Weston Worthies
Who were the Weston Worthies?
This series of 40 water-colour portraits of Weston-super-Mare residents of the mid-19th Century used to hang in the Railway Hotel in Weston. The artist is unknown, but on the reverse is the name of the sitter. In 1907 they were offered for sale as part of the estate of the late Mr W. H. BEEDLE.
The Weston-super-Mare Gazette, and General Advertiser of Saturday 11 May 1907 carried this article:
“The water colour portraits Weston Worthies were not sold. The origin the series is decidedly interesting. About fifty years ago Mr. Barker, of Bath, one of the well-known artist family, probably Thomas, was sojourning at Weston-super-Mare, and during his visit received commission from Old Squire Pigott," the great grandfather of the present Lord of the Manor of Weston, to produce for him portraits of the principal squatters" on his estate, and when completed each picture was endorsed by the original. When Mr. Smyth Pigott died the portraits passed into the possession the late Mr. Thomas Tutton Knyfton, who was then Lord the Manor of the adjoining parish of Uphill. When he, too, passed away, the pictures were again sold, and became the property of Mr. Beedle.”
There is some considerable doubt as to the statement that they were painted by one of the BARKER family who were accomplished artists, as the paintings are more naïve in character than their work. Even at that time, the Weston Free Libraries Committee was reported as discussing whether it would buy the paintings but turned them down. It is thought that for many years after that they hung in the Railway Hotel until they were given to the local museum.
The original paintings are now kept in Taunton in the South West Heritage Trust as part of the North Somerset Archives, but an overview of the collection can be seen in the Weston Museum described as “Weston Characters”.

Below you will find documents which contain profiles of each of the Worthies. They are arranged in alphabetical order of surname and each displays a different aspect of life in Weston-super-mare in around 1850.
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Documents: Weston Worthies - 01 Samuel BAKER Weston Worthies - 02 & 03 Thomas & Harriet BARRY Weston Worthies - 04, 05 & 06 The BURGE Family Weston Worthies - 07 George COOMBES Weston Worthies - 08 Isaac COUNSELL Weston Worthies - 09 James DARE Weston Worthies - 10 Richard FRY Weston Worthies - 11 Mary GIBBONS Weston Worthies - 12 George GILL Weston Worthies - 13 Mrs Hannah GOULD Weston Worthies - 14 John GREGORY Weston Worthies - 15 Cornelius HANCOCK Weston Worthies - 17 Mrs Elizabeth HARRIS Weston Worthies - 18 George HARSE Weston Worthies - 20 Christopher KINGDON Weston Worthies - 21 Mrs Jane KITCHEN Weston Worthies - 22 John LIGHT Weston Worthies - 23 & 24 Richard and Betty MUGGLEWORTH Weston Worthies - 25 Frederick MARTILL Weston Worthies - 26 John MAUNDER Weston Worthies - 27 Sir William MILES bart M.P. Weston Worthies - 28 Samuel NORVILL Weston Worthies - 29 & 30 John PARSONS and Son Weston Worthies - 31 Isaac PEARCE Weston Worthies - 32 Charles PHILLIPS Weston Worthies - 33 Rev Richard QUARRELL Weston Worthies - 34 George READ Weston Worthies - 35 Thomas ROGERS Weston Worthies - 36 Samuel SERLE Weston Worthies - 37 Capt George STONE Weston Worthies - 38 Francis H SYNGE Weston Worthies - 39 Henry WILLIAMS Weston Worthies - 16 John HARRIS Weston Worthies - 41 Simon PALMER - an extra Worthy
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