Profile
Jesuit priest, ordained in Rome, Italy, and received into the Society in 1587. Worked in the English mission in Worcestershire for 16 years. Father Edward developed throat cancer, but kept preaching through the pain. He made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Winifred of Wales in Flintshire to seek a cure; his cancer healed, and he returned strong and healthy to his vocation.
Edward fell victim to the revenge following the Gunpowder Plot, a foolish conspiracy hatched by a small group of frustrated Catholic Englishmen to blow up the king and parliament. All it did was provide an excuse for renewed persecution of Catholics, especially Jesuits. Edward was arrested, falsely accused, and tortured on the rack for five days for information about the Plot. Martyred with Blessed Ralph Ashley.
Born
- hanged, drawn, and quartered on 7 April 1607 at Worcester, Worcestershire, England
- 8 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI (decree of martyrdom)
- if you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Edward, contact
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
39 Eccleston Square
London SW1V 1BX, UNITED KINGDOM
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Hagiography Circle
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- Wikipedia
MLA Citation
- “Blessed Edward Oldcorne“. Saints.SQPN.com. 21 March 2013. Web. 19 June 2013. <>