chiefly in virtue of the appended ‘Catalogue on English authors who have wrote on Husbandry, Gardening, Botany, and subjects relative thereto.’ More ambitious works were his ‘Botanicus Universalis et Hortulanus,’ published in four volumes between 1770 and 1777, and his ‘Flora Anglicana, seu arborum fruticum, plantarum, et fructuum … catalogus,’ issued in two parts in 1775 and 1780 respectively.
About 1800 and for some time subsequently Weston chiefly devoted himself to the local history and literature of Leicestershire. In 1800 he proposed the publication of ‘Leicestriana, or a collection of fugitive Pieces in Verse and Prose arranged in Chronological Order.’ A further suggested venture of the same kind was ‘The Literary History of Leicestershire: containing an account of the Authors, Natives and Residents, of the Town and Country. … To which is added an Account of the Town Library.’ It does not appear, however, that either of these works was published. Subsequent designs made in 1805 for ‘The Natural History of Strawberries’ and a ‘Treatise on the Management of Fish Ponds’ were prevented by his death, which took place at Leicester on 20 Oct. 1806.
Weston also wrote: 1. ‘The Gardener's and Planter's Calendar: containing the method of raising Timber Trees, Fruit Trees, and Quick for Hedges,’ 1773; 2nd edit. 1778. 2. ‘The Gentleman's and Lady's Gardener,’ 1774. 3. ‘The Gardener's Pocket Calendar,’ 1774. 4. ‘Ellis's Gardener's Calendar,’ 1774. 5. ‘The Nurseryman and Seedsman's Catalogue of Trees, Shrubs, Plants, and Seeds,’ 1774. 6. ‘A New and Cheap Manure,’ 1791. 7. ‘The Leicester Directory,’ 1794. He also wrote for the ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ a number of articles on horticultural and botanical subjects.
[Gent. Mag. 1806, ii. 1080; Weston's Works.]
WESTON, ROBERT (1515?–1573), lord chancellor of Ireland, described as of Weeford, Staffordshire, gentleman, born probably about 1515, was the third son of John Weston of Lichfield, whose father, John Weston of Rugeley, is said to have married Cecilia, sister of Ralph Neville, earl of Westmorland (Erdeswick, Survey of Staffordshire, ed. Harwood, p. 165; Foss, Judges of England, v. 543; but cf. Waters, Chesters of Chicheley, pp. 93 sqq.) Entering All Souls' College, Oxford, of which he was elected a fellow in 1536, he devoted himself wholly to the study of civil law, attaining the degree of B.C.L. on 17 Feb. 1538, and of D.C.L. on 20 July 1556 (Foster, Alumni Oxon.) From 1546 to 1549 he was principal of Broadgates Hall, acting during the same time as deputy-reader in civil law, under Dr. John Story [q. v.], to the university. He was returned M.P. for Exeter in March 1553, and for Lichfield in 1559. On 12 Jan. in the latter year he was created dean of the arches, and was a commissioner for administering the oaths prescribed to be taken by ecclesiastics according to the Act of Uniformity (Rymer, Fœdera, xv. 547; Churton, Life of Nowell, p. 392). He was consulted in regard to the queen's commission issued on 6 Dec. 1559 for confirming Parker as archbishop of Canterbury, and was included in a commission issued on 8 Nov. 1564 to inquire into complaints of piratical depredations committed at sea on the subjects of the king of Spain (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1547–80, p. 246). His reputation for learning stood deservedly high, and he was pointed at as one who was likely to do credit to England at the general council it was rumoured was to be summoned by Pius IV in 1560 (Cal. State Papers, For. 1559–60, p. 353).
At the special request of the lord deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney, Weston was in April 1566 nominated for the post of lord chancellor in the place of Hugh Curwen [q. v.], archbishop of Dublin and subsequently bishop of Oxford—that ‘old unprofitable workman,’ as Bishop Brady called him (Cal. State Papers, Irel. Eliz. i. 294; Shirley, Original Letters, p. 201). More than a year elapsed before he was actually appointed to the office, but on 10 June 1567 Elizabeth notified to Sidney that after good deliberation she had made ‘choice for the supply of that room of chancellor by naming thereunto our trusty, well-beloved Doctor Weston, dean of the arches here, a man for his learning and approved integrity thoroughly qualified to receive and possess the same,’ that ‘for some increase of his living whilst he remaineth in our service there,’ she was pleased ‘to give unto him the deanery of St. Patrick's [in commendam], whereof the archbishop of Armagh [Adam Loftus [q. v.] ] is now dean, and yet to leave it at our order, as we know he will;’ and further for the expenses of his journey to advance him two hundred marks, whereof one half was to be a free gift, the other half to be deducted from his salary (Shirley, Original Letters, pp. 299, 303).
Arriving in Dublin early in August, Weston was sworn into office on the 8th, and the lord deputy, Sir H. Sidney, shortly afterwards departing for England he and Sir William Fitzwilliam [q. v.], the vice-treasurer, were on 14 Oct. sworn lord justices in Christ Church. The honour was one he would
