William Watts (1722 - 04 Aug 1764) was chief of the Kasimbazar (or Cossimbazar) factory of the British East India Company. He lived in Bengal for a long time and he was proficient in Bangla, Hindustani and Persian languages. The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company of investors, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... This article is about the Bengali language. ... The word Hindustani is an adjective used to denote a connection to India, or, more precisely, the historical region that encompasses Northern India, Pakistan, and nearby areas. ... Persian may refer to more than one article: the Western name for Iranian (see Iran/Persia naming controversy) Persian, an Iranian language the Persians, an ethnic group a Persian, a breed of cat Persian, a Pokémon character Etymology English Persian < Old English, < Latin *Persianus, < Latin Persia, < ancient Greek Persis...

Career

His long interactions with the people of the country enabled him to know about the native customs, habits and manners. In business affairs, he was in close contact with the great merchant princes of the time. This led Robert Clive, known as 'Clive of India' to entrust William Watts with the responsibility of acting as the representative of the company to the Nawab's court at Murshidabad. Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (September 29, 1725 - November 22, 1774) was the statesman and general who established the empire of British India. ... Murshidabad is a district of the state of West Bengal, India. ...

Robert Clive engaged him to work out a secret plan for the final overthrow of Siraj Ud Daulah and to install a favourable Nawab on the masnad. Watts thus set up contact with the dissident amirs of the Murshidabad durbar including Mir Jafar, Rai Durlabh and Yar Latif Khan. William Watts played a vital role in forging the grand conspiracy against Siraj Ud Daulah which led to his final overthrow at the Battle of Plassey. On 5 June 1757 he personally visited Mir Jafar and obtained his oath of allegiance. Mîrzâ Mah. ... A Nawab was originally the provincial governor or viceroy of a province or region of the Mughal empire. ... Murshidabad is a district of the state of West Bengal, India. ... Mir Jafar Ali Khan (born 1691 – death February 5, 1765) was the traitor of Bengal. ... The Battle of Plassey was a battle that took place on June 23, 1757, near Palashi (পলাশী in Bengali) (anglicised to Plassey), a small village on the Bhagirathi River (a distributary of the Ganga) located about 150 km north of Kolkata, and south of town of Murshidabad (then capital of the...

In recognition of his services he was given £114,000 from the Nawab's treasury and made the governor of Fort William on 22 June 1758, in place of Roger Drake who had deserted the fort when it was attacked and captured in June 1756. This had been the location of the Black Hole of Calcutta on June 20, 1756. Fort William is a British Raj fort in the Indian city of Calcutta and was named after King William of Orange. ... The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon where Indian troops held British prisoners of war after the capture of Fort William on June 20, 1756. ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Four days later he resigned in favour of Robert Clive to return to England.

He wrote a book Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal which was published in 1764.

On his return to England he built the South Hill Park mansion which lies to the south of Bracknell, Berkshire which is now an Arts Centre. South Hill Park is a 24 acre (96,000 square metre) site that lies to the south of Bracknell town centre in the Birch Hill estate. ... Mansion near Almelo, The Netherlands A mansion is a large and stately dwelling house. ... Map sources for Bracknell at grid reference SU870693 Bracknell is a town of about 50,000 people (1991) in Bracknell Forest borough, in the English county of Berkshire. ... Berkshire (IPA: or  ; sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a county in England and forms part of the South East England region. ... An arts centre is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. ...

In June 1764, he was in the process of buying Hanslope Park, Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, but died in that August. The sale was completed for his son Edward, who became Lord of the Manor. Hanslope is a village in the north of the old county of Buckinghamshire, England, though now it is in the County of Milton Keynes. ... Map of Bucks (1904) Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a county in South East England. ... In England, Lord of the Manor is a feudal title. ...

William is buried in the Watt vault in Hanslope church.

Family

Williams father was (possibly) William Watts of Shanks House, Cucklington, Somerset. [1]

On 24 March 1749 William married Frances Croke (10 April 1728 - 3 February 1812) in Calcutta, the daughter of Edward Croke (1690 - 12 Feb 1769) the Governor of Fort St. David, Bengal and Isabella Beizor. This was Frances' fifth marriage, having first married at the age of 12.

They had four children:

• Edward (1750 - 9th April 1830) who married Florentina (1761 - 21 February 1832) and had a daughter Amelia (1781 - 1862)

• Amelia (22 Dec 1750 - 20 Jul 1770 bur.) married British politician Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool on 09 February 1769, and died aged 19 not long after giving birth to the future British Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool.
• Sophia (1755 - 8 June 1830) married George Poyntz Ricketts (1st), (1749 - 8 April 1800) of Grove Place, Hampshire, Governor of Barbados 1794 - 1800 and had five children, George Poyntz Ricketts (2nd), Charles Milner Ricketts, Mordaunt Ricketts, Frederick Ricketts and Isabella, who became Mrs Batson.
• William who died an Infant

Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (16 May 1729-17 December 1808), English statesman, eldest son of Colonel Charles Jenkinson (d. ... The Right Honourable Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, KG, PC (7 June 1770–4 December 1828), known as Lord Hawkesbury from 1796 to 1808, was a British statesman who served Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. ...

The 'Begum' Johnson

When William Watts died in 1764, Frances returned to India reportedly to settle his estate, but probably because she had never been comfortable in Britain. Although a wealthy young widow aged 36 it was ten years before she married William Johnson in 1774, a chaplain of the Presidency of Fort William. Frances became known as the 'Begum' Johnson and was the 'grand old dame' of Calcutta (now Kolkata) society for many years. Begum is a title given to women of rank in South Asia. ... Kolkata (Bangla: কলকাতা, Hindi: कोलकता, alternate English Calcutta), is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and was capital of British India until 1912. ...

By 1787, the Johnson marriage was declared at an end, and Frances offered William a settlement and an annuity, with which he returned to England. Frances was 59 years old and never married again.

When she died in Calcutta on 03 February 1812, her funeral was a grand affair that brought many of Calcutta's most prominent men and women, including the governor-general, Earl Minto, together to celebrate the passing of a great life. Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmond, 1st Earl of Minto (23 April 1751 - June 21, 1814) was an English politician and diplomat. ...

Her memorial in St Johns Church, Calcutta [2] states 'The oldest British resident in Bengal, universally beloved, respected and revered'.

External References

• Hanslope and District Historical Society