Weld-Blundell family
Encyclopedia
The Weld family, which became in its main branch the Weld-Blundell family, is an old English family that claims descent from Eadric the Wild
and has branches in several parts of England and America
. The main branch are descended from Humphrey Weld
, Lord Mayor of London
, whose grandson of the same name purchased Lulworth Castle
in Dorset
, England in 1641. They were conspicuous as a recusant
family before the Catholic Emancipation
.
. His father was Thomas Weld-Blundell of Ince Blundell
.
Eadric the Wild
Eadric the Wild , also known as Eadric Cild, was an Anglo-Saxon magnate of the West Midlands who led English resistance to the Norman Conquest, active in 1068-70.-Background:...
and has branches in several parts of England and America
Weld family
The Weld family is an extended family of Boston Brahmins most remembered for the philanthropy of its members. The Welds have many connections to Harvard University, the Golden Age of Sail, the Far East , the history of Massachusetts, and American history in general.William Weld, former Governor of...
. The main branch are descended from Humphrey Weld
Humphrey Weld
Humphrey Weld was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1608.Weld was a city of London merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers. On 9 May 1598, he was elected an alderman of the City of London for Farringdon Within ward. He was Sheriff of London from 1599 to 1600....
, Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
, whose grandson of the same name purchased Lulworth Castle
Lulworth Castle
Lulworth Castle, in East Lulworth, Dorset, situated south of Wool, is an early 17th century mock castle. The stone building has now been re-built as a museum....
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England in 1641. They were conspicuous as a recusant
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
family before the Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
.
Members (19th century)
- Thomas Weld of Lulworth CastleLulworth CastleLulworth Castle, in East Lulworth, Dorset, situated south of Wool, is an early 17th century mock castle. The stone building has now been re-built as a museum....
(24 August 1750 — 1810) distinguished himself in relieving the misfortunes of the refugees of the French Revolution. He gave Stonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
, with 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land, to the exiled JesuitsSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
; he entirely supported the English Poor Clares who had fled from Gravelines; and he founded and maintained a TrappistTRAPPISTTRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
monastery at Lulworth (now Mount Mellaray, Ireland). He is said to have given half his income in charity. Besides his conspicuous piety and great hospitality (he was one of the first English Catholics to entertain the king, 1789, 1791), he was also a steady supporter of Bishop John MilnerJohn Milner (bishop)John Milner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and writer who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1803 to 1826.-Early life:...
. He died suddenly at Stonyhurst, where two of his sons also died, one of them, John, being its rector. He had nine sons, and six daughters.
- Thomas Cardinal WeldThomas Weld (cardinal)Thomas Weld was a member of the Weld-Blundell family and an English Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.-Life:...
, eldest son of Thomas of Lulworth Castle, continued his father's liberalities. "There is scarce a religious establishment in the West of England", said Nicholas Wiseman, "which has not some debt of gratitude recorded in his favour." He likewise befriended Milner, and stood almost alone on his side in the celebrated scene in 1813, when the whole of the Catholic committee turned upon the intrepid bishop. On the death of his wife and the marriage of his only daughter (1818) he became a priest (1821), and kept a poor orphanage in London. Asked for as Bishop of Upper Canada, he was consecrated in 1826, but his failing health forced him to resign his vicariate. In 1830, while visiting Rome, he was raised to the cardinalate.
- Joseph Weld, third son of Thomas of Lulworth Castle, succeeded his brother Thomas at Lulworth, and is remembered as one of the first to build and handle fast-sailing yachts. His best known boat was "The Arrow", which was to take part in the first America's CupAmerica's CupThe America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
race in 1851 under the ownership of Thomas ChamberlayneThomas Chamberlayne (cricketer)Thomas Chamberlayne was an English cricketer and yachtsman.-Early life:...
. Joseph was also founder of the Isle of WightIsle of WightThe Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
based Royal Yacht SquadronRoyal Yacht SquadronThe Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and arguably the world. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom...
.
- Humphrey Weld of ChideockChideockChideock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated on the A35 trunk road between Bridport and Lyme Regis. The village has a population of 597 based on the 2001 census....
(21 September 1783 — 9 January 1852), sixth son of Thomas of Lulworth Castle, settled at Chideock Manor, Dorset.
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- Charles Weld, eldest son of Humphrey of Chideock, was an artist of some note, to whom we owe the copies of several of the pictures of the English martyrs, the originals of which are now missing.
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- Frederick WeldFrederick WeldSir Frederick Aloysius Weld, GCMG , was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth Premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasmania, and Governor of the Straits Settlements.-Early life:Weld was born near...
(1823 — 1891), another son of Humphrey of Chideock, was Prime Minister of New ZealandPrime Minister of New ZealandThe Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
and Governor of Western AustraliaGovernor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
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- Frederick Weld
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- James Weld of Cowsfield (30 April 1785 — 26 February 1855), seventh son of Thomas of Lulworth Castle.
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- Mgr.MonsignorMonsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Francis Weld, son of James Weld, was the author of "Divine Love, and the Love of God's Most Blessed Mother" (London, 1873).
- Mgr.
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- George Weld of Leagram Park (28 September 1786 — 31 March 1866), eighth son of Thomas of Lulworth Castle.
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- Rev. Alfred Weld (1823 — 1890), son of George Weld, was a conspicuous member of the English Jesuits. Alfred filled all the higher posts of trust in the province (provincial, 1864–70) and undertook the editorship of "Letters and Notices", "The Month", and "The Messenger". As English assistant during the critical years 1873-83, he carried out with credit several confidential commissions both for the popePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and for his order. Eventually he went out to the ZambeziZambeziThe Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
mission, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, of which he had been the foster father, and died amid the hardships of the recent settlement. He was the author of "The Suppression of the Society of Jesus in the Portuguese Dominions" (London, 1877).
- Rev. Alfred Weld (1823 — 1890), son of George Weld, was a conspicuous member of the English Jesuits. Alfred filled all the higher posts of trust in the province (provincial, 1864–70) and undertook the editorship of "Letters and Notices", "The Month", and "The Messenger". As English assistant during the critical years 1873-83, he carried out with credit several confidential commissions both for the pope
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Later
The main stem of the family assumed the additional name of Blundell. The English Catholic Who's Who (1912) mentioned three Weld-Blundells and six Welds. The Lulworth branch died out by the 1920s, though, with two sons of Charles Joseph Weld-Blundell dying young. Lulworth Castle was inherited in 1924 by Herbert Weld BlundellHerbert Weld Blundell
Herbert Joseph Weld Blundell was an English traveller in Africa, archaeologist, philanthropist and yachtsman. He shortened his surname from Weld Blundell to Weld, in 1924.-Life to 1922 :...
. His father was Thomas Weld-Blundell of Ince Blundell
Ince Blundell
Ince Blundell is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton on Merseyside, England but historically in Lancashire. It is situated to the north of Liverpool on the A565 road and to the east of the village of Hightown...
.
External links
- Stirnet: Weld1 (requires membership)
- Stirnet: Weld2 (requires membership; mentions Dorset family)