Wharton was born at
Middleton, Yorkshire, before 1546. He was the second son of Sir Thomas Wharton of Wharton and Agnes Warcop, and younger brother of
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton. He was educated at
Trinity College, Oxford, where he graduated M.A., 3 February 1564, and afterwards became a Fellow. During his time at Oxford, he converted to Catholicism. In 1583 he left England and entered the
English College at
Reims to study for the priesthood (28 July). He was ordained priest in the following year (31 March), but continued his studies after ordination until 1586, when on 21 May he left Reims in company with
Edward Burden. No details of his missionary work have been preserved; but at his trial
Baron Savile, the judge, incidentally remarked that he had known him at Oxford some years after 1596. He was finally arrested by
Stephen Proctor within the park of
Ripley Castle, in 1598, at the house of Eleanor Hunt, a widow, who was arrested with him and confined in
York Castle. There, with other Catholic prisoners, he was forcibly taken to hear Protestant sermons. He was brought to trial together with Mrs. Hunt at the Lent Assizes 1600, and both were condemned, the former for
high treason, the latter for
felony. Both refused life and liberty at the price of conformity. Wharton was executed; Eleanor Hunt died in prison. ==Relics==