English Martyrs Church was opened in 1932. It is the largest of all the Catholic churches in York, The parish takes in the Tyburn on the Knavesmire where over one hundred of the Martyrs of England were cruelly put to death for their witness to the Catholic faith.

It is most fitting therefore that the church is dedicated to the Martyrs of England. We are privileged to house many of their relics including the jawbone of Blessed Nicholas Postgate and a small portion of Thomas More’s hat!

Within its boundaries the parish also has the oldest convent in England, the Bar Convent founded in 1686. This is one of the most important sites of Catholic heritage in the country. Mass is celebrated in the chapel there on Fridays at 12 noon.

The parish dates from 1882. It took 50 years to build the fine church you see today on Dalton Terrace. The parish became part of the diocese of Middlesbrough in 1982. It was in that year that Pope John Paul II visited the parish on May 31st as part of his pastoral visit to Great Britain, A huge gathering took place on the Knavesmire better known as York race course.

The parish boundaries take in the York Railway station, Micklegate and the communities along the Tadcaster and Boroughbridge roads. The villages of Copmanthorpe, Upper Poppleton, Nether Poppleton and Bishopthorpe are also part of the parish.