William Atkins (Jesuit)

William Atkins (born circa 1575, died 1603) was an English Jesuit priest. He was one of the seminary priests sent from the continent to minister to the recusant Catholic population in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Atkins entered the English College at Rome in 1596 and was ordained in 1599. He was sent on the English mission in 1602.

His time in England was brief. He was arrested shortly after his arrival and imprisoned. He was charged under the Elizabethan laws which outlawed Catholic priests from entering the country, making their mere presence treasonous. William Atkins was executed at Tyburn in London in 1603. He is considered a martyr of the Catholic Church.