James Watney (18 December 1800–16 March 1884) was an English

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...

and landowner who resided at Haling Park,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, and

Beddington Beddington is a suburban settlement in the London Borough of Sutton on the boundary with the London Borough of Croydon. Beddington is formed from a village of the same name which until early the 20th century still included land which became t ...

, Surrey. He was born to Daniel Watney (1771–1831) of

Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It h ...

, Surrey and Mary Galpin (1771–1830), daughter of James Galpin (died 1789) of

, Surrey. He was the grandson of John Watney (1747–1814) and great-grandson of Daniel Watney (1705–1780) of Wimbledon, Surrey who was an

ale conner Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to bala ...

Professional life

The

Watney family The Watney family is an English family known for its association with the brewing firm Watney Combe & Reid,Janes, H. ''The Red Barrel: A History of Watney Mann'' (1963). as well as for its political activities, philanthropy and missionary work. Mem ...

were the main partners in the Stag Brewery of Pimlico for much of the 19th century.British History on-line
/ref> In 1837, James Watney became a partner in the brewery with John Lettsom Elliot and Charles Lambert, as later did his sons James and Norman in 1856. The brewery was known as Elliot, Watney & Co from about 1849. John L Elliot withdrew from the business in 1850, and for 8 years remained a partner in name only. He finally retired in 1858 and the firm became known as James Watney & Co. James Watney then kept the management almost entirely to himself until his death, at well over eighty years, in 1884. After his death in 1884, Watney & Co Ltd became a

private limited company A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United St ...

in 1885. In 1898, it acquired Messrs. Combe Delafield and Co. and Messrs. Reid and Co., and was thereafter known as Messrs. Watney Combe & Reid. James Watney was Master of the

Mercers' Company The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. It is the first of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. Although of even older origin, the c ...

in 1846, but had few other interests outside business. James Watney contributed several thousands of pounds towards building a new church just as his father had done at

Family life

On 15 October 1829, at St. Saviour's Church, Southwark (now

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwar ...

), James Watney married Rebecca Spurrell, elder daughter of the brewer and hop merchant James Spurrell, of Park Street, Southwark, who was employed by Barclay & Perkins's Anchor Brewery, Southwark. They had nine children. All five daughters remained unmarried. Of the four sons, one (Frederick) died young, aged 8 in 1846. The other three were: * James Watney (1832–1886General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office) of Beddington, Surrey, and Thorney House, Palace Gate, Kensington, was

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

MP for

East Surrey East Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Claire Coutinho, a Conservative. The seat covers an affluent area in the English county of Surrey. Since its creation in 1918, East Surrey has ...

from 1871–1885 and Master of the Mercers' Company in 1879. He also played cricket for Surrey (1851) and

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

(1851–1852). Married Blanche Maria Georgiana Burrell in 1856.Church of England Parish Registers, 1754–1921. London Metropolitan Archives, London. *Norman Watney

(1834–1911) of Valance,

Westerham Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey. It is recorded as early ...

, Kent, was educated at Harrow. He was a Justice of the Peace and a Deputy Lieutenant for Kent, and also served as Master of the Mercers' Company in 1880. He married Matilda Jane Robinson on 26 April 1866 at

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

, Lancashire. He built Valence, Westerham (now a school) in 1885 and was the father of the missionaries

Kate Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

and

Constance Watney Constance Watney, Order of the British Empire, MBE, COC, SRN, MBCN (1878 – 23 November 1947), was a British born missionary nurse in Uganda. Early years Constance Watney was born in 1878 in Beddington, Surrey. A member of the Watney family, sh ...

. *

Herbert Watney Herbert Watney (1843–1932) of Buckhold, Pangbourne, Berkshire (now St. Andrew's School) was a nineteenth century London physician, landowner and philanthropist, and a strong supporter of Christian missions. Early life Herbert Watney was born o ...

(1843–1932) of Buckhold,

Pangbourne Pangbourne is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England. Pangbourne has its own shops, schools, Pangbourne railway station, a railway station on the Great Western main line and a vill ...

, Berkshire (now St. Andrew's School), was educated at Rugby and

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

.Venn, J. A., comp.. Alumni Cantabrigienses. London, England: Cambridge University Press, 1922–1954. He was Senior Assistant Physician at St George's Hospital, London and Master of the Mercers' Company in 1915. He married Sarah Louisa Rainsford on 22 January 1872 at All Saints Church, Wandsworth, Surrey. The east window in Emmanuel Church,

was given by his son Norman in 1899 to the Glory of God and in loving memory of his parents James and Rebecca Watney. It was destroyed by enemy action in 1944 and replaced in 1954. One of his daughters, also called Rebecca, founded a mission chapel in Croydon and another at Horsell in Surrey after moving to nearby Woking in 1893. The Horsell chapel, opened in 1900, became Horsell Evangelical Church. He was also uncle to John Watney who was secretary to the Mercers Company for many years.

Professional life

Family life

References

See also