William Weston (prior)

Arms of Weston: Ermine, on a chief azure five bezants
Opening of Parliament by Henry VIII at Bridewell in 1523; a contemporary illustration from the Wriothesley Garter Book. Weston, as Prior of the Order of St John, Premier Baron, is the figure dressed in black sitting at the right end of the crossbench with the barons,[1] facing the king
Cadaver monument to Sir William Weston formerly in St Mary's Church, the Priory Church of St John, Clerkenwell, drawn before 1788. Today only the cadaver effigy survives. Arms of Weston quartering Camell above, with crest of a Saracen's head. With matrices of missing monumental brasses and decorated with crosses of the Order of St John

Sir William Weston (c. 1470 – 7 May 1540) was the last Prior of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in England before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, during the reign of King Henry VIII.[2][a] As such he ranked as Premier Baron in the roll of peers. He is characterised as one of the influential adherents of the papacy.[3] His cadaver effigy survives in the crypt of the Priory Church of St John, Clerkenwell in Middlesex (now in central London), the former headquarters of the Order.

  1. ^ Catalogue entry from 'Royal Treasures, A Golden Jubilee Celebration', London 2002, quoted by the Royal Collection website[1]
  2. ^ although an abortive attempt was made to revive the "English Langue" of the Order by Queen Mary (1553-1558)
  3. ^ Clarke 1899, p. 377 cites Friedmann, Anne Boleyn, 1884, ii. 54.


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