John Watson (1725–1783) was an English clergyman and antiquary.
Life
The son of Legh Watson of
Lyme Handley
Lyme Handley, sometimes known as ''Lyme'', is a small civil parish in between Disley and Stockport, in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.Prestbury,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, by his wife Hester, daughter of John Yates of Swinton,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, he was born at Lyme Handley on 26 March 1725, and educated at the grammar schools of Eccles,
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He matriculated from
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...
, 8 April 1742, graduating B.A. 1745 and M.A. 1748. On 27 June 1746 he was elected to a Cheshire fellowship of his college.
In December 1746 Watson took holy orders and entered on the curacy of
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
, Cheshire; but moved three months later to
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of Manchester in North West England, one mile south east of the city centre. The population of the Ardwick Ward at the 2011 census was 19,250.
Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from ...
, Manchester, where he was also tutor to the sons of Samuel Birch. From 1750 to 1754 he was curate of
Halifax, Yorkshire
Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cent ...
, and in September 1754 was presented to the perpetual curacy of
Ripponden
Ripponden is a village and civil parish on the River Ryburn near Halifax in West Yorkshire, England. Historically it was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Its population was 6,412 at the time of the 2001 Census, and 7,421 in 2011.
Rippond ...
in Halifax parish. On 17 August 1766 he was inducted to the rectory of Miningsby, Lincolnshire, which he resigned on 2 August 1769 on being promoted to the rectory of
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
, Cheshire. It was believed that he owed his preferment to hardline Whig views. He died at Stockport on 14 March 1783.
Works
He was elected
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
in 1759, and contributed six papers on Roman and other antiquities to '' Archæologia''. His major works were: ''The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Halifax'', 1775, 4to, a second edition of which was begun in 1869 by F. A. Leyland, but left unfinished; and ''Memoirs of the Ancient Earls of Warren and Surrey and their Descendants'', Warrington, 1782, 2 vols.. The latter was heavily illustrated attempt to prove that Watson's patron,
Sir George Warren
Sir George Warren KB (7 February 1735 – 31 August 1801), of Poynton Lodge in Cheshire, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1758 and 1796.
Early life
Warren was the only son of Edward Warren of Poynton and hi ...
, was entitled to the earldom of Warenne and Surrey. Two earlier limited editions were printed in 1776 and 1779.
He also published four pamphlets between 1751 and 1764, one of them criticising the ‘absurdities’ of the
Moravian hymn-book
Moravian is the adjective form of the Czech Republic region of Moravia, and refers to people of ancestry from Moravia.
Moravian may also refer to:
* a member or adherent of the Moravian Church, one of the oldest Protestant denominations
* Moravia ...
. He made extensive manuscript collections relating to local history, particularly of Cheshire, which were preserved, and were used by
George Ormerod
George Ormerod (20 October 1785 – 9 October 1873) was an English antiquary and historian. Among his writings was a major county history of Cheshire, in North West England.
Biography
George Ormerod was born in Manchester and educated first ...
,
John Parsons Earwaker
John Parsons Earwaker (1847–1895) was an English antiquary.
Life
The son of John Earwaker, he was born at Cheetham Hill, Manchester, on 22 April 1847; his father was a merchant from Hampshire, and a close friend of Richard Cobden. Educated at ...
, and other antiquaries.
Gilbert Wakefield
Gilbert Wakefield (1756–1801) was an English scholar and controversialist. He moved from being a cleric and academic, into tutoring at dissenting academies, and finally became a professional writer and publicist. In a celebrated state trial ...
, who was Watson's curate at Stockport and married his niece, describes him as one of the hardest students he ever knew, as well as an agreeable man. In the ''Palatine Note-book'' (i. 24) is an account of a visit paid to Watson in 1780 by
Thomas Barritt
Thomas Barritt (1743–1820) was an early British antiquary.
Life
Barritt was born at Withy Grove, Manchester in 1743, and came of Derbyshire yeoman stock, his forefathers having settled at Bolton and Worsley, but his father, John Barritt, w ...
.
Family
He was twice married: first, on 1 June 1752, to Susanna, daughter of Samuel Allon, vicar of
Sandbach
Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath a ...
, Cheshire; secondly, on 11 July 1761, to Ann, daughter of James Jacques of Leeds. He left one son by the first wife, and a son and daughter by the second.