Francis Weston
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Weston was a gentleman
at the court
of King Henry VIII
of England
. He became a friend of the king and gained a sad fame by being one of the men accused alongside Anne Boleyn
. Charged with high treason and adultery with the queen, he was condemned to death together with George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
, Sir Henry Norris, Sir William Brereton
and Mark Smeaton. They were all executed in the year 1536, shortly before the queen.
in Berkshire
and Sutton Place
near Mayford
in Surrey
and his mother was Anne, the daughter of Oliver Sandys of Shere at Dorking
in Surrey. In 1526, aged only fifteen, he is listed as a page
at court. Although he was twenty years younger than the King, he quickly became a minor member of the King's circle, listed as beating Henry at bowls, tennis, dice and other games. In 1532, he was made a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, giving him frequent access to the King. Other honours followed, including becoming a KB at the coronation of Anne Boleyn
in 1533.
In 1530, he married Anne Pickering. An oak marriage chest
with carved heads of Francis and Anne is preserved in Saffron Walden
museum, Essex. The couple had a son named Henry.
and plotting to kill the king. There is no evidence to support either of these accusations. Although a myth has arisen in the last twenty years that the men were accused of sodomy as well as treason this is incorrect. This myth has arisen solely due to the unsubstantiated theories of Retha Warnicke in her 1989 biography of Anne Boleyn. None of the men were charged with sodomy and there were no extant rumours of homosexuality relating to any of them. Francis was beheaded
just outside the Tower of London
on 17 May 1536 along with his co-accused, George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
, Sir William Brereton
, Sir Henry Norris and Mark Smeaton
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
at the court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He became a friend of the king and gained a sad fame by being one of the men accused alongside Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. Charged with high treason and adultery with the queen, he was condemned to death together with George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford was an English courtier and nobleman, and the brother of queen consort Anne Boleyn...
, Sir Henry Norris, Sir William Brereton
William Brereton (groom)
Sir William Brereton , who came from a Cheshire landowning family, was a Groom of the Privy Chamber of Henry VIII. He was caught up in the accusations against Anne Boleyn, tried for treason and executed with the Queen and four others...
and Mark Smeaton. They were all executed in the year 1536, shortly before the queen.
Background
Francis was the only son of a gentry family. His father was Sir Richard Weston of Ufton CourtUfton Court
Ufton Court is an Elizabethan manor house at Ufton Nervet in the English county of Berkshire. Today is it used by an educational charity, The Ufton Court Educational Trust. Other than historical education, the site hosts creative projects too including theatre and music courses.Parts of the house...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and Sutton Place
Sutton Place, Surrey
Sutton Place, 3 miles NE of Guildford in Surrey is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house built c.1525 by Sir Richard Weston, courtier of Henry VIII. It is of great importance to art history in showing some of the earliest traces of Italianate renaissance design elements in English architecture. In...
near Mayford
Mayford
Mayford is a village in Woking borough of the county of Surrey, England. It is roughly 2½ miles south of Woking on Egley Road, part of the A320 between Woking and Guildford, Surrey. The village is mainly centred around the roundabout in the middle of the village...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and his mother was Anne, the daughter of Oliver Sandys of Shere at Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
in Surrey. In 1526, aged only fifteen, he is listed as a page
Page
-Position or occupation:* Page , a traditionally young male servant* Page * Page of Honour, a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom* A participant in any of the following programs:...
at court. Although he was twenty years younger than the King, he quickly became a minor member of the King's circle, listed as beating Henry at bowls, tennis, dice and other games. In 1532, he was made a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, giving him frequent access to the King. Other honours followed, including becoming a KB at the coronation of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
in 1533.
In 1530, he married Anne Pickering. An oak marriage chest
Cassone
Among furniture in Italy, a cassone or marriage chest is a rich and showy type of chest, which may be inlaid or carved, prepared with gesso ground then painted and gilded. The cassone was one of the trophy furnishings of rich merchants and aristocrats in Italian culture, from the Late Middle Ages...
with carved heads of Francis and Anne is preserved in Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
museum, Essex. The couple had a son named Henry.
Arrest
Once arrested, Anne Boleyn was attended by a woman named Mrs. Coffin who was told to spy by Cromwell. Anne went on to tell Coffin of how she had a conversation with Weston and reprimanded him for flirting with Shelton, who was betrothed to Henry Norris and Anne wondered aloud why Norris hadn't married Shelton yet and Weston replied, "came more to her chamber for her than for Madge."Execution
Francis died aged twenty-five when he was accused of committing adultery with Queen Anne Boleyn, treasonTreason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and plotting to kill the king. There is no evidence to support either of these accusations. Although a myth has arisen in the last twenty years that the men were accused of sodomy as well as treason this is incorrect. This myth has arisen solely due to the unsubstantiated theories of Retha Warnicke in her 1989 biography of Anne Boleyn. None of the men were charged with sodomy and there were no extant rumours of homosexuality relating to any of them. Francis was beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
just outside the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
on 17 May 1536 along with his co-accused, George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford was an English courtier and nobleman, and the brother of queen consort Anne Boleyn...
, Sir William Brereton
William Brereton (groom)
Sir William Brereton , who came from a Cheshire landowning family, was a Groom of the Privy Chamber of Henry VIII. He was caught up in the accusations against Anne Boleyn, tried for treason and executed with the Queen and four others...
, Sir Henry Norris and Mark Smeaton