Walter Weston

The Reverend Walter Weston (25 December 1860 - 27 March 1940), was an English clergyman, missionary, and mountaineer. Weston was born at 22, Parker Street, Derby, the sixth son of John Weston, an elastic manufacturer, and his wife, Emma Butland. He was educated at Derby School between 1876 and 1880, where he held the school record for running the mile distance (viz., four minutes, 47 seconds). He then went up to Clare College, Cambridge, graduati... more

The Reverend Walter Weston (25 December 1860 - 27 March 1940), was an English clergyman, missionary, and mountaineer. Weston was born at 22, Parker Street, Derby, the sixth son of John Weston, an elastic manufacturer, and his wife, Emma Butland. He was educated at Derby School between 1876 and 1880, where he held the school record for running the mile distance (viz., four minutes, 47 seconds). He then went up to Clare College, Cambridge, graduating BA in 1883 and MA in 1887. He studied for the Church of England's priesthood at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. Ordained a deacon in 1885, priest in 1886, Weston was appointed curate of St John's, Reading, Berkshire, in 1885. He was already a mountaineer, and in 1886 and 1887 spent periods climbing in the Alps. Weston went to Japan as a missionary of the Church of England's Church Missionary Society in 1888, working first at Kumamoto, then serving as chaplain in Kobe from 1889 to 1895. Between 1888 and 1915 he spent a total of fifteen years there,... less