Thomas Weld (22 January 1773 – 10 April 1837) was an English landowner who renounced his assets to enter the
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
hood. He was consecrated
Roman Catholic bishop
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Ch ...
and
cardinal.
Family
Weld was born in London on 22 January 1773, the eldest son of the fifteen children of
Thomas Weld of
Lulworth Castle, Dorset, by his wife Mary, eldest daughter of Sir John Stanley Massey Stanley of
Hooton, who belonged to the elder and Catholic branch of the Stanley family, now extinct. He was educated at home under Jesuit
Charles Plowden
Charles Plowden (born at Plowden Hall, Shropshire, 1743; died at Jougne, Doubs, France, 13 June 1821) was an English Jesuit priest, teacher, writer and administrator.
Life
He was a descent of Edmund Plowden, and was raised in a Catholic fami ...
.
His father,
Thomas Weld, a former pupil of the Jesuit school in
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
, had in 1794 donated 30 acres of land with buildings, to the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
to establish Stonyhurst College. He distinguished himself in relieving the misfortunes of the refugees of the French Revolution, and supported the
English Poor Clares who had fled from Gravelines, and the
Visitandines
, image = Salesas-escut.gif
, size = 175px
, abbreviation = V.S.M.
, nickname = Visitandines
, motto =
, formation =
, founder = Saint Bishop Francis de ...
; and he founded and maintained a Trappist monastery at Lulworth.
[Pollen, John Hungerford. "Weld." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 18 January 2019
His uncle,
Edward Weld (c.1740–1775), married
Maria Smythe in July 1775, but he died just three months later after a fall from his horse. His widow later married Thomas Fitzherbert in 1778, but he died in 1781. The widowed Mrs Fitzherbert was introduced to George, Prince of Wales (later King
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
) in spring 1784, and they went through a form of marriage on 15 December 1785. The marriage was considered invalid under the
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 (12 Geo 3 c. 11) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribed the conditions under which members of the British royal family could contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages t ...
because it had not been approved by
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
and the
Privy Council. Later when Weld was installed as a cardinal in Rome, he persuaded
Pope Pius VII to declare his aunt's marriage to George sacramentally valid.
On 14 June 1796 Weld married, at
Ugbrooke, Lucy Bridget, second daughter of Thomas Clifford of
Tixall, fourth son of
Hugh, third Lord Clifford. Their only child was Mary Lucy, born at
Upwey, near Weymouth, on 31 January 1799. His wife died in
Clifton on 1 June 1815. His daughter married her second cousin,
Hugh Charles Clifford
Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, (5 March 1866 – 18 December 1941) was a British colonial administrator.
Early life
Clifford was born in Roehampton, London, the sixth of the eight children of Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford and his wife Jos ...
(afterwards seventh Baron Clifford), on 1 September 1818. They had two daughters and six sons, among them, Charles Hugh Clifford, 8th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, 1819 – 1880,
William Clifford, later
Bishop of Clifton from 1857 to 1893 and Sir
Henry Hugh Clifford
Major General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford (12 September 1826 – 12 April 1883) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwe ...
, 1826 – 1883, who was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
. In 1857, Henry married Josephine Anstice (died 1913). The couple had three sons and five daughters.
Meteoric church career
![Palazzo Chigi Odescalchi Roma](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Palazzo_Chigi_Odescalchi_Roma.jpg)
Widowed and with no further family responsibilities, Weld found himself at liberty to follow a religious vocation and become a priest.
[ He renounced the Lulworth and other estates in favour of his next brother, Joseph Weld. He placed himself under the religious guidance of his old friend, the celebrated Abbé Carron. Another friend, the Archbishop of Paris, ]Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen
Hyacinthe-Louis De Quélen (8 October 1778 – 31 December 1839) was an Archbishop of Paris.
Biography
De Quélen was born in Paris, in the Quélen noble Breton family. His motto "Em Pob Emser Quelen" and the older Breton expression for "Be ...
ordained him priest in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
on 7 April 1821. Weld had meanwhile sponsored an orphanage in London.
