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John Britton (Bretton) (died 1 April 1598) was an English Catholic martyr from Barnsley, Yorkshire, who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. He was beatified in 1987.

Biography

A member of the old, established Bretton family, near Barnsley in Yorkshire, Britton was a devout Catholic. Known as a zealous Catholic, he was subjected to continual vexations and persecutions, which caused him to absent himself from his wife and family for safety. As an old man, he was accused of making traitorous speeches against the queen and condemned to death. He refused to renounce his faith, and was executed at York on 1 April 1598. He was probably the father of Matthew Britton, prefect and professor at Douai in 1599.

References

1. "Martiri".
2. Camm, Bede. "Ven. John Britton." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 23 Mar. 2013
3. Stanton, Richard, A Menology of England and Wales, Burns & Oates, Ltd., London, 1892

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• 1598 deaths
• People from Barnsley
• English Roman Catholics
• People executed under Elizabeth I
• 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs
• 16th-century venerated Christians
• Executed people from South Yorkshire
• Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales
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