Watson plot
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4,209 - Family name:
Watson - Burial date:
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Elizabeth Geill Watson
Relatives
Research:
- Karen Evans
“Henry Hilder, twin son of William and Mary Watson, 21st January
1858,aged 10 mo.
also of William Watson, father of the above died 22nd January 1869 aged 74.
Mary Watson wife of the above, died 7th January 1905 aged 90.
Elizabeth Geill Watson, their daughter, died 19th October 1929 aged 83″
Elizabeth Geill Watson’s parents married on 16th February 1843 at St Pancras Church. They were Mary Neilson Hyde of Berkhamsted, daughter of John Hyde, Gent, and William Watson, a gentleman of St Pancras and son of John Watson, also a Gent. The witnesses to their marriage were Mary’s father, John Hyde and William’s sister, Emma Mary Watson. Their marriage was reported upon by several local newspapers including the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette which stated:
MARRIED – February 16th, at St Pancras church, William Watson, esq, of Gordon Street, Gordon Square, London, to Mary Neilson, daughter of Joh Hyde, Esq., receiver of taxes, Great Berkhamstead.
Many professional people, such as William Watson, made Berkhamsted their home, whilst working in London, because of the railway. The first passenger train had passed through Berkhamsted on 16th October 1837, 59 minutes after leaving London, and this meant that travel to and from the capital was now relatively easy. William and Mary Watson’s first documented appearance in Berkhamsted was on 7th June 1845 when their son Augustus William was baptised at St Peter’s Church. He was followed by their only daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, who was baptised on 22nd July 1847. On 21st March 1849 Mary gave birth to twin sons, Charles Edward and Henry Hilder. Charles was baptised privately on 14th May 1849. The register states that he was the 3rd son of William and Mary Watson, gentleman. One can only assume that he was the second-born twin and may have appeared more sickly than his twin-brother, Henry, who was baptised on 25th October 1849. On the day that Henry was baptised his twin was admitted into the church. In a cruel twist of fate, it was the elder twin, Henry, who lived only 10 months and died on 21st January 1850.
Elizabeth’s grandfather, John Watson, died on 25th May 1845 at his home in Fitzroy Street, St Pancras, aged 75. Her father, William, proved his father’s will at the probate court in London on 25th June 1845. William’s father had made him one of three executors, with his mother Ann, and a family friend and wine merchant, Joseph Fanwick.
In 1851 the Watson family were living in some style with Elizabeth grandparents, John and Mary Hyde, who were now occupying the newly built Highfield House, at the top of what is now Highfield Road. This was a substantial villa with a conservatory and detached service buildings to the north. The landscaped grounds extended to Three Close Lane. John Hyde was able to employ five servants and entertain a guest, Stephen Lea Wilson, who later became the Vicar of Prestbury near Macclesfield in Cheshire. On 24th January 1858, William’s mother, Ann, died at her home in Fitzroy Street and once again William, as the sole executor, was called upon to prove the will.
By 1861 the family had moved to Berkhamsted High Street. The family consisted of Elizabeth’s parents and her two surviving brothers, Augustus William, and Charles in a household that included their cook, and a housemaid. At this time William was described as “Late RN and Sec.y to Corpn. Merchant Seaman’s Fund”. With William having held a post of such responsibility with contacts in the City of London, as well as having relatives, who were merchants and magistrates, it is no surprise that Elizabeth’s brothers attended university and had successful careers of their own. In July 1868 her eldest brother, Augustus William, was ordained as a deacon in the Diocese of Winchester, having previously obtained his B.A., from St John’s College, Cambridge.
On 30th January 1869 Elizabeth’s father, William died, and his death was reported upon in The Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times as follows: Jan. 22, at his residence, High Street, Great Berkhamstead, Mr William Watson, gentleman, aged 74. The deceased, who had been paralysed for many years, died almost suddenly. His will, proved on 22nd February 1869, named three executors: His widow Mary, his son the Reverend Augustus William Watson and his nephew John Harrison Watson (son of his sister Nancy) of 28 Queensborough Terrace, Bayswater, Middlesex. Amongst his effect were two sets of shares held on the Great Western Railway Company.
In 1871 Elizabeth was living with her widowed mother, Mary, her widowed grandmother, Mary Hyde and her unmarried aunt, Harriet Watson. The four ladies had one domestic servant living in with them in Berkhamsted High Street. On 19th April 1878 the Stamford Mercury reported on the death “At Great Berkhamsted, on the 14th inst., Mary widow of John Hyde of Gainsborough, aged 95”.