On 20 June 1822 he began to assist the priest in charge of the Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
mission, and after some time he was moved to Hammersmith. The Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
nominated him coadjutor to Alexander Macdonell (1762–1840), the Bishop of Kingston, Ontario. On 6 August 1826 Weld was raised to the titular see of Amyclae
Amyclae or Amyklai ( grc, Ἀμύκλαι) was a city of ancient Laconia, situated on the right or western bank of the Eurotas, 20 stadia south of Sparta, in a district remarkable for the abundance of its trees and its fertility. Amyclae was one ...
, a town in the Peloponnese, in a ceremony performed at St Edmund's College, Ware
St Edmund's College is a coeducational independent day and boarding school in the British public school tradition, set in in Ware, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1568 as a seminary, then a boys' school, it is the oldest continuously operating and ...
, by Bishop William Poynter.
Family circumstances delayed his departure for Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. As his daughter, Mary, was in failing health, he decided to accompany her and her husband to Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Shortly after their arrival in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, on 19 January 1830, Cardinal Albani announced to Weld that Pope Pius VIII
Pope Pius VIII ( it, Pio VIII; born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; 20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in November 1830.
Pius VIII's ...
had decided to elevate him to the College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...
. The ceremony happened on 15 March 1830, with Weld becoming attached to the church of San Marcello al Corso
San Marcello al Corso, a church in Rome, Italy, is a titular church whose cardinal-protector normally holds the (intermediary) rank of cardinal-priest.
The church, dedicated to Pope Marcellus I (d. AD 309), is located just inset from Via de ...
in Rome.
His daughter died in Palo
Palo may refer to:
Places
* Palo, Argentina, a village in Argentina
* Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia
* Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain
* Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located wit ...
on 15 May 1831, and was buried on 18 May in her father's Roman church. His elevation to the Sacred College
The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...
prompted assurances from people of high influence in England that his nomination had excited no jealousy, and was met with general satisfaction. He took up residence in an apartment in the immense Odescalchi Palace in Rome. In his opulent premises he periodically received visits from the aristocracy of Rome, native and foreign, and from large numbers of his fellow-countrymen.
Cardinal Weld died on 10 April 1837. His remains were deposited in the church of Santa Maria in Aquiro
Santa Maria in Aquiro is a church in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, and is located on Piazza Capranica.
The church is ancient – it was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century, and thus must have existed before ...
. The funeral oration, delivered by Nicholas (afterwards Cardinal) Wiseman, was later published.
Meanwhile, his brother, Joseph Weld (1777–1863), had received the Pylewell Park
Pylewell Park is a country house and park near Lymington in Hampshire. It is listed as grade II*.
History
A settlement on the site of Baddesley Manor, to the North of the current house, is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book () ...
estate on the Solent
The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...
as a wedding gift from his parents on his marriage in 1802 to Charlotte Mary Stourton, daughter of Mary Langdale and Charles Stourton, 17th Baron Stourton
Charles Philip Stourton, 17th Baron Stourton (1752–1816) was the son of William Stourton and Winifred Howard, a great-granddaughter of the 6th Duke of Norfolk and a leading Roman Catholic.
The seventeenth Baron succeeded his father in 1781, a ...
. Having succeeded to the Lulworth estate, Joseph and his family moved to Lulworth. There he hosted the exiled Royal family of France at Lulworth in August 1830, the king and his suite remaining there for some days, until their move to Holyrood House
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edi ...
. Joseph, a keen yachtsman, was also founder of the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
-based Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to w ...
.
He owned several yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
s, the "Alarm", "Arrow" and "Lulworth", which he navigated himself until very late in life. He took a personal interest in the construction and sailing of his vessels.
Notes and references
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weld, Thomas
1773 births
1837 deaths
19th-century English Roman Catholic priests
19th-century British cardinals
People from Dorset
Recusants
Roman Catholic bishops of Kingston, Canada
Thomas Weld (cardinal)