WESTON, John III

John Weston’s father, a younger son of William Weston† of West Clandon, who had represented Surrey eight times between 1380 and 1419,2 The Commons 1386-1421, iv. 816-19. established a junior branch of the family at Ockham, near Guildford, following his marriage to Margaret, the daughter and heiress of a local landowner. On 6 Jan. 1458 Margaret, as executrix of her late husband’s will, took out a royal pardon, probably to escape prosecution for processes at the Exchequer connected with his office as escheator. John, called ‘of Okham, gentleman’, did likewise, as son and heir of the deceased and tenant of his lands. These included some 200 acres of arable land and 62 acres of forest.3 C67/42, m. 38; C141/6/22. Both mother and son obtained further pardons, from Edw. IV, in Feb. 1462: C67/45, mm. 38, 45.

Unlike his father or grandfather, Weston does not appear to have held any offices at county level, and despite representing Guildford in Parliament he does not seem to have taken a particularly active part in the affairs of the borough. Nevertheless, before he sat in the Commons he had made the acquaintance of more prominent landowners in his home county, such as John Bourgchier, Lord Berners, with whom he acted as a trustee for part of the manor of Frenches in Worplesdon in 1457, and he later had dealings with Thomas Slyfield*, the husband of one of his cousins.4 O. Manning and W. Bray, Surr. iii. 93; CCR, 1461-8, p. 201. Most of the transactions in which he was involved appear to have gone smoothly, although at some point between 1465 and 1467 he was the subject of a petition submitted to Chancery by the heirs of Richard Danmersh who claimed that Weston, having been enfeoffed of a messuage and a garden at Shere, south of Guildford, had failed to relinquish his interest following Danmersh’s death.5 C1/34/69.

Weston named John Medford among the feoffees of his lands at Ockham in September 1464, and it may have been then that he married Margaret, one of Medford’s daughters. They had two children, one of whom, also named John, was born in about 1468. Their daughter, Bridget, was left a gold chain in Medford’s will, in 1487.6 C141/6/22; PCC 36 Milles (PROB11/8, ff.288v-289). Margaret died in January 1476 and Weston himself on 1 June 1483. They were buried in the parish church at Ockham, where monumental brass effigies were placed, depicting the arms of Weston and Medford.7 C142/6/22; Surr. Arch. Collns. xxxi. 96-98. The wardship of Weston’s son and heir, still a minor, came into the possession of Joan, wiow of John Bartelot* of Stopham in Sussex and her son Thomas.8 Lands. Ch. 677.