Richard Weston (1465–1541)
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Weston KB
(1465–1541) was Governor of Guernsey, Treasurer of Calais
and Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer
during the reign of King Henry VIII of England
.
Weston was the son of Edmund Weston of Boston
in Lincolnshire
. He became a courtier
at the court of Henry VII
, but particularly rose to power during the reign of his son, Henry VIII
. He was appointed Governor of Guernsey in 1509, Treasurer of Calais
in 1525 and Sub-Treasurer of the Exchequer in 1528. His main residences were Cranbourne Lodge
(where he was the keeper) and Ufton Court
, both in Berkshire
, and then Sutton Place, Surrey
. The last two being granted to him by the King. he served as knight of the shire for Berkshire
in 1529.
Weston's only son, Sir Francis Weston
, was arrested as one of the alleged lovers of Henry VIII's second wife
, Anne Boleyn
. The father is said to have offered all the family had to gain his son a pardon, but Sir Francis was executed in 1536.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1465–1541) was Governor of Guernsey, Treasurer of Calais
Treasurer of Calais
Calais was in English hands from 1347 to 1558. The task of the Treasurer, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison...
and Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
during the reign of King Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Weston was the son of Edmund Weston of Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He became a courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
at the court of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, but particularly rose to power during the reign of his son, Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. He was appointed Governor of Guernsey in 1509, Treasurer of Calais
Treasurer of Calais
Calais was in English hands from 1347 to 1558. The task of the Treasurer, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison...
in 1525 and Sub-Treasurer of the Exchequer in 1528. His main residences were Cranbourne Lodge
Cranbourne Lodge
Cranbourne Lodge was a keeper's lodge for the royal hunting grounds of Cranbourne Chase, once adjoining but now part of Windsor Great Park in the English county of Berkshire...
(where he was the keeper) and Ufton Court
Ufton Court
Ufton Court is an Elizabethan manor house at Ufton Nervet in the English county of Berkshire. Today is it used by an educational charity, The Ufton Court Educational Trust. Other than historical education, the site hosts creative projects too including theatre and music courses.Parts of the house...
, both in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, and then Sutton Place, Surrey
Sutton Place, Surrey
Sutton Place, 3 miles NE of Guildford in Surrey is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house built c.1525 by Sir Richard Weston, courtier of Henry VIII. It is of great importance to art history in showing some of the earliest traces of Italianate renaissance design elements in English architecture. In...
. The last two being granted to him by the King. he served as knight of the shire for Berkshire
Berkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Berkshire was a parliamentary constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885...
in 1529.
Weston's only son, Sir Francis Weston
Francis Weston
Sir Francis Weston was a gentleman at the court of King Henry VIII of England. He became a friend of the king and gained a sad fame by being one of the men accused alongside Anne Boleyn...
, was arrested as one of the alleged lovers of Henry VIII's second wife
Wives of Henry VIII
The wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort married to Henry VIII of England between 1509 and 1547. The six women to hold the title 'queens consort' of King Henry VIII were, in order:* Catherine of Aragon ,* Anne Boleyn ,...
, Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. The father is said to have offered all the family had to gain his son a pardon, but Sir Francis was executed in 1536.