By 1881 Elizabeth and her mother were living in their house in Berkhamsted High Street, with just one parlour maid, 18-year-old Ellen Baker, from Chelmsford. Between 1881 and 1891 Elizabeth and her mother moved to Boxwell Road, and in their new home they were able to employ both a cook and a housemaid. Looking at the details of Elizabeth’s life, one would assume that they spent a quiet but comfortable life, however this appears not to be the case.
On 17th January 1885 the Hertford Mercury and Reformer reported upon Berkhamsted Cricket Club when “Entertainments were given on Monday and Tuesday to good audiences in the Town Hall, on behalf of this Club”. The accompanist for the vocal entertainment was Mrs Watson.
On 6th February 1886 the Hertford Mercury and Reformer reported upon The Mechanics’ Institute Entertainment which was held on Monday at the Town Hall where “a superior entertainment was given under the direction of Mr Bullock and Mr H.H. Cooper.” “Mrs Watson, a veteran player on particular occasions, took part as pianist”. The Programme included the Song “Peaceful slumber”, a cradle song performed by Miss Watson (most probably Elizabeth) and a pianoforte and viola duet performed by Mrs Watson and Mr S. Turpin.
By 1901 the family’s staffing levels had increased to a domestic nurse, a cook and a housemaid, Florence Puddiphat. The nurse, Ann Brown, was employed to look after Elizabeth’s mother, Mary, who was bedridden at home, 14 Boxwell Road, passing away there on 7th January 1905. Elizabeth was the executor to her mother’s will which was proved on 6th February 1905.
With her mother’s passing Elizabeth no longer required the services of a nurse, and in fact she also appears to have dispensed with her cook, as in 1911 her only live-in staff was Florence, the housemaid. It seems that the quiet life did not suit Elizabeth, for in 1921 she had taken in a boarder, Edmund George Ellison, who was a schoolmaster at Berkhamsted School. In addition to her boarder she had a visitor, Margaret Gertrude Bingay, wife of Major Hubert Lyle Bingay of the Royal Engineers. At this time Elizabeth employed just one domestic, Alice Holliday, who appears to have remained in her service until her death in 1929.
Elizabeth’s boarder, Edmund, remained with her for at least a year, as he appeared in the electoral roll with her in 1922. It is likely that he left Boxwell Road when he got married in July 1922. When Elizabeth died in 1929 the electoral roll shows three residents at 14 Boxwell Road, Elizabeth, her domestic servant, Alice Holliday and Hannah Eliza Plaire (nee Puddeford), a widow from Little Gaddesden.
Elizabeth’s will was proved on 21st November 1929 by her executrixes Evelyn Mary Emily Watson and Ada Maude Amenia Rankin, wife of Irvine Rankin. Evelyn Mary Emily Watson was the eldest daughter of Elizabeth’s brother, Rev Augustus William Watson, whilst Ada Maude Amenia Rankin (nee Watson) was the eldest daughter of Elizabeth’s brother, Dr Charles Edward Watson.
Mary Watson
Relatives
Research:
- Karen Evans
“Henry Hilder, twin son of William and Mary Watson, 21st January
1858,aged 10 mo.
also of William Watson, father of the above died 22nd January 1869 aged 74.
Mary Watson wife of the above, died 7th January 1905 aged 90.
Elizabeth Geill Watson, their daughter, died 19th October 1929 aged 83″
On 16th February 1843 at St Pancras Church, Mary Neilson Hyde of Berkhamsted, daughter of John Hyde, Gent, married William Watson, a gentleman of St Pancras and son of John Watson, also a Gent. The witnesses to their marriage were Mary’s father, John Hyde and William’s sister, Emma Mary Watson. Their marriage was reported upon by several local newspapers including the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette which stated:
MARRIED – February 16th, at St Pancras church, William Watson, esq, of Gordon Street, Gordon Square, London, to Mary Neilson, daughter of Joh Hyde, Esq., receiver of taxes, Great Berkhamstead.
