William Carter (martyr) facts for kids

William Carter was an English printer who lived a long time ago, from about 1548 to 1584. He was a Roman Catholic and is remembered as a martyr because of his beliefs. He was known for printing books that supported the Catholic faith during a time when it was dangerous to do so in England.

William Carter's Early Life

William Carter was born in London in 1548. His father, John Carter, was a draper, which means he sold cloth. His mother's name was Agnes.

When William was about 15 years old, in 1563, he began learning to be a printer. He worked for John Cawood, who was the queen's printer at the time. After ten years, William became a secretary for Nicholas Harpsfield. Harpsfield was a Catholic leader who was held prisoner in Fleet Prison.

Starting His Printing Business

After Nicholas Harpsfield passed away, William Carter got married. He then started his own printing business in an area of London called Tower Hill.

During this time, it was difficult to be a Catholic in England. The government had laws that required people to attend official church services. In September 1578, William was held in a small prison called the Poultry Compter. This was because he didn't attend the required church services.

In December 1579, he was sent to the Gatehouse Prison for not following the rules about religion. Prisons were very crowded back then. He was finally released in June 1581 after promising to return if needed.

Printing Dangerous Books

It became very risky to print Catholic books openly. To stay safe, William sometimes had to use fake information on his books. He would use a false name, like "Johannem Bogardi." He even pretended that some books were printed in a different city, like "Duaci" (Douay).

One important Catholic book he printed was "A Treatise of Schisme" by Gregory Martin. William printed 1000 copies of this book in 1580. Because of this, he was arrested again and sent to the Tower of London in 1582. He had to pay for his own meals while he was imprisoned there. Sadly, his wife died while he was in prison.

Trial and Execution

While William Carter was in the Tower of London, he was tortured. On January 10, 1584, he was put on trial at the Old Bailey, which is a famous court in London. He was accused of printing Dr. Martin's book.

The book contained a part that said Catholics hoped their faith would win. It also mentioned a story from the Bible where a brave woman named Judith defeated a powerful enemy. The court said this was a secret message to kill Queen Elizabeth I of England.

At this time, there was a lot of tension between Queen Elizabeth I and King Philip II of Spain. This tension would later lead to the Spanish Armada trying to invade England. Because of this, showing Catholic faith in England was often seen as helping Spain and was punished as treason.

William Carter was found guilty of treason. He was executed the very next day, on January 11, 1584, at a place called Tyburn in London.

See also

In Spanish: Guillermo Carter para niños

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