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John Weld (merchant)

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Sir John Weld

Sir John Weld (1582 – 1623) was a wealthy landowner and London merchant, the son of a Lord Mayor of London and the father of the branch of the Weld family which became settled at Lulworth Castle in Dorset. He was a charter member and Council assistant of the Newfoundland Company of 1610.

Early life

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John was the son of Sir Humphrey Weld, citizen and Grocer, who derived from Eaton, Cheshire, and his first wife, Ann Wheler.[1][2] His mother dying, his father remarried to Mary, eldest daughter of Sir Stephen Slaney (Lord Mayor in 1595-96) and relict of Richard Bradgate (died 1589), both citizens and Skinners, who so became his stepmother. John had two surviving sisters, Joan (1580-1618), who in 1597 became the first wife of Sir Robert Brooke of Cockfield Hall, Yoxford, Suffolk, and Anne, who, after the death of her first husband Richard Corbett Esquire (of the Shropshire family), married secondly Sir James Stonehouse c. 1618.

John's father joined the City Aldermanry in 1598, in which year John matriculated a fellow-commoner from Trinity College, Cambridge.[3] Sir Humphrey served as Sheriff of London in 1599-1600, and became Lord Mayor for 1608-09, when he received his knighthood.[4] On 1 May 1610 Sir Humphrey made his will, making the customary division of his estate into three parts, one of which went entirely to his son John because his two sisters had already been advanced. His will particularly mentions both John Weld his son, and John Weld Esquire his nephew (1582-1666, son of Humphrey's brother John Weld (died 1588), citizen and Haberdasher) whom he named jointly among trustees to manage a fund to benefit the children of his brothers and sisters. In January 1607/08 he had already bound his son John into a tripartite indenture to ensure that Dame Mary should retain possession of his great mansion house in St Olave, Old Jewry and other properties in St Mary Colechurch during her widowhood. Sir Humphrey died in 1610.[5]

Career

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John's inheritance opened the way for his investment and enterprise. In 1610 he bought the manor of Arnolds in Edmonton, Middlesex,[6] the estate which gave its name to Arnos Grove and on which Arnos Grove house was later built. In that year both he (as John Weld, gent.) and his cousin John Weld Esq. were named among the 24 Assistants forming the Council of the Newfoundland Company, in King James's founding charter,[7] together with their cousins John and Humphrey Slaney (nephews and associates of Sir Stephen, whose own sons predeceased him,[8][9] and who died in 1608[10]), merchants with wide-ranging interests operating out of the parish of St Martin Pomary.[11] In 1601 Humphrey Slaney had married Joan Weld, sister of John Esq., and in 1610 John Slaney was appointed Treasurer (senior officer) of the London operation of the Newfoundland Company in the founding charter, working closely with the Proprietary Governors of the colony, John Guy and his successor Sir John Mason (governor).[12]

On 24 May 1615 he founded the Weld Chapel as a private chapel to his mansion at Arnolds, in what is now Waterfall Road, Southgate.[13][14][15] (It was replaced by Christ Church in 1862.[16]) He was knighted by James I at Theobalds in 1617.[17] In 1619 Sir John purchased the manor of Barnet from Anthony Butler, and it became part of the inheritance of his son and heir Humphrey.[18] He made his will on 23 January 1622/23 being "sicke in bodye", asking "that my bodye be buryed within my late erected chappell neare unto my nowe Mansion howse called Arnoldes scytuated in the parish of Edmonton":[19][14] he died on 6 February 1622/23 and the will was proved on 8 February immediately following. His stepmother Dame Mary Weld survived him by a few months. Dame Frances died in 1656.[20]

Personal life

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John Weld married Frances Whitmore (sister of Sir William and Sir George Whitmore), and had four daughters and three surviving sons.[20] Sir John's sons married into prominent Catholic families and became recusants. The children of Sir John Weld and Dame Frances (née Whitmore) are shown as follows by Burke:[20]

