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Saints,
Martyrs, & Christians |
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| “[The saints] have a quality which sets them off from the rest of us as Bach is set off from a composer of television jingles. Yes, they are all geniuses. Yes, again, they are all excessive. But they are something else. They are literal. Literalness is the fork in the upward road where they part company with ordinary people. And it is the Gospels, the solid, explicit Word which they take literally.” - Phyllis McGinley, Saint-Watching | |
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Many myths and fables have grown up around the lives of the saints, so discovering the facts can sometimes be a challenge. To the best of my knowledge the information presented here is historically accurate, though it has not been researched deeply. The saints are listed in the order of birth (as nearly as possible) to show the flow of time in Britain through the past two thousand years. I recommend starting with the Prologue to get a sense of the background against which they lived, especially in the early years. As Graham Kendrick sang:
"Such love, streaming through history" "Therefore, surrounded as we are by such a vast cloud of witnesses, let us fling aside every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles our feet. And let us run with patient endurance the race that lies before us..." Hebrews 12:1 |
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Prologue |
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St. Alban |
First recorded Christian martyr in Britain, born near Hertfordshire,
beheaded around 305. "I worship and adore the true and living God who created all things." - St. Alban |
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St. Patrick |
Born in Scotland in 387, died in Ireland approx. 461; called the
"apostle of Ireland", evangelized much of Ireland. Click his link to find out how he became
associated with the shamrock. "May the Strength of God guide us. May the Power of God preserve us. May the Wisdom of God instruct us. May the Hand of God protect us. May the Way of God direct us. May the Shield of God defend us. May the Angels of God guard us against the snares of the evil one. May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us, Christ be over all! May Thy Grace, Lord, always be ours, This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen." - St. Patrick, "Prayer for the Faithful" |
| St. Bridget of Ireland | Conflicting dates of birth/death; would have lived in the late
300's-early 400's; formed an abbey in County Kildare, of which she was
the abbess. "I would like myself to be a rent payer to the Lord; that I should suffer distress, that he would bestow a good blessing upon me." - St. Bridget of Ireland |
| St. David | Lived approx 500-589. Celtic monk, abbot, and Bishop from
Wales. Known as the Patron Saint of Wales; traveling
evangelist. "Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us." - St. David |
| *St. Columba | Born in Ireland; lived 521-597; founder of the abbey at Iona
(Scotland)
"O Lord, grant us that love which can never die, which will enkindle our lamps but not extinguish them, so that they may shine in us and bring light to others." - St Columba |
| St. Augustine of Canterbury | Died approx 605. First Bishop of Canterbury, called "the
apostle of the English". "Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal prophet said to Him, 'Thou, O Lord, are my portion.' Let others choose to themselves portions among creatures, for my part, You are my portion, You alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance." - St. Augustine of Canterbury |
| St. Paulinus | Born approx 563, died 644; assistant to St. Augustine of
Canterbury; first Archbishop of York; Bishop of Rochester.
"...he worked incessantly for thirty-six days baptizing new converts, wash[ing] them with the water of absolution in the River Glen, which is close by." - Bede |
| *St. Aidan | Died 651. Founder of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) monastery; first
Bishop of Lindisfarne. "...his love of peace and charity... his authority becoming a priest in reproving the haughty and powerful, and, at the same time, his tenderness in comforting the afflicted and relieving and defending the poor." - Bede |
| *St. Etheldreda | Born approx 630-636, died 679. Foundress of monastery and church at Ely,
a queen who gave up her royal titles to devote her life to God. "...having built a monastery at Ely began both by example and by admonition of heavenly life to be a virgin mother of very many virgins." - Bede |
| *St. Cuthbert | Lived approx. 635-687; Prior of Melrose Abbey, Prior of Lindisfarne Priory, Bishop of
Lindisfarne. "He was so zealous in watching and praying, that he is believed to have sometimes passed three or four nights together therein, during which time he neither went to his own bed, nor had any accommodation from the brethren for reposing himself. ...he was gentle in the spirit of mildness to forgive the penitent, so that he would often shed tears over those who confessed their sins, pitying their weaknesses..." - Bede |
| Bede | Lived approx. 673-735. Often called "the Venerable Bede". Monk, priest, prolific writer and historian of the early English
church. "He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor." - Bede |
| *St. Anselm of Canterbury | 1033-1109. Scholar, theologian, monk, and (unwilling) Archbishop of
Canterbury; taught the importance of reason within faith. "I hold it to be a failure in duty if after we have become steadfast in our faith we do not strive to understand what we believe." - St. Anselm |
| St. Hugh of Lincoln | 1135-1200. monk, Prior of Witham, Bishop of Lincoln. (when shown a supposedly sacred amulet): "Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ." - St. Hugh of Lincoln |
| John Wycliffe | 1320-1384. "The morning star of the Reformation", lived 200 years
before Luther. First translator of the Bible into English. "Even though there were a hundred popes and though every mendicant monk were a cardinal, they would be entitled to confidence only in so far as they accorded with the Bible." - John Wycliffe |
