born in June 1708 in Warton, Lancashire, England
died 14. September 1755 in Warton, Lancashire, England
died 14. September 1755 in Warton, Lancashire, England
born in June (baptised 17th) 1708 in Warton, Lancashire, England
died 14th September 1755 in Warton, Lancashire, England
Richard Watson was a son of William Watson, house carpenter of Warton, and his wife Margaret.
He married Mary Clarkson (probably on the 21st of April 1737 at St. Mary in Lancaster). The couple had 5 children, of whom 3 survived their tenth birthday:
Mary
, Helen, and Elisabeth.
Below: entry in the Dickson family book about Richard Watson (by Harriett Dickson née Barker):
"Richard Watson
of Dale House Warton,
Co.Lancaster
His will proved 1737 Kendal."
Left: Richard Watson and his family lived at Dale House, Warton, Lancashire (54.15395°N 2.74178°W). The listed building in Warton shown in the picture is called Dale House, as well, and was built in 1838. It is supposedly a successor building of the 18th century Dale House inhabited by the Watson and Dickson families.
© Kurt Müller 2022
Richard Watson
William Watson, Richard's father, did not only pursue a trade, but was a farmer and landowner, as well. This considerable amount of wealth, though, was - according to the genealogist Dr. Sherry, consulted by John Humphreys - rather expectable, given that, as a house carpenter, William would have served a 7 year apprenticeship - while costing instead of earning money for the family - to reach the guild rank of a journeyman. Then he could have become a master carpenter, taking on his own apprentices and as a tradesman earning a good living. Socially he would then have been of the middle class.
His and his brother's (Thomas) father may, according to Dr. Sherry, have been a farmer / yeoman, and the eldest son would have followed in the father’s footsteps whilst the younger sons possibly looked for another occupation (a carpenter) as there may not have been enough land to share out between sons. William inherited the possessions at Storrs in Yealand from his brother, probably because the latter died without children.
The Watsons' wills, mentioned by Harriett Dickson in her family book (left), are preserved. Copies and transcriptions of them follow on separate pages for
Richard Watson
and his father
William Watson
.
Richard Watson's biography
as shown by parish records of Warton, St.Oswald
The will tells us that
Richard
had a brother-in-law
James Clarkson
(which slightly supports the assumption of his marriage at Lancaster to a
Mary Clarkson
, daughter of
James
Clarkson, see left)
Biographical data as shown by the wills:
Mary
(1738-1787) married Wiliam Dickson in 1759 and lived at Dale House.
Ellen
was baptized Helen (1743-1822), she married John Gibson in 1766 and died in 1822.
Margaret
(1745-1755) was buried 4 days after her father.
Jervase
(1749-1759) also died young (though after his father).
Elizabeth's
(Bapt. Elisabeth 1754) later life has not so far been traced.
Richard Watson
lived 1708-1755. Mary Clarkson is named as 23 years, a spinster of Scotforth, in their marriage bond (1737) – he is a yeoman of Burrow. This is slightly puzzling as his father was in Warton.
Further we are told that he had four “daughters Mary Ellen Margaret and Elizabeth” when writing his will (1755). According to the will he also had a son Gervas (baptized Jervase 1749).
Above, entry continued:
"Son of William Watson
of Storrs in Yealand
Redmayne & other lands.
Will dated 23 July 1735
also of Dale House, Warton.
He had a brother Thomas,
3 daughters and 2 sons
Will proved at Kendal 4 Oct 1735."
[according to the parish records Richard Watson had 4 daughters and 1 son who was Jervase (or Gervas), then 8 years old]
Above: Dale House (lower left corner) with its former barn buildings next to it and the view towards Yealand (the place name dates back to the Domesday Book township of "Jalant", later divided in Yealand Storrs, Yealand Redmayne and Yealand Conyers).
Left: View towards Morecambe Bay and Warton Sands, from
Warton Crag
(limestone hillhalf a mile northeast from Warton village).
Right: Another example of Richard Watson's literacy. Whereas his father William signed his will with a simple cross and must be considered illiterate, Richard could sign with his signature.
Left: Sketch by Harriett Dickson showing Richard Watson's quite artful, ornamental book plate. As pointed out by John Humphreys, its existence, the fact that the effort had been made to get such an elaborate plate produced for printing personal book labels, or at last a high class stamp for stamping them, implies the existence of a considerable collection of books, probably a library of some size. This may be interpreted as a sign for some social advancement, but it may also mean that education experienced high esteem, at least in this family.
Of which type of tenure these possessions exactly were, is not quite clear. Three types existed: freehold, copyhold and leasehold. It is possible that, even though William Watson was a yeoman, parts of the land were held as copyhold because he refers to paying rent to the Lord (of the Manor) for some of them. "Copyhold" seems to correspond to the German status of an "Erbpächter" or "Colon", i.e. a hereditary, unterminable leaseholder which meant a relatively prestigious status, at least compared to the "Heuerling" (literally: "hireling") whose contract was terminable and not hereditary.
© Kurt Müller 2022
Morecambe
Bay
(Irish Sea)
Lonsdale
River Lune
WESTMORLAND
WESTMORLAND
LANCASTER
LANCASTER
As this map from
1788
shows,
Warton
is situated near the shore of Morecambe Bay (Irish Sea),
Dale House
one and a half miles inland from there and 1 - 3 miles south of the Watsons' possessions in the area of
Yealand
.
Burrow
, where Richard Watson had lived before his marriage, and
Melling
, from where his son-in-law William Dickson the elder came, lie about 8 resp. 10 miles eastward, both in Lonsdale, the valley of the river Lune. In the 18th century Warton Parish included, from south to north, the villages of Carnforth, Warton, Yealand Conyers, Yealand Redmayne, and Yealand Storrs.
As this map from
1788
shows,
Warton
is situated near the shore of Morecambe Bay (Irish Sea),
Dale House
one and a half miles inland from there and 1 - 3 miles south of the Watsons' possessions in the area of
Yealand
.
Burrow
, where Richard Watson had lived before his marriage, and
Melling
, from where his son-in-law William Dickson the elder came, lie about 8 resp. 10 miles eastward, both in Lonsdale, the valley of the river Lune. In the 18th century Warton Parish included, from south to north, the villages of Carnforth, Warton, Yealand Conyers, Yealand Redmayne, and Yealand Storrs.
Above: At Yealand Storrs
Below: Yealand Conyers
Above: Dale House (successor building)
Below: St.Oswald and Warton village
Menu
