RICHARD BROUGHTON. — English Catholic priest and historian, born at Great Stukeley (Huntingdonshire) c. 1556, died at Wood on 18 January 1635. He studied at Oxford, then at Reims, where he was ordained priest in 1593. Returning to England, he became archpriest, canon of the Chapter, vicar general to the bishop of Chalcedon Richard Smith, and vicar general of England.
His numerous historical and apologetic works against Protestants include: Resolution of Religious (Antwerp 1601–1603); The Judgement of the Apostles (8 vols., Douai 1632); The Ecclesiastical Historie of Great Britain (1813); A true memorial (8 vols., London 1630); Monastichon Britannicum (8 vols., 1813), the last two posthumous.
BIBL.: A. Wood, History and antiquities of the University of Oxford, I, Oxford 1792, p. 80; J. Gillow, Bibliographical List of the English Catholics, I, pp. 318–20; N. G., s. V. in Diet. of national Biography, II, pp. 1370–71; The Douay College Diaries, 1588–1654, ed. by E. H. Burton and T. L. Williams (Publications of the Cathol. Record Soc., 10), I, London 1911, passim.