The Earl of Portland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lord High Treasurer | |
| In office 1628–1635 | |
| Preceded by | James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough |
| Succeeded by | William Juxon |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 1621–1628 | |
| Monarchs | James I Charles I |
| Preceded by | The Lord Brooke |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Barrett of Newburgh |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | |
| In office 1628–1635 | |
| Monarch | Charles I |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 March 1577 |
| Died | 13 March 1634/1635 (aged 56-58) |
Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland,KG (1 March 1577 – 13 March 1634/1635), wasChancellor of the Exchequer and laterLord Treasurer of England underJames I andCharles I, being one of the most influential figures in the early years of Charles I'sPersonal Rule and the architect of many of the policies that enabled him to rule without raising taxes through Parliament.
Weston was the eldest son and heir of Sir Jerome Weston,High Sheriff of Essex for 1599, and the former Mary Cave. He was born atRoxwell,Essex, and was a student of theMiddle Temple. He served asMember of Parliament (MP) for a number of constituencies includingMaldon (1601–1603),Midhurst (in the parliament of 1604–1611),Essex (in theAddled Parliament of 1614),Arundel (1622),Bossiney (1624),Callington (1625) andBodmin (1626).[1] He was knighted in 1603.
During the reign ofKing James I of England, Weston was sent on embassies toBohemia,Brussels, andSpain. On the last assignment, he negotiated for the restitution of thePalatine. Upon his return to England in 1621, he was madeChancellor of the Exchequer, and retained the post after the accession ofCharles I; he proved a capable financial manager but incurred popular hatred as a (justly) suspectedRoman Catholic, while also later earning the enmity of the (Catholic) queen,Henrietta Maria for refusing grants to her favourites. He opposed wars with Spain in 1623 and France in 1626, but managed to find ways of raising the money to fund them when required, even when it was impossible to secure the cooperation of Parliament.[2]
Weston was elevated to the peerage on 13 April 1628 asBaron Weston ofNayland in Suffolk. He was subsequently madeLord Treasurer of England and invested with theOrder of the Garter.[3] His policies proving highly unpopular, he escapedimpeachment in 1629 only by the dissolution of Parliament. Nevertheless, he played an important role in the King'sPersonal Rule without Parliament, finding new sources of revenue while preventing any further increase in the King's expenditure, and being for a time the most influential of Charles's advisers. He persuaded the King to make peace with France in 1629 and Spain in 1630, removing the biggest drain on the treasury, and to sign the secret treaty with Spain in 1634. By the time he died in 1635, the Crown was solvent.[4]
On 17 February 1633, Weston was createdEarl of Portland. Lord Portland was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Pincheon ofWrittle in Essex. His second wife was Frances Waldegrave ofBorley in Essex. He had three children by his first marriage, including Lady Mary Weston (2 January 1603-after August 1678), who married the2nd Lord Aston of Forfar in 1629, and Lady Elizabeth Weston (died 1656), who marriedJohn Netterville, 2nd Viscount Netterville.[5] He had seven children by his second marriage, including his sonThomas, who later succeeded as 4th Earl, and Lady Anne Weston, the first of the four wives ofBasil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh.[6] His nephew (his sister's son),Jeremy Clarke, became a Governor ofRhode Island in the American colonies.
On his death, he was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son,Jerome.[7]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Exchequer 1621–1628 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Treasurer 1628–1635 | Succeeded by In Commission |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Essex jointly withThe Earl of Warwick 1629–1635 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire 1631–1635 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New title | Earl of Portland 1633–1635 | Succeeded by |
| Baron Weston 1628–1635 | ||
Chancellors of the exchequer under theHouse of Stuart (1603–1649; 1660–1714) | ||
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| James I (1603–1625) |
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| Charles I (1625–1649) |
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| Charles II (1660–1685) |
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| James II (1685–1688) |
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| William &Mary (1689–1694) |
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| William III (1694–1702) |
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| Anne (1702–1714) |
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| Other | |