Mary’s family life after her marriage when she made Berkhamsted her home is easy to trace, but her beginnings are not so clear cut. The man who throughout her married life appeared as her father was John Hyde who born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in 1781. He married Hannah Bathwell at St Nicholas’ church, in the parish of Bawtry (some 20 miles from Gainsborough) on 21st July 1801. The newly married couple settled in Gainsborough. Seven children were born to them: Henry, in 1804; Elizabeth, 1806; Charles, 1807; Anna (or Hannah), 1810; Edward, 1811; George, 1814; Frederick, 1815, and twins, John and Alfred in 1817. Of those seven, only Edward, George and Frederick survived infancy, and John’s wife Hannah herself died in 1817, shortly after the birth of John and Alfred, who themselves died shortly afterwards.
By 1821 John Hyde had become the surveyor of taxes at Bristol and in that year, he married Mary Neilson, at St John the Baptist, Bedminster near Bristol on 30th January. The couple were married by licence and the parish register states that Mary Neilson was a spinster of Bedminster, but John was a widower of St Michael’s Bristol. We do not know exactly when John became the surveyor of taxes at Bristol, but if it was around 1813 or so, it is possible, albeit by no means definite, that he was her natural father.
By 1821 John Hyde had come to the attention of the tax authorities in London because he was called to give evidence to a select committee set up by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to investigate the costs and efficiency of the tax collection system. He reported that his salary for 1820 was £90, supplemented by £250 which was the percentage of revenue increase year-on-year that he had managed to procure. He also told the committee that for some time he had another source of income from a business 200 miles away from Bristol but that a clerk had looked after it for him during the week. It therefore seems likely that up to 1817 he had income from both the Gainsborough business as well as his work for the tax authorities.
By 1837 the Hyde family had moved to Berkhamsted High Street and by 1839 John Hyde was promoted to Receiving Inspector of Taxes for Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. and was in trouble again. This time there were questions in the House of Commons about his conduct. He was accused of using foul language and behaviour caused by a perception that the people of Bedford were determined to insult him. He described himself as a “dissenter and a man of strong feelings and political bias” and he objected to a petition raised in Bedford which criticised the government. HYDE had his supporters, including the MP for Hertfordshire and Hansard reports that the matter was dropped.
Many professional people, such as William Watson, made Berkhamsted their home, whilst working in London, because of the railway. The first passenger train had passed through Berkhamsted on 16th October 1837, 59 minutes after leaving London, and this meant that travel to and from the capital was now relatively easy. Mary and William Watson’s first documented appearance in Berkhamsted was on 7th June 1845 when their son Augustus William was baptised at St Peter’s Church. He was followed by Mary and William’s only daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, who was baptised on 22nd July 1847. On 21st March 1849 Mary gave birth to twin sons, Charles Edward and Henry Hilder. Charles was baptised privately on 14th May 1849. The register states that he was the 3rd son of William and Mary Watson, gentleman. One can only assume that he was the second-born twin and may have appeared more sickly than his twin-brother, Henry, who was baptised on 25th October 1849. On the day that Henry was baptised his twin was admitted into the church. In a cruel twist of fate, it was the elder twin, Henry, who lived only 10 months and died on 21st January 1850.
In the midst of making Berkhamsted his home and the responsibility of his growing family, William’s father, John Watson, died on 25th May 1845 at his home in Fitzroy Street, St Pancras, aged 75. William proved the will of his father, John, at the probate court in London on 25th June 1845. William’s father had made him one of three executors, with his mother Ann, and a family friend and wine merchant, Joseph Fanwick.
In 1851 William and Mary Watson were living in some style with Mary’s parents, John and Mary Hyde, who were now occupying the newly built Highfield House, at the top of what is now Highfield Road. This was a substantial villa with a conservatory and detached service buildings to the north. The landscaped grounds extended to Three Close Lane. John Hyde was able to employ five servants and entertain a guest, Stephen Lea Wilson, who later became the Vicar of Prestbury near Macclesfield in Cheshire. On 24th January 1858, William’s mother, Ann, died at her home in Fitzroy Street and once again William, as the sole executor, was called upon to prove the will.
By 1861 William and Mary had moved to Berkhamsted High Street, and were living with their children, Augustus William, Elizabeth and Charles in a household that included their cook, and a housemaid. By this time William was described as “Late RN and Sec.y to Corpn. Merchant Seaman’s Fund”. With William having held a post of such responsibility with contacts in the City of London, as well as having relatives, who were merchants and magistrates, it is no surprise that his sons attended university and had successful careers of their own. In July 1868 William and Mary’s eldest son, Augustus William, was ordained as a deacon in the Diocese of Winchester, having previously obtained his B.A., from St John’s College, Cambridge.
