Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland (16 December 1605 – 17 March 1663) was an English diplomat and landowner who held the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...

Life

He was the second, but the eldest surviving son, of the 1st Earl of Portland, by his second wife Frances Walgrave. He was born at Nayland in Suffolk, England. Weston was elected to Parliament as member for Gatton on 11 March 1628, but there was a double return. Weston was one of four members returned for two seats, the other three being Sir Samuel Owfield, Sir Charles Howard and Sir Thomas Lake. Weston's election was declared void on 26 March, when Owfield and Howard were instead declared elected. Weston was instead returned for the vacant seat at

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

, after the previous holder, Sir George Goring, was elevated to the peerage. In 1632 and 1633, he undertook a diplomatic mission to the courts of France, Savoy, Florence and Venice.Gary M. Bell, ''A handlist of British diplomatic representatives 1509-1688'' (Royal Historical Society, Guides and handbooks, 16, 1990). He succeeded his father as

Earl of Portland Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...

in 1635. Supplementing Portland's estates, in 1663 Charles II granted Coulsdon manor in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, which had no male heir, to "Jerome second Earl of Portland" in consideration of his surrender of the presidency of

to the Crown.

Family

Lord Portland married Lady Frances Stuart (19 March 1617 − 13 March 1694), a daughter of the 3rd Duke of Lennox, on 10 June 1632. He was succeeded by their son

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

. He was a first cousin of Jeremy Clarke, a Governor of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

in the American Colonies.

References

, - , - , - 1662 deaths Lord-lieutenants of Hampshire 1605 births 17th-century English diplomats English MPs 1628–1629 Earls of Portland {{1628-England-MP-stub