Robert Watson (1756–November 1, 1819) was a British sailor who arrived in Australia with the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

as quartermaster of the ship . Robert Watson was born in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. In 1801 Watson was granted land at South Head in

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

, in what is now known as

Watsons Bay Watsons Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. ...

. In 1929, a seat to commemorate Watson was erected in Robertson Park with an inaccurate inscription, reading "To commemorate Robert Watson after whom this Bay is named Quartermaster of H.M.S. Sirius 1786-1790 Signal-Man South Head 1791-1811 Pilot and Harbour Master 1811-1816 Superintendent of Macquarie Lighthouse 1818 Died 1st November 1819". There is no record of Watson's wife, but while in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Watson had two sons and a daughter with him. Watson requested leave due to an illness in October 1819, and died on November 1, 1819 at his home. He was buried in the Sandhills Cemetery, but his remains were later moved to La Perouse in 1901.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Robert Settlers of Australia People from Sydney 1756 births 1819 deaths Watsons Bay, New South Wales