William of Norwich

Memorial

• formerly 26 March
• cultus suppressed several centuries ago

Profile

Apprentice tanner. Alleged to have been murdered at age 12 by Jews due to their hatred of Christianity and the alleged need for Christian blood for a Passover feast. While the boy did die, his story and the popular elevation of his status to martyr are a function of anti-Semitism, not sanctity. The cultus was disapproved of by the papacy, and was gone by the Reformation.

Born

• 1132

Died

• 22 March 1144

Patronage

• kidnap victims
• torture victims

Representation

• boy crowned with thorns
• boy with a knife in his side and holding some nails
• boy holding a cross and nails with wounded feet and hands

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Catholic Online
• Jewish Encyclopedia
• Kirken i Norge
• Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

MLA Citation

• “William of Norwich“. Saints.SQPN.com. 25 March 2013. Web. 21 May 2013. <>