The Swinging Saint

 In 1594 Thomas Boste was hanged on the site where my former school stands, St Leonard's in Durham. While I remember vaguely a teacher mentioning it I never really looked into who he was and why he died.

Thomas was born to a landowner and seemed to have a run-of-the-mill childhood. He converted to Catholiscism in 1576 in Reims. This of course was during Elizabeth 1 reign and as she was Protestant being a Catholic was a crime. However, in 1581 Thomas decided to return to the North of England and arrived in Hartlepool, from their he travelled to East Anglia. Thomas spent a few years travelling around and was later recorded being near Brancepeth Castle in Durham working as a missionary. For this reason he was wanted for arrest. For 10yrs Thomas evaded arrest until one day he was betrayed by a ''friend'' who told the authorities where to find Thomas. After a service (in which his so called friend attended) authorites gathered to arrest Thomas. Thomas was found in a priest hole behind the fireplace at the waterhouse on the Neville estate. He was arrested and taken to the Tower of London, interrogated on the rack and then returned to Durham. Fr Thomas Boste was hanged until semi-conscious, drawn with horses and quartered. His limbs were left on the castle wall and his head was put on a pole on Framwellgate Bridge. 

Thomas was beatified and canonised. He is known as one of the 40 martyrs of England and Wales. In the case of a martyr, a miracle is not required. For a martyr, the Pope has only to make a declaration of martyrdom. A list of martyrs became saints based on an alleged miracle that cured a young boy. All 40 martyrs (those who were killed during the reformation predominantly) were given Saint status based on this one miracle.