Archbishop of Canterbury Saint Sir Thomas à Becket

1118 - 1170  (52 years)

• Name	Saint Sir Thomas à Becket  [1]
  Title	Archbishop of Canterbury
  Birth	1118	Cheapside, Berkshire, England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Notable Quote	Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?
  Ordained	Saint Thomas à Becket is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Soon after his death, on 21 Feb 1173, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III  [2]
  		Church - Martyrdom of Thomas Becket Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket This miniature from an English psalter presents a spirited account of the murder. Three of the four knights attack the archbishop, who is kneeling in prayer before the altar. One of the knights kicks Thomas to the floor, and sends his miter flying as his sword cracks open Thomas's head. …
  		Church Window of Thomas à Becket Stained glass window of Thomas à Becket in Caterbury Cathedral.
  Religion	As Archbishop of Canturbury, he engaged in conflict with Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the Church  [3]
  Death	29 Dec 1170	Canterbury, Kent, England   [1]
  	Murdered by followers of King Henry II - Canterbury Cathedral
  		Church - Martyrdom of Thomas Becket Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket This miniature from an English psalter presents a spirited account of the murder. Three of the four knights attack the archbishop, who is kneeling in prayer before the altar. One of the knights kicks Thomas to the floor, and sends his miter flying as his sword cracks open Thomas's head. …
  Burial	Canterbury, Kent, England   [3]
  	Becket's remains were placed beneath the floor of the eastern crypt of the cathedral. His remains were relocated in Trinity Chapel. King Henry VIII destroyed Becket's shrine and his bones and ordered that all mention of his name be obliterated./Canterbur
  		Church - Shrine of St Thomas of Canterbury Candle marking the former spot of the shrine of Thomas Becket, at Canterbury Cathedral
  Person ID	I20611	A Tree Called Smith
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

  Father	Gilbert le Becket,   b. 1090, Normandy, France d. 1118, London, England (Age 28 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Mathilde Roesa,   b. 1090, Norfolk, England d. 1110, Norfolk, England (Age 20 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F3128	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1118 - Cheapside, Berkshire, England Death - 29 Dec 1170 - Canterbury, Kent, England Burial - - Canterbury, Kent, England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Places » Slide Show		Church - Cathedral at Canterbury Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury --- Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican…
  		Church - Martyrdom of Thomas Becket Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket This miniature from an English psalter presents a spirited account of the murder. Three of the four knights attack the archbishop, who is kneeling in prayer before the altar. One of the knights kicks Thomas to the floor, and sends his miter flying as his sword cracks open Thomas's head. …
  		Church - Shrine of St Thomas of Canterbury Candle marking the former spot of the shrine of Thomas Becket, at Canterbury Cathedral
  		Church Window of Thomas à Becket Stained glass window of Thomas à Becket in Caterbury Cathedral.

  
  

• Sources

  [S54] Ancestry Family Trees, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT : Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;), Database online. [S547] Saints, Saint Thomas a Becket. SQPN: Saint Thomas a Becket http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-thomas-a-becket/ [S2061] Wikipedia: Thomas Becket, (Name: Wikipedia;), Saint Thomas Becket. Thomas Becket, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then notably as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket