Anthony Weldon

Sir Anthony Weldon (1583-1648) was an English 17th Century courtier and politician. He is also the purported author of "The Court and Character of King James I", although this attribution has been challenged.

The story of Weldon's dismissal from King James' court for his negative assessment of the Scottish in "A Description of Scotland", is usually taken as the justification for the criticism of James in "The Court and Character of King James I". However, it is unclear whether Weldon was the author of either of these works. "A Description of Scotland" was first published six years before Weldon's dismissal from the court and was not accredited to him until the second half of the 17th century. Likewise "The Court and Character of King James I" was not accredited to Weldon until after his death in 1648. He did, however, support Parliament during the English Civil War, holding and administering the county of Kent.

References

*Joseph Marshall and Sean Kelsey, ‘Weldon, Sir Anthony (bap. 1583, d. 1648)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28988, accessed 6 July 2007]
*Anthony Weldon, Sir?, "The Court and Character of King James I", London, 1651