In August 1868 John Hyde’s Gainsborough house was sold and on 10th August John died, aged 87, back in Berkhamsted. His death certificate says his cause of death was senile debility. John Hyde’s estate was valued at less than £200 and probate was granted to his wife and Mary’s mother, Mary on 26th October 1868.
On 30th January 1869 William’s death was reported upon in The Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times as follows: Jan. 22, at his residence, High Street, Great Berkhamstead, Mr William Watson, gentleman, aged 74. The deceased, who had been paralysed for many years, died almost suddenly. His will, proved on 22nd February 1869, named three executors: His widow Mary, his son the Reverend Augustus William Watson and his nephew John Harrison Watson (son of his sister Nancy) of 28 Queensborough Terrace, Bayswater, Middlesex. Amongst his effect were two sets of shares held on the Great Western Railway Company.
In 1871 the widowed Mary was living with her unmarried daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, her widowed mother, Mary Hyde and her unmarried sister-in-law, Harriet Watson. The four ladies had one domestic servant living in with them in Berkhamsted High Street. On 19th April 1878 the Stamford Mercury reported on the death “At Great Berkhamsted, on the 14th inst., Mary widow of John Hyde of Gainsborough, aged 95”. She and John were buried together at Rectory Lane.
By 1881 It was just Mary and her daughter, Elizabeth, living in their house in Berkhamsted High Street. They had one parlour maid, 18 year old Ellen Baker, Chelmsford. Between 1881 and 1891 Mary and her daughter moved to Boxwell Road, and in their new home they were able to employ both a cook and a housemaid. Looking at the details of Mary’s life, one would assume that she spent a quiet widowhood with her daughter, Elizabeth, however it seems this was not the case.
On 17th January 1885 the Hertford Mercury and Reformer reported upon Berkhamsted Cricket Club when “Entertainments were given on Monday and Tuesday to good audiences in the Town Hall, on behalf of this Club”. The accompanist for the vocal entertainment was Mrs Watson.
On 6th February 1886 the Hertford Mercury and Reformer reported upon The Mechanics’ Institute Entertainment which was held on Monday at the Town Hall where “a superior entertainment was given under the direction of Mr Bullock and Mr H.H. Cooper.” “Mrs Watson, a veteran player on particular occasions, took part as pianist”. The Programme included the Song “Peaceful slumber”, a cradle song performed by Miss Watson (most probably Mary’s daughter Elizabeth) and a pianoforte and viola duet performed by Mrs Watson and Mr S. Turpin.
By 1901 the family’s staffing levels had increased to a domestic nurse, a cook and a housemaid. Mary appears to have spent her final days in Boxwell Road, passing away there on 7th January 1905.
Her obituary was published by the Watford Observer as follows:
“DEATH OF MRS WATSON – We regret to record the death, on Saturday, of Mrs Watson, at her residence, Boxwell-road. Mrs Watson was perhaps best known for her great musical talent, and more especially for the prominent part she took for many years in the Berkhamsted Philharmonic Society and in the missed choir of the Parish Church of St Peters; also for the assistance often rendered by her in connection with the Mechanic’s Institute. Mrs Watson, who had been totally blind and bedridden for the last few years, passed away at the ripe age of 90 years. The funeral service, which was choral, was held at the Parish Church on Wednesday at 3pm. It was conducted by the Rector, the Rev. H Constable Curtis, M.A., assisted by the Rev H. Cobbing, and was attended by many sympathetic friends who wished to pay their last tribute of respect to one who for many years had been so well known and appreciated in the town. Three carriages of mourners followed the hearse. They included the Rev. Augustus William Watson and Miss Elizabeth Gill Watson (son and daughter), the Misses Watson (the two daughters of the Rev A.W. Watson), Mrs C. Watson and two daughters, the nurse and two domestic servants. Amongst the mourners were Mr Jospeh Robinson, Mrs R.R. Norris, Mrs Mawley, Mr and Mrs Forster Alcock, Mrs Satow, the Rev. Treffry Harvey (Rector of Ivinghoe), and Miss Harvey, Mr J.R. Hatherly, Mrs Wagstaff, Mrs Stulpnagel, and others. The deceased lady was laid to rest with her husband, the late Mr William Watson, who died January 22nd 1869, aged 74. The coffin was of oak, with massive brass fittings, and the plate bore the inscription “Mary Watson, born September 1814, died 7th January 1905”. Wreaths, interred with the body, were sent by Gerald T. Watson and family, Emily Watson, Ada Watson, Guilhernia Watson, George A. Harrison Watson, Miss Robinson, and Mr and Mrs J Foster Alcock. Messrs H. and J. Matthews carried out the funeral arrangements”.
