Jonathan Watson (1760–1808) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

clergyman who served in the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

as the Bishop of Dunkeld from 1792 to 1808.

Life

He was born in January 1760 and undoubtedly a native of Portsoy,

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...

., ''Scottish Episcopal Clergy'', p. 478. Watson was trained for Holy Orders in the Scottish Episcopal Church by John Skinner,

Incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

of Longside (later Bishop of Aberdeen and Primus). He was ordained at the early age of twenty-one or twenty-two (1771 or 1772). His first known

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

appointment was the

Blairdaff Blairdaff is a parish in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, next to the villages of Kemnay and Monymusk. Blairdaff had a grocery store, a post office, and both petrol and diesel pumps until 1986 when only the post office was relocated to Blindbur ...

( Monymusk) and Auchindoir (1781–1786), followed by the Incumbent of Banff and Portsoy (1786–1791), and then the Incumbent of

Laurencekirk Laurencekirk (, sco, Lowrenkirk, gd, Eaglais Labhrainn), colloquially known as "The Lang Toun" or amongst locals as simply "The Kirk", is a small town in the historic county of Kincardineshire, Scotland, just off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen ...

(1791–1808); the last appointment he held until his death. Watson was elected Bishop of Dunkeld in 1792 and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

at Stonehaven on 20 September 1792 by John Skinner,

Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus on ...

, Andrew Macfarlane,

Bishop of Moray The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. If the foundation charter of the monastery at Scone is reliable, then the Bishopric of Moray ...

and

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

, and

John Strachan John Strachan (; 12 April 1778 – 1 November 1867) was a notable figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto. He is best known as a political bishop who held many government positions and promoted education from common sch ...

Bishop of Brechin The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or angus, Scotland, Angus, based at Dundee. Brechin Cathedral, Brechin is a parish church of the established (presbyterian) Church of Scotland. The diocese had a long-es ...

. He died in office at

on 28 June 1808, aged 48, and was buried at St Laurence's Episcopal Churchyard, Laurencekirk on 5 July 1808.

Family

He married Catherine Margaret Edgar (1763–1845), daughter of John Edgar, Laird of Keithock, near Brechin, and they had two children: Catherine Mary (12 October 1802 – 8 January 1884) and John (born 1805 – died 1840 at sea)., ''Three Bishops of Dunkeld'', part 2, pages 80–81.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Jonathan 1760 births 1808 deaths Bishops of Dunkeld (Episcopal Church of Scotland) 18th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops 19th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops People from Portsoy