William Weston (c. 1546–1594)

Sir William Weston (c. 1546–1594) was an English-born politician and judge who ended his career as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.

[2] The policy had only limited success: many English judges (though by no means all) complained of the dampness of the Irish climate,[3] and due to the bad roads and the level of serious crime, they often refused to go on assize.

[1] In the 1590s the authorities were greatly exercised, for reasons which are unclear, by a dispute between Andrew White and John Etchingham over which of them had the right to the possession of lands at Dunbrody, County Wexford.

They in turn recommended that it be referred to a high-powered commission consisting of the most senior Irish judges, including Weston.

[4] The Commission moved at a leisurely pace: in the summer of 1595 the English Council wrote to them concerning Weston's death the previous year, and nominating Sir Robert Dillon, his successor in the Common Pleas, as his replacement.