Richard Herst (Hurst) (died 29 August 1628) was an English Roman Catholic recusant layman.
Herst is thought to have been born at Broughton, near Preston, Lancashire, England, where he was a well-to-do yeoman, farming his own land.
The wound mortified and proved fatal, and before his death Dewhurst made a solemn oath that his injury was the result of an accident.
Nevertheless Hurst was indicted for murder, as the government wished at that time to make severe examples of recusants.
[2] At the gallows he was informed that his life would be spared if he would swear allegiance to the king, but as the oath contained passages to which he objected, he refused and was at once executed.