

Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland
Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 60 -
Weston, Richard (1577-1635),
by Albert Frederick Pollard
According to an elaborate pedigree fabricated for Portland's benefit in 1632 by Henry Lilly [q. v.], then rouge croix, certified by Sir William Segar [q. v.], engrossed on vellum, extant in British Museum Additional MS. 18667, and printed in Erdeswick's ‘Staffordshire’ (ed. Harwood, p. 164), Portland was descended from the ancient family of Weston, represented in the sixteenth century by Robert Weston [q. v.], lord chancellor of Ireland, who is erroneously said to have been brother of Portland's grandfather, Richard Weston (d. 1572), justice of the common pleas. The judge is represented as second son of John Weston of Lichfield by Lady Cecily Neville, but there is no proof that this branch of the Weston family had any connection with Staffordshire; and Morant's statement, that he came from an Essex family, is more probably correct. His grandfather seems to have been William Weston (d. 1515), whose fourth son, John, was father of the judge (see an elaborate examination of the Weston genealogy in Chester Waters, Chesters of Chicheley, pp. 93 sqq.).
Online link to the aforesaid book here: http://archive.org/stream/genealogicalmem01wategoog#page/n134/mode/...
I came across this information on this subject in another discussion:
"This letter provides persuasive evidence that Sir William Segar,
Garter King of Arms, was correct in showing this Weston family to be
descended from Ralph Neville, Lord Neville. Sir Simon Weston, who was
his father’s heir and lived in Lichfield, surely knew the identity of
his grandmother. Sir Simon had no apparent motive to fabricate
information about his grandmother, especially since he was writing in
response to an inquiry by his cousin who was not a descendant of
Cecily."
The entire post is here:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2011-12/...
Here's a skeptic dashing cold water on this case: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2011-12/...
Money quote: "Elevating the family origins from yeoman stock to noble blood benefits
not only Sir Simon himself but his entire Weston family."
Doug Richardson weighs in: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2011-12/...
Beginning to see why it can be valuable to read the WHOLE discussion, and not just one selected message?
https://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p1922.htm...
There is no mention of a Cecilia in any of the below sources:
The Complete Peerage, by Cokayne, Vol. XII/2, p. 552-553. Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 441-442. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 5. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 253. Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 542. Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. IV, p. 241. The Complete Peerage, by Cokayne, Vol. XII/2, p. 553. The Complete Peerage, by Cokayne, Vol. XII/2, p. 553-554.