A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Broughton, John
BROUGHTON. (Retired Commander, 1831. f-p., 32; h-p., 32.)
John Broughton entered the Navy, in 1783, as a Boy, on board the Irresistible 74, Capts. Sir Andrew Snape Hamond and Geo. Bowyer, and in 1787 joined the Sandwich, Capt. Tompkins, both guard-ships at Chatham. From June, 1793, to Feb. 1797, he served in the Polyphemus 64, Capt. Geo. Lumsdaine, and Penelope cutter, Lieut.-Commander Daniel Burdwood, on the Irish, Mediterranean, and West India stations, and was in the former ship when she took possession of the Dutch 64, Overyssel, 22 Oct. 1795. He then became Midshipman of the Kingston schooner, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Ross, and afterwards Master’s Mate of the Mermaid, of 40 guns and 208 men, and Loire 38, both commanded in the Channel by Capt. Jas. Newman Newman. While in the Mermaid Mr. Broughton assisted, 31 Dec. 1797, at the capture of L’Aventure privateer, of 12 guns – witnessed, 30 June, 1798, the surrender of the 40-gun frigate La Seine to the Jason and Pique – and, on 17 Oct. following, took part in a gallant action of two hours and a half with the French frigate Loire, of 46 guns and 330 men, which terminated in the separation of the combatants, each being greatly disabled. In the Loire Mr. Broughton was present, 6 Feb. 1800, at the capture, in company with the Danae 20, and Fairy, Harpy, and Railleur sloops, of the French 38-gun frigate Pallas, under the heavy fire of a battery on one of the Seven Islands. In March, 1801, he was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Fairy sloop, Capt. Fred. Warren, on the West India station, where, after a further servitude as Master’s Mate in the Leviathan 74, bearing the flag of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, he was officially promoted to the command of the Staunch gun-brig, 1 Aug. 1801. He left that vessel in Feb. 1803, and was afterwards appointed – in March, 1804, to the Sea Fencibles, at Kilrush, in Ireland – 6 Nov. following, to the Gorgon 44, Capts. Wm. Wilkinson, Fras. Stanfell, and Wm. B. Ryder, employed on the river Shannon – 1 Aug. 1806, to the Ardent 64, Capt. Geo. Eyre, at Chatham – 10 Sept. in the same year, to the Challenger 18, Capt. Wm. B. Ryder, lying in the Downs – 15 Dec. 1807, to the Impress Service, at Fareham, in Hampshire – and, 26 July, 1811, to the command of a Signal Station at Whitelands, near Lyme Regis. Commander Broughton, who had been on half-pay since April, 1815, accepted his present rank 1 Nov. 1831.