WEARE, alias BROWNE, William (d.1585), of Calne; later of Salisbury, Wilts.

One of the few MPs in this period described as of yeoman status, Weare was active in the local life of his borough. In 1576 he was paid £1 4s. for serving in Parliament. He moved to Salisbury, set up as an innkeeper, and died in 1585. In his will, made 9 May and proved 30 June of that year, he left his property in Salisbury to his wife and provided legacies of £100 apiece to his son John and his stepson. He left 40s. to the chamber of Salisbury, who were asked to distribute a similar amount to the poor at his funeral.1PCC 33 Brudenell; Wilts. Arch. Soc. recs. br.vii. passim; Hoare, Wilts. Salisbury, 290.