John Weld of Willey

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Sir John's cousin John Weld, Esquire (1582-1666), who served as Town Clerk of London 1613-1642, bought the manor of Willey, Shropshire, in 1617-1618 (where he was a neighbour of the Slaneys of Barrow and of the Whitmores of Apley), and was knighted in 1642.[22] He married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir William Romney (died 1611[23]), Alderman of London,[24] at St Martin Pomary on 4 February 1610/11. His sister Joan wife of Humphrey Slaney was buried there on 3 February 1630.[25] His other sister Dorothy married Sir William Whitmore (died 1648) of Apley, Shropshire, brother of Sir George Whitmore (alderman and Lord Mayor of London) and of Frances Whitmore the wife of Sir John Weld of Edmonton.[26] He was the father of Sir John Weld (died 1681) of Willey,[27] also knighted 1642, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Whitmore.

Memorial

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A memorial inscription was set up for Sir John in the Weld Chapel, and was again re-set in the new church when the chapel was demolished. It included these verses:

"The wicked like a wasted candle sincke
Within the socket, and there, dye, and stincke:
But righteous men dissolvèd yield a s[c]ent
Like precious odours, when their box is rent,
And so did hee: at his departure giving
A lasting sweetnes, to refresh ye living."[14]

Heraldry

The memorial stone displayed the following arms quartered for Sir John:

  • 1 and 4: (Weld). Azure, a fesse nebulée between three crescents ermine.
  • 2: (Button als Grant). Azure, three lions rampant or, a chief argent.
  • 3: (Fitzhugh). Argent, three chevrons sable each charged with a bezant: in fesse point a martlet for difference.
  • Crest: A wyvern, wings expanded sable, guttée d'or, plain gorged and chained gold.[14]

A slight variant of the Weld blazon, with a Label for cadency (eldest son), and motto: Nil sine numine, is attributed to Sir John on a stamped leather book-cover.[28]

The Weld alarm watch

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An hour-striking alarm watch made in Aldgate by Isaac Simmes in 1600-1610, engraved with a quartering as above for Weld, and with representations of Isaac, Elijah, and the Priests of Baal, is in the collections of the British Museum, and is there attributed to Sir John Weld (1582-1623). In this blazon, however, there is a cadency mark of a crescent (second son) at the central crossing of the four quarters, and the fourth quarter is shown:

  • 4: (Greswold). Argent, a fess gules between two greyhounds courant sable.[29]

