Background
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 at Roxwell, Essex, and was a student of the Middle Temple.
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 at Roxwell, Essex, and was a student of the Middle Temple.
He was knighted in 1603. During the reign of King James I of England, Weston was sent on embassies to Bohemia, Brussels, and Spain. On the last assignment, he negotiated for the restitution of the Palatine.
Upon his return to England in 1621, he was made Chancellor of the Exchequer, and retained the post after the accession of Charles I. He proved a capable financial manager but incurred popular hatred as a (justly) suspected Roman 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 co-operation of Parliament.
Weston was elevated to the peerage on 13 April 1628, as Baron Weston, of Neyland. His policies proving highly unpopular, he escaped impeachment in 1629 only by the dissolution of Parliament. Nevertheless, he played an important role in the King"s Personal 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. On 17 February 1633, Weston was created Earl of Portland.
Lord Portland was married twice. On his death, he was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, Jerome.
Mr. Richard Weston (1577–1603)
Sir Richard Weston (1603–1628)
The Rt Honorary
The Lord Weston (1628–1630)
The Rt Honorary The Lord Weston, Knight of the Order of the Garter (1630–1633)
The Rt Honorary The Earl of Portland, Knight of the Order of the Garter (1633–1635).
Useless Parliament; Happy Parliament. Addled Parliament; 2nd Parliament of King Charles I]
He served as Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for a number of constituencies including Maldon (1601–1603), Midhurst (in the parliament of 1604-1611), Essex (in the Addled Parliament of 1614), Arundel (1622), Bossiney (1624), Callington (1625) and Bodmin (1626).