Andrew Broughton
Encyclopedia
Andrew Broughton was Clerk of the Court at the High Court of Justice for the trial
King Charles I of England
.
There are not many records of his early life. He was probably born in Seaton
, Rutland
as the younger son of Richard Broughton (d. 1635). By 1627 Broughton was living in Maidstone
, Kent
and in 1639 he was appointed clerk of the peace for the county of Kent by the Earl of Pembroke
who was at that time Lord Chamberlain
. He lost this position under the machinations surrounding the start of the English Civil War
, specifically his involvement in the impeachment of Earl of Strafford
and the imprisonment of Geoffrey Palmer
for protesting against the Grand Remonstrance
.
"Broughton was a member of the Kent county committee from 1643. He acted as attorney on behalf of the corporation of Maidstone during the First English Civil War. In November 1648 he was elected Mayor of the town. Two months later he was appointed Clerk of the Court at the High Court of Justice for the trial
King Charles I of England
. As Clerk of the Court, it was Broughton who read out the charge against the king and required him to plead, and at the end of the trial declared the court's sentence of death.
During the English Interregnum
he served as a member of the Barebones Parliament
, on the Council of State between 14 July 1653 and November 1653, and in the Third Protectorate Parliament
in which "Towards Richard
himself he was positively insulting" (Woolrych, 222).
At the Restoration
Broughton, was exempted from the general pardon under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
, and was likely to lose his life — The other clerk at the trial, John Phelps
was also exempted but only for "penalties not extending to Life" — so Broughton and Phelps fled, reports in 1662 placed them in Hamburg, but later that year Broughton arrived in Lausanne in Switzerland where several other regicides were residing. In 1664 he travelled to Bern with Edmund Ludlow
and Nicholas Love
, to thank the senate of Bern for their offer of sanctuary. Broughton remained in exile for 25 years dying peacefully in Vevey
, where he was buried in the church of St Martin.
High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
The High Court of Justice is the name given to the court established by the Rump Parliament to try King Charles I of England. This was an ad hoc tribunal created specifically for the purpose of trying the king, although the same name was used again for subsequent courts.Neither the involvement of...
King Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
There are not many records of his early life. He was probably born in Seaton
Seaton, Rutland
Seaton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.Nearby is the large Seaton Viaduct, on the Oakham to Kettering railway line. It is three quarters of a mile long and took four years to build. It has 82 arches which are up to high. The railway is now...
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
as the younger son of Richard Broughton (d. 1635). By 1627 Broughton was living in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and in 1639 he was appointed clerk of the peace for the county of Kent by the Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery KG was an English courtier and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I...
who was at that time Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
. He lost this position under the machinations surrounding the start of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, specifically his involvement in the impeachment of Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
and the imprisonment of Geoffrey Palmer
Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet
Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet, SL was an English lawyer and politician.Born in Carlton, Northamptonshire, he obtained a BA from Christ's College, Cambridge in 1616 and a MA 1619. He was admitted to the Middle Temple on 14 June 1616 and called to the bar on 23 May 1623...
for protesting against the Grand Remonstrance
Grand Remonstrance
The Grand Remonstrance was a list of grievances presented to King Charles I of England by the English Parliament on 1 December 1641, but passed by the House of Commons on the 22nd of November 1641, during the Long Parliament; it was one of the chief events which were to precipitate the English...
.
"Broughton was a member of the Kent county committee from 1643. He acted as attorney on behalf of the corporation of Maidstone during the First English Civil War. In November 1648 he was elected Mayor of the town. Two months later he was appointed Clerk of the Court at the High Court of Justice for the trial
High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
The High Court of Justice is the name given to the court established by the Rump Parliament to try King Charles I of England. This was an ad hoc tribunal created specifically for the purpose of trying the king, although the same name was used again for subsequent courts.Neither the involvement of...
King Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. As Clerk of the Court, it was Broughton who read out the charge against the king and required him to plead, and at the end of the trial declared the court's sentence of death.
During the English Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
he served as a member of the Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...
, on the Council of State between 14 July 1653 and November 1653, and in the Third Protectorate Parliament
Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...
in which "Towards Richard
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
himself he was positively insulting" (Woolrych, 222).
At the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
Broughton, was exempted from the general pardon under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
, and was likely to lose his life — The other clerk at the trial, John Phelps
John Phelps
John Phelps was a Clerk and Registrar of the Committee for Plundered Ministers and of the High Court which tried Charles I of England for high treason in 1649.-Early life:...
was also exempted but only for "penalties not extending to Life" — so Broughton and Phelps fled, reports in 1662 placed them in Hamburg, but later that year Broughton arrived in Lausanne in Switzerland where several other regicides were residing. In 1664 he travelled to Bern with Edmund Ludlow
Edmund Ludlow
Edmund Ludlow was an English parliamentarian, best known for his involvement in the execution of Charles I, and for his Memoirs, which were published posthumously in a rewritten form and which have become a major source for historians of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. After service in the English...
and Nicholas Love
Nicholas Love
Nicholas Love was an English lawyer and one of the Regicides of King Charles I of England.Love was educated at Wadham College, Oxford; M.A., 1636; barrister, Lincoln's Inn, 1636. He was elected M.P. for Winchester in 1645. Love was one of the judges at the trial of Charles I, but did not sign the...
, to thank the senate of Bern for their offer of sanctuary. Broughton remained in exile for 25 years dying peacefully in Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, where he was buried in the church of St Martin.