Challoner, Richard

Challoner, Richard, an English Romanist, was born at Lewes, Sussex, Sept. 29, 1691. His parents were Protestants, but he was led over to Rome by his tutor, Mr. Gother, a Romish chaplain at Warworth, Northamptonshire. In 1704 he went to the English college in the University of Douay, where he was appointed professor of poetry, afterwards of rhetoric, in 1713 of philosophy, and in 1718 of divinity. In 1720 he became vice-president of his college, and ten years afterwards was sent on a mission to England. He now commenced a series of controversial works, among which was a reply to Conyers Middleton's Letter from Rome. In 1741 he was made titular bishop of London and Salisbury, and vicar apostolic. He was accused of acting against the anti-papal law of William III, but was acquitted. In 1780 he was again in danger from Lord George Gordon's riots. He died in 1781. See Barnard, Life of Richard Challoner (Lond. 1784, 8vo). Among his writings are,

1. The Catholic Christian instructed in the Sacraments, Sacrifices, and Ceremonies of the Church (against Middleton's Conformity between Popery and Paganism): —

2. Britannia Sancta (Memoirs of British Faints, 1745, 2 vols. 4to): —

3. A Caveat against Methodism, etc. — Gorton, Biog. Dictionary, s.v.; Allibone, Dictionary of Authors, 1:301.