Mary’s eldest son, Augustus William married Emily Jane Wagstaffe on 19th July 1873 at Egham in Surrey. In 1884 he became the Vicar of Churt and Frensham in Surrey, where he and his wife raised one son and two daughters. He remained there until his death in 1917.
Mary’s only daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, remained a spinster. She died in Berkhamsted in 1929 and was buried with her parents.
Mary’s youngest surviving son, Charles Edward Watson, became a General Practitioner and Obstetrician, living at Ash Tree House, Wargrave in Berkshire.
William Watson (188) 21/01/1850
Relatives
Research:
- Karen Evans
“Henry Hilder, twin son of William and Mary Watson, 21st January
1850, aged 10 mo.
also of William Watson, father of the above died 22nd January 1869 aged 74.
Mary Watson wife of the above, died 7th January 1905 aged 90.
Elizabeth Geill Watson, their daughter, died 19th October 1929 aged 83″
William Watson’s parentage and family
William Watson was born in 1794 at Greenhead Hall, Stanhope, county Durham, the eldest child of John and Ann Watson. He was baptised at the Norman church of St Thomas the Apostle, Stanhope on 28th December 1794. His father, John Watson, had married Ann Coates, by licence, on 22nd February 1791 at the small rural church of Hovingham, in Yorkshire.
John appears to have moved his family to St Pancras in London at some point between 1794 and 1798 when he is found paying land tax on a property in Little Howland Street, St Pancras Parish.
Once in London, John and Ann enlarged their family with the addition of four daughters and another son:
Their eldest daughter, Harriet, was born in Camberwell about 1798
Caroline Martha was born on 2nd May 1802 and baptised on 2nd June 1802 at St Pancras Old Church
Nancy was born on 18th September and baptised on 17th October 1805 at St Pancras Old Church
Edward Coates was born on 29th October and baptised on 27th November 1810 at St Pancras.
Emma Mary was born in Charlotte Street, St Pancras and baptised on 22nd August 1815. By this time John Watson was calling himself a “Gent.”
Marc Isambard Brunel, father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was a talented mechanical engineer, and did much to develop sawmill machinery, undertaking contracts for British Government at Chatham and Woolwich dockyards, building on his experience at the Portsmouth Block Mills. He built a sawmill on the banks of the Thames, at Battersea, which burnt down in 1814 and was rebuilt by 1816. This sawmill was designed to produce veneers, but its rebuilding probably contributed to the debts, that saw him in Southwark’s debtors’ prison in 1821. The sawmills were taken over by John & Joseph Watson & Company, sawyers and veneer-cutters, who remained in business there until about 1849. The remains of Brunel’s buildings appear to have remained in use and to have eventually been demolished with the rest of the site in the 1970s. The John and Joseph Watson who traded from the Battersea sawmills were William’s father, John and uncle, Joseph Watson.
It is unknown when Joseph Watson followed his elder brother from County Durham to London, but we do know that he was in Isleworth in 1825 when he married Amelia Farnell. Joseph appears to have been the more hands-on brother in the business, living in Battersea and then Chelsea, whilst William’s father, John, remained living in St Pancras. The business is recorded in trade directories from 1829 and throughout the 1830’s. The Pigot & Co.’s Directory of 1839 states that the Watson brothers were “veneer cutters”, whilst The Post Office Directory of 1845 has the entry “Watson, John & Joseph, sawmills” at Bridge Street, Battersea.
On 8th March 1830 William Watson was one of the witnesses to the marriage of his sister, Nancy. The status of the family is shown in small ways, as Nancy married her cousin, Harrison Watson, by licence, rather than the more low-cost banns. Trade was in the blood of the Watson men, as William’s brother-in-law/cousin was a merchant, whose business appears to have taken him and Nancy to Cape Town, whilst his brother, Edward Coates Watson, went into the family business as a veneer-cutter and cabinetmaker. William’s brother, Edward Coates Watson, appears to have remained in London, marrying Frederique Rebecca Chalon at St Pancras Church on 17th November 1831, before settling in Bayswater. He later received the Freedom of the City of London on 22nd May 1850.
