Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar

Who was Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar?

Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar was a son of Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar, and Gertrude Sadleir, daughter of Sir Thomas Sadleir of Standon, Hertfordshire.

In 1639, he succeeded his father as Lord Aston of Forfar in the peerage of Scotland. And, in 1660, at the death of his maternal uncle Ralph Sadleir, he inherited the lordship of Standon and other estates in Hertfordshire, England. His principal seat was Tixall in Staffordshire.

Lord Aston was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War: he was present at the Siege of Lichfield in 1643 and the surrender of Oxford; King Charles I expressed his regret at not being able to reward him as he deserved .After the failure of the Royalist cause he was required to compound for his estates and live in private.

He married in 1629 Lady Mary Weston, daughter of Sir Richard Weston, Earl of Portland and Lord High Treasurer of England. He was an ardent Roman Catholic and effective leader of the Catholic community in Staffordshire; although when charged with recusancy in 1675 he wrote indignantly to the Secretary of State that "he never went to Mass or joined in any worship particular to the Church of Rome ". No further action was taken against him. "The munificent Lord Aston" was extremely popular, and a thousand mourners are said to have attended his funeral.