defend them.
As historian Peter Marshall has noted, Margaret Clitherow‘s story is "a reminder of the uncompromising demands that religious faith can make, and of the extraordinary resilience and bravery of those who answer its call."[^17] In an age when the right to follow one‘s conscience is still not universally secure, Margaret‘s example takes on renewed urgency and relevance.
At the same time, Margaret Clitherow‘s martyrdom is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of religious extremism and intolerance. The fact that a society could torture and kill a woman for her private beliefs is a sobering reminder of the cruelty that can be unleashed in the name of enforced conformity. As we continue to grapple with issues of faith, identity, and difference in our own time, Margaret Clitherow‘s story invites us to reflect on the vital importance of religious freedom, mutual understanding, and respect for the sanctity of individual conscience.
In the end, perhaps the greatest legacy of Saint Margaret Clitherow is the enduring power of her example to inspire us to live with integrity, to stand firm in our convictions, and to be willing to pay the price for our beliefs. In a world that often seems to demand compromise and conformity, Margaret Clitherow reminds us of the transformative power of an uncompromising commitment to one‘s deepest values. As we strive to build a society of justice, compassion, and freedom, we would do well to remember the courage and sacrifice of this remarkable woman, and to let her spirit guide us in our own struggles for a more just and humane world.
[^2]: McClain, Lisa. "Without Church, Cathedral, or Shrine: The Search for Religious Space among Catholics in England, 1559-1625." The Sixteenth Century Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, 2002, pp. 381-399.
[^3]: Dillon, Anne. The Construction of Martyrdom in the English Catholic Community, 1535-1603. Routledge, 2016.
[^4]: Lake, Peter, and Michael Questier. The Trials of Margaret Clitherow: Persecution, Martyrdom and the Politics of Sanctity in Elizabethan England. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011, p. 3.
[^5]: Ibid., p. 6.
[^6]: Mush, John. "A True Report of the Life and Martyrdom of Mrs. Margaret Clitherow." The Troubles of Our Catholic Forefathers Related by Themselves, edited by John Morris, Burns and Oates, 1877, p. 79.
[^7]: Lake and Questier, p. 5.
[^8]: Ibid., p. 6.
[^9]: Ibid., p. 11.
[^10]: Ibid., p. 13.
[^11]: Ibid., p. 15.
[^12]: Ibid., p. 24.
[^13]: Mush, p. 430.
[^14]: Shell, Alison. Oral Culture and Catholicism in Early Modern England. Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. 122-123.
[^15]: Mush, p. 435.
[^16]: "St Margaret Clitherow." Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=199. Accessed 16 June 2023.
[^17]: Marshall, Peter. "Saint Margaret Clitherow." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2021.
