Richard Weston (1733–1822)
Mayor of Oxford 1786 and 1801
Richard Weston was born in Oxford and baptised at St Michael's Church on 12 June 1733. He was the son of the ironmonger Anthony Weston of St Michael’s parish, who himself served as Mayor of Oxford in 1751/2 and 1762/3. His father had two children by his first marriage, and Richard was the eldest of the eleven children by his second wife Ann Fortnam.
Richard followed the trade of his father and became an ironmonger.
On 27 March 1758 at St Peter-le-Bailey Church, Oxford Richard Weston married Mary Burrows, and they had two children:
- Mary Weston (baptised on 13 December 1758 at St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church;
died aged seven, buried inside that church on 27 January 1766) - Ann Weston I (baptised at St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church on 31 July 1765, just one day after she was born).
On 14 September 1761 there was an announcement in Jackson’s Oxford Journal that Richard Weston, ironmonger, had moved from his father’s old shop to another house in Cornmarket opposite the Star [later the Clarendon Hotel], and the 1772 Survey of Oxford shows that his new shop was at 15 Cornmarket, and had a frontage of 4 yards 1 ft 7 in.
Richard Weston was admitted free on 28 May 1764 and first elected to the Common Council five months later on 1 October.
His father Anthony Weston died at the age of 62 on 25 July 1767.
Richard Weston was appointed one of the Keykeepers in 1768, purchasing a Chamberlain’s place the following year. In 1775 he was elected Junior Bailiff for the forthcoming council year.
On 19 April 1777 there was an announcement in Jackson’s Oxford Journal that Richard Weston (who was only aged 44) was retiring and that his ironmonger’s shop opposite the Star in Cornmarket was to let. It stated that the stock had been taken on by Henry Hinton, who had formerly worked for Weston.
On 17 January 1781 Weston was appointed City Postmaster.
In 1785 Richard Weston was elected one of the eight Assistants and in 1786 Mayor (for 1786/7), choosing Joseph Lock as his Child.
On 1 September 1795 at St Mary-the-Virgin Church, his daughter Ann Weston married Herbert Parsons of St Peter-in-the-East parish. By this time Weston had the lease of 91 High Street.
In 1801 Weston was elected Mayor a second time (for 1801/2). On 5 May 1802 a reward of £100 was offered for information leading to the conviction of offenders responsible for a serious incident that happened during his mayoralty at his house (presumably 91 High Street) on the night of 29 April 1802, when:
a ball of combustible materials was affixed to the door of his dwelling house and set fire to, the violent explosion whereof occasioned great terror and alarm to his family and endangered the safety of the building; and this House considering that the commission of this outrage was probably connected with a most scandalous report reflecting upon the conduct of the Mayor touching the removal of a pauper which has been lately circulated with much industry, although utterly destitute of truth.
He continued to serve as an Assistant on the Council after his mayoralty.
His wife Mary Weston died at the age of 76 on 23 March 1811 and was buried inside St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church four days later.
On 31 May 1816 Richard Weston resigned from the council “in consequence of his great age and infirmities and total inability to discharge the duties” of his office as one of the eight Assistants.
He died at the age of 89 and was buried inside St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church on 30 March 1822. In the burial register he is described as then being of the parish of St Mary the Virgin, so was probably still living at 91 High Street.
See also:
- Anthony Weston, Mayor in 1751 and 1762 (his father)
- Jackson’s Oxford Journal, 30 March 1822 (death notice of Weston)
- PCC Will PROB 11/1656/175 (Will of Richard Weston of Oxford, proved 20 April 1822)