In 1841 William’s parents and siblings were living in Fitzroy Street, Parish of St Pancras, Borough of Marylebone. The household consisted of William’s parents and three unmarried sisters, Harriet, Caroline, and Emma. John described himself as being of “Independent” means and had enough income to employ two domestic servants.
William Watson’s life and career
On 28th May 1747 the ‘Act for the Relief and Support of maimed and disabled Seamen, and the Widows and Children of such as shall be killed, slain or drowned in the Merchants Service’ was passed by the House of Lords. This new scheme emerged because of the failure of Greenwich Hospital to provide for aged, sick or disabled merchant seamen. From a proposal provisionally entitled the ‘Seamen in the Merchant’s Service, Relief Bill’, the intention of the Act was to ensure that seamen and their widows and orphans should receive life pensions contingent on the production of a ‘certificate of hurt’ or, in the case of illness or disease, a certificate of previous good health. The claimants had to have paid a minimum of five years’ contributions. Apprentices, East India Company seamen (who had their own scheme), men under eighteen years of age, fishermen and those employed on river craft and undecked boats in the coastal trades were ineligible. The trustees of the Merchant Seamen’s Fund were to be based in London, while committees would sit at the major ports.
On 17th June 1816 the Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser made the following announcement:
A General Court of the President and Governors of the Corporation for Relief and Support of Sicke, Maimed and Disabled Seamen, and of the Widows and Children of such as such be Killed, Slain, or Drowned in the Merchants’ Service, will be held at this Office, on WEDNESDAY, the 19th Inst. At Eleven o’clock in the Forenoon, for the Election of a president and Committee for the Year ensuing, and a Secretary and Receiver, in the room of William Oddy, resigned, and on other Affairs.
By Order of the President and Committee
WILLIAM WATSON
We cannot know how or why William Watson became involved with the Merchant Seamen’s Fund but by 17th December 1816 he issued a notice from the Fund’s Office at the Royal Exchange in the City of London announcing the next “General Court of the president and Governors of the Corporation”. From this time and throughout the 1820’s William issued various notices in the Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser and the Morning Advertiser. Not only did the notices announce the annual general meetings and pension payments but they also called special meetings, for example:
“MERCHANT SEAMEN’S OFFICE, ROYAL EXCHANGE
December 8, 1824.
IN consequence of the numerous Shipwrecks that have occurred during the recent tempestuous weather, the Committee request a MEETING of MERCHANTS and others, at this Office, on TUESDAY, December 14, at Twelve o’Clock, to take into consideration the increased demands upon the Funds of this Institution. – The Chair will be taken at One precisely.
WILLIAM WATSON, Sec.”
The 1830’s would have been a turbulent time for William. By the early decades of the nineteenth century the Merchant Seamen’s Fund was ‘beset by financial and administrative difficulties’, as the seagoing force grew larger it became increasingly unable to cope with the demands made upon it. The workforce grew by about a third between 1836 and 1846, and although seamen were paying a shilling a month into the Fund after 1835 instead of the traditional sixpence it became actuarially unsound for three main reasons. The Act of 1834 made Scots and Irish seamen eligible for pensions, and granted awards to widows so that by 1843 seamen’s widows comprised over half of the pension list. Money was collected centrally, but disbursed locally, so that the greatest demand, and the smallest pension payments, were at the north-east ports where ageing seamen and young boys manned the coal fleet. Third, the Fund’s greatest deficiency was that it was unable to provide pensions sufficient to maintain even the most modest standards in old age. Evidence given to the 1840 Select Committee on the Merchant Seamen’s Fund had made this last point clear. The secretary of the Seamen’s Loyal Standard Association at South Shields thought that £20 a year was the least sum on which a retired seamen could subsist, while William Watson, the secretary of the Merchant Seamen’s Fund, testified that the London level of pensions was of the order of £10 a year for a retired master, between £4 and £7 for disabled seamen and £2-10s to £4 for widows. In the outports pensions were less generous. Dartmouth seamen got £1-10s a year, and the highest recorded amount was £13 a year. 2 The coasting ports, particularly those in the north-east, had a payment level of around 3/- a month, and although the Select Committee condemned unequal payments it did not recommend corrective legislation and the Board of Trade did not initiate any. On 5th February 1844 Gladstone, by now the President of the Board of Trade in Peel’s administration, launched a further enquiry into the state of the Fund. He said in the House of Commons that seamen were at one and the same time a class which had strong claims on the sympathy of Parliament but were least in the habit of approaching it with an expression of opinion. He indicated that the basic financial structure and administration of the Fund was deficient, and much of the evidence to the 1844 Select Committee tended to confirm that judgement.
