THOMAS

See also:

• THOMAS WESTON (1737-1776)

WESTON (1737-1776)  , English actor, was the son of a cook . His first London appearance was about 1759, and from 1763 until his death he was admitted to be the most amusing comedian on the English stage . Foote wrote for him the part of Jerry Sneak in the Mayor of Garratt . Abel Drugger in the Alchemist was one of his famous performances; and Garrick, who also played this part, praised him highly for it . WESTON-SUPER-MARE, a seaside resort in the Wells parliamentary division of Somersetshire, England, on the Bristol Channel, 1371 M . W. by S. of London by the Great Western rail-way . Pop. of urban district (19o1), 19,048 . It is built partly on level ground near the shore, and partly on the slopes'of Worlebury Hill, which aids in giving shelter from the north and east . Among the fir-clad slopes of the neighbourhood, which command a fine view of the Welsh hills across the Channel, there are many beautiful walks and drives . An esplanade extends for about 3 m., and public gardens have been laid out on Worlebury Hill, from the far end of which a long pier projects, linking the rocky islet of Birnbeck to the town . Grove Park, once the manor-house, is owned by the council, and is used as a free library, its grounds being open . Other institutions include a museum opened in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, and the West of England Sanatorium, to which two large conservatories are attached, as a winter-garden for invalids .

The town has long been famous for its

potteries, and there are mineral water-works and fisheries . Large quantities of sprats are caught . Intermittent springs exist in Weston, which are affected by the ebb and flow of the tide .