| Julian of Norwich | c. 1342-c. 1416 Christian mystic, visionary, and writer. "...all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well" - Julian of Norwich |
| *Hugh Latimer | 1485-1555 Bishop of Worcester, martyred by burning at the stake. (at his execution): "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." - Hugh Latimer |
| Thomas Cranmer | 1489-1556 First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote and compiled the Book of Common Prayer. Martyred by burning at the stake. "Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name: through Christ our Lord. Amen." - opening prayer of the Communion Service, Book of Common Prayer. |
| *Nicholas Ridley | c.1500-1555. Bishop of Rochester, martyred by burning at the stake. (at his execution): "So long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ and his known truth. God's will be done in me." - Nicholas Ridley |
| *John Knox | c. 1514-1572 Considered the father of the Protestant
Reformation in Scotland. "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe." - Mary Queen of Scots |
| William Tyndale | 1516-1587. Translated the Bible into English; martyred by
hanging and burning. "I perceived how that it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth except the Scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother tongue.” - William Tyndale |
| Richard Baxter | 1615-1691 Priest and Puritan leader at
Kidderminster, Worcestershire. "Unity in things Necessary, Liberty in things Unnecessary, and Charity in all" - Richard Baxter |
| George Fox | 1624-1691. Founder of the Quakers "Justice Bennet of Derby, was the first that called us Quakers, because I bid them tremble at the word of the Lord. This was in the year 1650.” - George Fox |
| *John Bunyan | 1628-1688. Baptist preacher and author of The Pilgrim's
Progress. "You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed" - John Bunyan |
| John Wesley | 1703 - 1791. Founder of the Methodist Church. "Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can." - John Wesley |
| Charles Wesley | 1707-1788. Leader of the Methodist Church and prolific
hymn-writer. "Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down; Fix in us thy humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art; Visit us with thy salvation; enter every trembling heart." - Charles Wesley |
| George Whitefield | 1714-1770. "The first modern evangelist" and
spearhead of the Great Awakening.
"Do not waver, but give him that which he desires, your hearts; it is the heart the Lord Jesus Christ wanteth; and when you have an inward principle wrought in your hearts by this same Jesus, then you will feel the sweetness and pleasure of communion with God." - George Whitefield |
| William Wilberforce | 1759-1833. Led the movement for the abolition of slavery in England. "But all may be done through prayer -- almighty prayer, I am ready to say -- and why not? For that it is almighty is only through the gracious ordination of the God of love and truth. O then, pray, pray, pray!" -William Wilberforce |
| William Carey |
"Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." -William Carey |
| William & Catherine Booth | William (born Nottingham 1829, died 1912), married Catherine (born
Derbyshire 1829, died 1890). William was ordained a Methodist minister
but resigned to minister to the poor in the East End of London; founders
of the Salvation Army.
"We are made for larger ends than Earth can encompass. Oh, let us be true to our exalted destiny.” - Catherine Booth |
| Hudson Taylor | 1832-1905. Pioneer of missions to mainland China. "There is a living God; He has spoken in the Bible; He means what He says and will do all He has promised." - Hudson Taylor |
| Charles Haddon Spurgeon | 1834-1892. Baptist minister, author, and pastor of New Park
Street Church (London) later the Metropolitan Tabernacle (London). "How are we to handle this sword of 'It is written'? First, with deepest reverence. Let every word that God has spoken be law and gospel to you. Never trifle with it; never try to evade its force or change its meaning. God speaks to you in this book as much as if he came to the top of Sinai and lifted up his voice with thunder." - Charles H. Spurgeon |
| Oswald Chambers | 1874-1917. Student of Spurgeon, itinerant preacher and teacher,
author of My Utmost for His Highest. "Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time." - Oswald Chambers |
| *J.R.R. Tolkein | 1892-1973. Oxford professor, author of Lord of the Rings, led C.S. Lewis to Christ. "'The Lord of the Rings' is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision... the religious element is absorbed into the story and symbolism." - J.R.R. Tolkien |
| *C.S. Lewis | 1898-1963. Author, Christian apologist, and professor of
English Medieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford and later
Cambridge. "God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love." - C.S. Lewis |
| *John R.W. Stott | Born 1921. Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church, Langham Place,
London; author, theologian, evangelist, chaplain to Queen
Elizabeth II. "His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us leaves us no other choice.” - John R.W. Stott |
| *Michael Green | Born 1930. Anglican priest, apologist, author, former rector
of St. Aldate's Oxford, advisor on evangelism to the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Archbishop of York. "I in my weakness and frailty and Christ in His beauty and loveliness coming together. That is what makes the new creation." - Michael Green |
| *David Watson | 1933-1984. Anglican priest, evangelist, and author. "It is only the Holy Spirit who can quench the deepest thirst of the human heart, because it is only the Holy Spirit who can show us the beauty of Jesus and fill us with the love of God. Indeed, when we have drunk this glorious living water, it will spoil our thirst for everything else." - David Watson |
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If you would like to recommend any British saints I've missed, or would like to add your comments to the Comments page, click here. |
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