Coleman, Edward (1636-05-17 - 1678-12-03)

Edward Coleman was born on 17 May 1636 in Suffolk. He was admitted pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge on 16 October 1651. He matriculated in 1651, graduating B.A. in 1656 and proceeding M.A. in 1659. In the 1660s, Coleman converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1673, James, Duke of York (later James II) appointed him as secretary to his second wife, Mary of Modena. On 27 November 1675, Coleman stood trial for treason at the King's Bench. Coleman was executed on 3 December 1678 at Tyburn. Edward Coleman was later beatified as one of the English martyrs by Pope Pius XI in 1929. See John Miller, 'The Correspondence of Edward Coleman, 1674-1678', British Catholic History, 14.3 (1978), 261-275.