The Greswold heraldry indicates that this watch was engraved not for Humphrey's son, but probably for John Weld, Esq. (1581-1666), the son of Sir Humphrey's brother John Weld, (Haberdasher, died 1588, second son of John Weld of Eaton) and his wife Dorothy (daughter of Roger Griswold of Solihull, Warwickshire), who afterwards married Alderman Hugh Offley.[1][22] Dorothy (died 1610) had a handsome small wall monument on the south side of the chancel of St Andrew Undershaft church.[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b 'Weld of Eaton', in J.P. Rylands (ed.), The Visitation of Cheshire in the Year 1580, Harleian Society XVIII (1882), p. 244 (Internet Archive).
  2. ^ 'Weld of Arnolds', in G.J. Armytage (ed.), Middlesex Pedigrees, as Collected by Richard Mundy in Harleian MS. no. 1551, Harleian Society LXV (1914), pp. 25-26 (Internet Archive).
  3. ^ J. Venn and J.A. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigienses Part I vol. 4 (Cambridge University Press 1927), p. 360 (Internet Archive).
  4. ^ A.B. Beavan, The Aldermen of the City London, temp. Henry III.-1908, 2 vols (The City Corporation, London 1913), II, p. 46 (Internet Archive).
  5. ^ Will of Sir Humphrey Weld, Alderman of the City of London (P.C.C. 1610, Wingfield quire).
  6. ^ T. Mason, The Story of Southgate (Meyers Brooks, Enfield 1947), p. 3.
  7. ^ 'Newfoundland Company', in C.T. Carr (ed.), Select Charters of Trading Companies, A.D. 1530-1707, Selden Society XXVIII (Bernard Quaritch, London 1913), pp. 51-62 (Internet Archive).
  8. ^ The National Archives (UK), Chancery final decrees, Offley v Slaney, ref. C 78/112/14; view original at AALT, images 0011-0015. Humphrey's role as administrator is mentioned at the end the decree.
  9. ^ Index to Acts of Administration of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury IV: 1596–1608, British Record Society LXXXI (1964), p. 241.
  10. ^ Will of Stephen Slany, Alderman of Saint Swithin, City of London (P.C.C. 1609, Dorset quire).
  11. ^ G.T. Cell, Newfoundland Discovered: English Attempts at Colonisation 1610-1630, Hakluyt Society, Series 2, CLX (1981).
  12. ^ A. Brown, The Genesis of the United States, 2 vols (Houghton, Mifflin & Company, Boston and New York 1897), II, p. 1004 (Internet Archive).
  13. ^ 'Of Weld Chapel, Southgate', in W. Robinson, The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Edmonton, New edition (J. Nicholls and Son, London 1819), p 122-34 (Google)
  14. ^ a b c d F.C. Cass, East Barnet, London and Middlesex Archaeological and Natural History Society (Westminster 1885), pp. 30-39 (Google). Includes full transcript of Sir John's will.
  15. ^ S. Gilburt, 'Christ Church, Waterfall Road, Southgate', Newsletter of The Enfield Society no. 179 (Autumn 2010), at The Enfield Society webpage (with colour images).
  16. ^ "Weld Chapel". www.christchurch-southgate.org.
  17. ^ '11 November 1617. John Wild', in W.A. Shaw, Knights of England, 2 vols (Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906), II, p. 167 (Hathi Trust). Venn is mistaken in assigning the 1607 knighthood to this John.
  18. ^ 'Parishes: Barnet', in W. Page (ed.), A History of the County of Hertford, Vol. 2 (London 1908), pp. 329-37 (British History Online), citing Feet of Fines, Divers Counties, Easter 17 Jas. I; Recovery Rolls, Easter 17 Jas. I, rot. 3.
  19. ^ a b Will of Sir John Weld (P.C.C. 1623, Swann quire).
  20. ^ a b c J. Burke and J.B. Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 2 vols (H. Colburn, London 1847), II, pp. 1545-46 (Google).
  21. ^ Richardson, Douglas (2011). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Vol. I (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. ISBN 978-1449966379.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ^ a b W. Phillips, 'The Sequestration Papers of Sir John Weld senr, and Sir John Weld jnr, Knights of Willey', Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Series 3 vol. 1 (1901), pp. 185-212 at pp. 185-86 and p. 204 (Biodiversity Heritage Library).
  23. ^ Will of Sir William Romney (P.C.C. 1611, Wood quire).
  24. ^ 'Romney' and 'Weld', in J.J. Howard (ed.), The Visitation of London, Anno Domini 1633, 1634 and 1635, by Sir Henry and Sir Richard St George, 2 vols, Harleian Society XV, XVII, (1880, 1883), II, p. 212, and p. 336 (Internet Archive).
  25. ^ Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1539-1812, London Metropolitan Archives ref. P69/MTN4/A/001/MS04392, sub anno.
  26. ^ 'Whitmore of Apley Park', in The Visitation of Shropshire, Taken in the Year 1623, Harleian Society XXVIII-XXIX (1888-1889), II, pp. 499-500 (Internet Archive).
  27. ^ J.S. Crossette, 'Weld, Sir John (1613-81), of Chelmarsh and Willey, Salop.', in B.D. Henning (ed.), The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690 (from Boydell and Brewer, 1983), History of Parliament Online.
  28. ^ 'Weld, John, Sir (1582-1623)' (with image), "British Armorial Bearings", (University of Toronto Libraries/The Bibliographical Society of London.
  29. ^ The British Museum, accession number 1894,0720.1: see D. Thompson, 'A Verge Watch with Alarm and Passing Strike by Isaack Simmes', Antiquarian Horology, Vol. XVI Part 5 (March 1986), pp.499-506. Images and commentary at The British Museum website.
  30. ^ John Stow, ed. A.M., H.D., etc., The Survey of London: contayning the orignall, increase, moderne estate, and government of that city, methodically set downe (Elizabeth Purslow, London 1633), p. 153 (Internet Archive).
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