Ralph Weldon (Benedictine)

Ralph Weldon (1674 – 1741) was an English Benedictine monk and ecclesiastical historian. He served as the Prior of Downside Abbey from 1720 to 1724 and again from 1734 to 1738. He is primarily remembered for his biographical collections of English Benedictine monks and nuns, specifically his "Chronological Notes containing the rise and progress of the English Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict," an important source of information for the history of Benedictine monasticism in England following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This work, often referred to simply as "Weldon's Notes," provides biographical sketches of numerous members of the English Benedictine Congregation, and chronicles their lives, contributions, and experiences during a period of significant hardship and revival for the order. He also compiled a necrology of English Benedictine nuns. Weldon’s meticulous research and dedication to preserving the history of his order have made his work an invaluable resource for historians of the English Benedictine tradition.