As well as the administrative difficulties that William had to deal with, the night of Wednesday 10th January 1838 saw a major disaster as the Royal Exchange was destroyed by fire. Before the 1838 fire at the Exchange there was, on the stairs leading to Lloyd’s, a monument to Captain Lydekker, the great benefactor to the London Seamen’s Hospital. This worthy man was a shipowner engaged in the South Sea trade, and as some of his sick sailors were kindly treated in the “Dreadnought” hospital ship, in 1830, he gave a donation of £100 to the Society. On his death, in 1833, he left four ships and their stores, and the residue of his estate, after the payment of certain legacies. The legacy amounted to £48,434 16s. 11d. in the Three per Cents., and £10,295 11s. 4d. in cash was eventually received. The monument was destroyed by the fire in 1838, and new monument, by Mr. Sanders, sculptor, was executed for the entrance to Lloyd’s rooms. The destruction of Royal Exchange meant that by 1843 the offices for the Merchant Seamen’s Fund were located at 25 Birchin Lane, St Michael Cornhill.
On 11th February 1851 William Watson in his role as secretary issued a “General Account of the Receipts and Payments of the Corporation for Relief of Seaman in the Merchants’ Service, their Widows and Children, for the Year 1850” from the offices at 25 Birchin Lane. This would be the last time that he issued such a statement, as on 8th August 1851 Parliament passed “An Act to amend the Acts relating to the Merchant Seamen’s Fund, and to provide for winding up the said Fund, and for the better Management thereof in the meantime”. The Act stated that “The Board of Trade shall undertake the general super vision of the business of winding up the fund in manner herein after mentioned; . . . and such board, may, for the purpose of carrying this Act into execution, appoint such officers, clerks, and servants as it may deem necessary, and make use of the General Register Office of Merchant Seamen, and may, if necessary for such purpose, increase the number of persons employed there, and may appoint additional remuneration to any persons now employed there upon whom additional duties are thrown by reason of this Act.”
This must have been heartbreaking for William who had served the Merchant Seaman’s Fund for over 30 years. This winding-up of the Merchant Seamans’ Fund appears to have prompted William’s retirement.
On 16th February 1843 at St Pancras Church, at the age of 49, William Watson finally gave up the bachelor life to marry Mary Neilson Hyde of Berkhamsted. The witnesses to their marriage were William’s sister, Emma Mary Watson and his father-in-law, John Hyde. Their marriage was reported upon by several local newspapers including the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette which stated:
MARRIED – February 16th, at St Pancras church, William Watson, esq, of Gordon Street, Gordon Square, London, to Mary Neilson, daughter of Joh Hyde, Esq., receiver of taxes, Great Berkhamstead.
Many professional people, such as William Watson, made Berkhamsted their home, whilst working in London, because of the railway. The first passenger train had passed through Berkhamsted on 16th October 1837, 59 minutes after leaving London, and this meant that travel to and from the capital was now relatively easy. William and Mary Watson first appear in Berkhamsted on 7th June 1845 when their son Augustus William was baptised at St Peter’s Church. He was followed by William and Mary’s only daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, who was baptised on 22nd July 1847. On 21st March 1849 Mary gave birth to twin sons, Charles Edward and Henry Hilder. Charles was baptised privately on 14th May 1849. The register states that he was the 3rd son of William and Mary Watson, gentleman. One can only assume that he was the second born twin and may have appeared sicklier than his twin-brother, Henry, who was baptised on 25th October 1849. On the day that Henry was baptised his twin, Charles, was admitted into the church family. In a cruel twist of fate it was the elder twin, Henry, who lived only 10 months and died on 21st January 1850.
In the midst of making Berkhamsted his home and the responsibility of his growing family, William’s father, John Watson, died on 25th May 1845 at his home in Fitzroy Street, St Pancras, aged 75. William proved the will of his father, John, at the probate court in London on 25th June 1845. William’s father had made him one of three executors, with his mother Ann, and a family friend and wine merchant, Joseph Fanwick.
