Jean-Sylvain Van de Weyer (19 January 1802 – 23 May 1874) was a Belgian politician who served as the Belgian Minister at the Court of St. James's, effectively the ambassador to the United Kingdom, and briefly, as the

prime minister of Belgium The prime minister of Belgium (; ; ) or the premier of Belgium is the head of the federal government of Belgium, and the most powerful person in Belgian politics. The first head of government in Belgian history was Henri van der Noot in 179 ...

, all under King Leopold I.

Early life

Van de Weyer was born in Louvain on 19 January 1802. He was the son of Josse-Alexandre Van de Weyer (1769–1838) and Françoise Martine (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Goubau) Van de Weyer (1780–1853). He was the grandson of Jean-Baptiste (or Jean-Sylvain) Van de Weyer, who was from a

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

family of Bautersem, and Josse Goubeau, ''commissaire de police'' de la ''quatrième section'' de Bruxelles. In 1811, his family relocated to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. The family returned to Louvain when his father was named police commissioner for the city. Jean-Sylvain studied law at the State University of Louvain and set up as a lawyer in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

in 1823.

Career

As a lawyer, he frequently defended newspapers and journalists that had fallen foul of the government of the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...

, of which modern Belgium then formed the southern half. On the outbreak of the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

in 1830, Van de Weyer was in Louvain, but hurried to Brussels where he became a member of the central committee of the

Provisional Government of Belgium The Provisional Government (; ) was the first iteration of the Belgian state, formed in the midst of the Belgian Revolution. After Dutch forces were expelled from Brussels on 27 September 1830, the recently created Revolutionary Committee tr ...

. His command of the English language resulted in him serving as a diplomatic representative of the revolutionaries. In 1831, King Leopold I appointed Van de Weyer his "special representative" in London. The King at the time was

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

, who reigned from 1830 to 1837, when his niece became

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

who reigned until January 1901. During his tenure as Minister in London, Van de Weyer became a "beloved and honoured friend of the royal family," as was his wife, who became close to the Queen and comforted her after the death of

Albert, Prince Consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his ...

. Van de Weyer later served as the 8th Prime Minister of Belgium, succeeding

Jean-Baptiste Nothomb Jean-Baptiste, Baron Nothomb (; 3 July 1805 – 16 September 1881) was a Belgian statesman and diplomat, who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1841 to 1845. Life Revolution Born at Messancy in Luxembourg on 3 July 1805, he was educ ...

. He was vice-president of the London Library from 1848 till his death in 1874. He was a founding member of the first ''

Société des douze Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy p ...

''.

Personal life

On 12 February 1839, he married Elizabeth Anne Sturgis Bates (1817–1878), the only daughter of Joshua Bates of

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London. It was one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...

, and formerly of Boston. She has a brother, William Rufus Gray Bates, who died at a young age. Together, they had two sons and five daughters, who were brought up in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

and on their country estate, New Lodge, in the parish of Winkfield in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

: * Lt. Colonel Victor William Bates Van de Weyer (1839–1915), educated at Eton, married to Lady Emily Georgiana (1846–1932), daughter of William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven. * Victoria Alexandrina Leopoldine van de Weyer (1841–1865), married to Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden (1841–1906) on 21 January 1864. * Albert Sylvain Bates Van de Weyer (1845–1874), an Adjutant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

. * Evelyn Elizabeth Sturgis Van de Weyer (1847–1853), who died young. * Louise Van de Weyer (died 1896), a friend of

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: People * Louise of Denmark (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Prussia (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Saxe-Meiningen (disambiguation), various princesses * Princess Louise of Schleswig-H ...

, daughter of

. * Alice Emma Sturgis Van de Weyer (1856–1926), who married Maj. Hon. Charles Brand (1855–1912), fourth son of Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden, on 15 August 1878. * Eleanor Van de Weyer (1865–1940), who married Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher (1852–1930), a British MP for Penryn and Falmouth, in 1879. Van de Weyer died on 23 May 1874 in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Descendants

Through his son Victor, he was the grandfather of Major William John Bates van de Weyer (1870–1946), who was responsible for Buddleja × weyeriana. William married Hon. Olive Elizabeth Wingfield, eldest daughter of Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt.Mosley, C. (Ed.). (2003).''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition.'' Vol. 1, p. 1130. Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd., Wilmington, Delaware, USA.Townend, P. (Ed.). ''Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 18th edition.'' Vol. 1, p. 686. Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1965–1972, London, England. Through his daughter Alice, he was the grandfather of Ruth Brand (d. 1967), who married John Dodson, 2nd Baron Monk Bretton (parents of John Dodson, 3rd Baron Monk Bretton); Lt.-Col. John Charles Brand (1885–1929), who married Lady Rosabelle Millicent St. Clair-Erskine, the daughter of James St Clair-Erskine, 5th Earl of Rosslyn. Through his youngest daughter, he was the grandfather of Oliver Sylvain Baliol Brett, 3rd Viscount Esher (1881–1963); Maurice Vyner Baliol Brett (1882–1934), who married the famous

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

actress Zena Dare; Dorothy Brett (1883–1977), who was a painter and member of the

Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group was a group of associated British writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the early 20th century. Among the people involved in the group were Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Vanessa Bell, a ...

; and Sylvia Brett (1885–1971), who became the last Ranee of

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

on 24 May 1917, following the proclamation of her husband

Charles Vyner Brooke Charles Vyner Brooke, (full name Charles Vyner de Windt Brooke, 26 September 1874 – 9 May 1963) was the third and last White Rajah of the Raj of Sarawak. Early life Charles Vyner Brooke was the son of Charles Brooke and Margaret de Windt ( ...

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

Honours and arms

* : Croix de Fer. * :

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

, By Royal Decree. * : Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold. * : Knight Grand Cross in the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

. * : Knight Grand Cross in the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

. * : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Tower and Sword. * : Knight Grand Cross in the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

.Almanach royal de Belgique: Classé Et Mis En Ordre Par H. Tarlier /p. 140 * : Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

References

External links

* ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' (; ) is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ''Nouvelle Biographie Nationale'' (, ...

'', by Herman Vander Linden
vol. 27
1938, col. 245–273;

by the Southwell Brothers of London.
Portrait of his wife, Van de Weyer, Elizabeth Anne Sturgis Bates, 1817–1878.
at

The Library Company of Philadelphia The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is a non-profit organization based on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. Founded as a library in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most ...

.
The Belgian Archives and the Van de Weyer Papers
at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

.
Posthumous miniature, by William Charles Bell, of Van de Weyer in the Royal Collection

Sylvain Van de Weyer at Stad Leuven

Bibliography

* J. BARTELOUS, ''Nos premiers ministres de Léopold Ier à Albert Ier 1831–1934'', Bruxelles, Collet, 1983. {{DEFAULTSORT:Van De Weyer, Sylvain 1802 births 1874 deaths Ministers of state of Belgium Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Commanders of the Legion of Honour Liberal Party (Belgium) politicians Members of the National Congress of Belgium Politicians from Leuven People from Winkfield Prime ministers of Belgium Ambassadors of Belgium to the United Kingdom State University of Leuven alumni