Sir Stephen John Watson

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FRIC FRAgS CBE (24 March 1898 – 25 June 1976) was a 20th-century British agriculturalist. He had an expert knowledge of the nutritional values of hay, straw and

silage Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage p ...

under different conditions. In 1947 he founded the Edinburgh Centre of Rural Economy (ECRE) at Bush House, near

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. Na ...

Life

He was born on 24 March 1898 in Chanchamayo in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

the son of William Watson, an accountant. He was educated at

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

in Peru. In 1910 the family returned to

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

where he completed his education at Tynemouth School. He then studied science at the University of Newcastle. His studies were interrupted by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

during which he served in the

Scottish Horse The Scottish Horse was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army's Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army raised in 1900 for service in the Second Boer War. It saw heavy fighting in both the World War I, First World War, as the 13th Battali ...

Regiment then in the

King Edward's Horse King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1901, which saw service in the First World War. Early history The regiment was originally formed as part of the Imperial Yeomanry ...

Regiment. Returning to University after the war he graduated with a BSc in 1920. In 1936 he became head of Biochemistry and Nutrition at ICI Research Laboratories at

Jealott's Hill Jealott's Hill is a village in the county of Berkshire, England, within the civil parish of Warfield. The settlement is on the A3095 road approximately north of Bracknell. The nearest railway station is in . The name of the hill is reported to ...

. In 1944 he was appointed Professor of Agriculture at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, succeeding Prof

Ernest Shearer Ernest Shearer FRSE (1879–14 September 1945) was a British agriculturalist and academic. Life He was born in Stromness on Orkney into a farming family. In 1897 he went to the University of Edinburgh graduating with an MA in Economics follo ...

. This role also included being Principal of the East of Scotland College of Agriculture.Jealott's Hill, The Agricultural Research Station of ICI, 1953 In 1945 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

James Pickering Kendall James Pickering Kendall FRS FRSE (30 July 1889, in Chobham, Surrey – 14 June 1978, in Edinburgh) was a British chemist. Life Kendall was born in Chobham, Surrey to soldier William Henry Kendall of the Royal Horse Artillery, and his second w ...

Alexander McCall Smith Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE (born 24 August 1948), is a British writer. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law and ...

Edward Wyllie Fenton Dr Edward Wyllie Fenton FRSE FLS (1889–1962) was a Scottish botanist. He was President of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh 1944–45. Life He was born in Aberdeen on 4 November 1889, the son of Edward W. Fenton, a clerk living at 13 Bon Acco ...

and Alfred Cameron. He died at

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Castl ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

on 25 June 1976.

Publications

*''The Digestibility and Feeding Value of Greg Meal'' (1931) *''The Nutritive Value of Grass and its By Products'' (1932) *''The

Vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably bet ...

and Carotene Content of Butter'' (1932) *''The Value of Grass Silage'' (1932) *''A New Alternative to Hay'' (1933) *''The Conservation of Grassland Herbage'' (1934) *''The Chemical Composition of Grass Silage'' (1937) *''Digestibility of Straw'' (1939) *''Increasing the Feeding Value of Cereal Straws'' (1941) *''The Teart Pastures of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

'' (1943) *''The Composition and Nutritive Value of Seed Hays'' (1944)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Stephen John 1898 births 1976 deaths British agriculturalists Academics of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor Peruvian military personnel Scottish Horse soldiers British Army personnel of World War I