In 1851 William and Mary Watson were living in some style with Mary’s parents, John and Mary Hyde. They were now occupying the newly built Highfield House, at the top of what is now Highfield Road. This was a substantial villa with a conservatory and detached service buildings to the north. The landscaped grounds extended to Three Close Lane. John Hyde was able to employ five servants and entertain a guest, Stephen Lea Wilson, who later became the Vicar of Prestbury near Macclesfield in Cheshire. On 24th January 1858, William’s mother, Ann, died at her home in Fitzroy Street and once again William, as the sole executor, was called upon to prove the will.
By 1861 William and Mary had moved to Berkhamsted High Street, and were living with their children, Augustus William, Elizabeth and Charles in a household that included their cook, and a housemaid. By this time William was described as being “Late RN and Sec.y to Corpn. Merchant Seaman’s Fund”.
With William having held a post of such responsibility with contacts in the City of London, as well as having relatives, who were merchants and magistrates, it is no surprise that his sons attended university and had successful careers of their own.
In July 1868 William and Mary’s eldest son, Augustus William, was ordained as a deacon in the Diocese of Winchester, having previously obtained his B.A., from St John’s College, Cambridge.
On 30th January 1869 William’s death was reported upon in The Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times as follows: Jan. 22, at his residence, High Street, Great Berkhamstead, Mr William Watson, gentleman, aged 74. The deceased, who had been paralysed for many years, died almost suddenly. His will, proved on 22nd February 1869, named three executors: His widow Mary, his son the Reverend Augustus William Watson and his nephew John Harrison Watson (son of his sister Nancy) of 28 Queensborough Terrace, Bayswater, Middlesex. Amongst his effect were two sets of shares held on the Great Western Railway Company.
William’s eldest son, Augustus William married Emily Jane Wagstaffe on 19th July 1873 at Egham in Surrey. In 1884 he became the Vicar of Churt and Frensham in Surrey, where he and his wife raised one son and two daughters. He remained there until his death in 1917. William’s only daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, remained a spinster living firstly in her parents’ home, before moving to 14 Boxwell Road. She died in Berkhamsted in 1929 and was buried with her parents. William’s youngest surviving son, Charles Edward Watson, became a General Practitioner and Obstetrician, living at Ash Tree House, Wargrave in Berkshire.
Henry Hilder Watson
Relatives
Research:
- Karen Evans
“Henry Hilder, twin son of William and Mary Watson, 21st January
1858,aged 10 mo.
also of William Watson, father of the above died 22nd January 1869 aged 74.
Mary Watson wife of the above, died 7th January 1905 aged 90.
Elizabeth Geill Watson, their daughter, died 19th October 1929 aged 83″
Henry Hilder Watson’s parents married on 16th February 1843 at St Pancras Church. They were Mary Neilson Hyde of Berkhamsted, daughter of John Hyde, Gent, and William Watson, a gentleman of St Pancras and son of John Watson, also a Gent. The witnesses to their marriage were Mary’s father, John Hyde and William’s sister, Emma Mary Watson. Their marriage was reported upon by several local newspapers including the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette which stated:
MARRIED – February 16th, at St Pancras church, William Watson, esq, of Gordon Street, Gordon Square, London, to Mary Neilson, daughter of Joh Hyde, Esq., receiver of taxes, Great Berkhamstead.
Many professional people, such as William Watson, made Berkhamsted their home, whilst working in London, because of the railway. The first passenger train had passed through Berkhamsted on 16th October 1837, 59 minutes after leaving London, and this meant that travel to and from the capital was now relatively easy. William and Mary Watson’s first documented appearance in Berkhamsted was on 7th June 1845 when their son Augustus William was baptised at St Peter’s Church. He was followed by their only daughter, Elizabeth Geill Watson, who was baptised on 22nd July 1847. On 21st March 1849 Mary gave birth to twin sons, Charles Edward and Henry Hilder. Charles was baptised privately on 14th May 1849. The register states that he was the 3rd son of William and Mary Watson, gentleman. One can only assume that he was the second-born twin and may have appeared more sickly than his twin-brother, Henry, who was baptised on 25th October 1849. On the day that Henry was baptised his twin was admitted into the church. In a cruel twist of fate, it was the elder twin, Henry, who lived only 10 months and died on 21st January 1850.
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Memorial details
| Family name | Watson |
| Burial date | Not known |
| Burial capacity | Not known |
| Burial depth | Not known |
| From burial books? | |
| Burial visible (2019)? | |
| Burial visible (1991)? |
Twin son of William and Mary Watson
Condition:
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