Saint Swithun Wells | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Swithun Wells in the St Etheldreda's Church, Ely Place, London | |
| Martyr | |
| Born | c. 1536 Brambridge House, Otterbourne, Hampshire |
| Died | 10 December 1591 (aged 54 - 55) Gray's Inn Lane, London |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | 25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI |
| Feast | 10 December (individual) 25 October (collectively with Forty Martyrs of England and Wales) |
| Attributes | reading a book or holding a stack of books, falcon |
Swithun Wells (c. 1536 – 10 December 1591) was an English Roman Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. Wells was a country gentleman and one time schoolmaster whose family sheltered hunted priests. He himself often arranged passage from one safehouse to another. His home in Gray's Inn Lane (where he was hanged) was known to welcome recusants.