Thomas Bartholomew Weld, of Lulworth Castle

Thomas Weld of Lulworth (b. 1750; d. 1810) distinguished himself in relieving the misfortunes of the refugees of the French Revolution. He gave Stonyhurst College, with thirty acres of land, to the exiled Jesuits; he entirely supported the English Poor Clares who had fled from Gravelines; and he founded and maintained a Trappist monastery at Lulworth (now Mount Mellaray, Ireland). Indeed he is said to have given half his income in charity. Besides his conspicuous piety and great hospitality (he was one of the first English Catholics to entertain the king, 1789, 1791), he was also from the first a steady supporter of Bishop Milner. He died suddenly at Stonyhurst, where two of his sons also died, one of them, John, being its rector. He had nine sons, and six daughters.

Notes

Thomas Weld was born in 1750 into a wealthy recusant family. The second-largest landowner and one of the richest men of his day, Weld was a friend of George III and knew Pitt the Younger, the Prime Minister, and was among the first English Catholics to entertain the King. But Weld is now known chiefly for his work in aid of Catholic religious orders, fleeing the French Revolution. It was Weld who gave his estate at Stonyhurst to the Jesuits.

A spokesman for the Society of Jesus said that Weld was an "exceptionally generous benefactor" who had a reputation for piety and hospitality, "not only to the Jesuits … but also to other religious orders of the 18th century". He added that "any document written by him will undoubtedly provide a window into his motivation and his faith".

The private notebook of Thomas Weld has been discovered at a convent in Waldron, Sussex, 225 years after it was written.

Links

• http://www.stepneyrobarts.co.uk/5060.htm