Robert Spence Watson (8 June 1837 – 2 March 1911) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

solicitor, reformer, politician and writer. He became famous for pioneering labour

arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ...

Life and career

He was born in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Millennium Bridge, The Sage, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ...

, the second child of Sarah (Spence) and Joseph Watson. After some early tutoring, he received his secondary education at

Bootham School Bootham School is an independent Quaker boarding school, on Bootham in the city of York in England. It accepts boys and girls ages 3–19, and had an enrolment of 605 pupils in 2016. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England. The schoo ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and began studying at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

in 1853; he did not complete his degree there, but during that time, and later, he travelled abroad. He returned to the North East in 1860 and became a solicitor. He began a legal practice with his father under the name J. & R S Watson and he remained in practice there for the rest of his life.Watson Burton LLP, law firm
/ref> In 1862 he became Secretary to the

Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne (or the ''Lit & Phil'' as it is popularly known) is a historical library in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and the largest independent library outside London. The library is still av ...

and held that position for thirty-one years. His work led to the Society accumulating the largest independent library outside London. On 9 June 1863 he married Elizabeth Richardson at the Friends’ meeting house, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle and they had six children. He was one of the original convenors of the National Liberal Federation in 1877, and was its president from 1890 until 1902. He helped to found the Durham College of Science in 1871, later to become Armstrong College and part of

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

. He became its first president in 1910. He was instrumental in the founding of the Newcastle Free Public Library. From 1890 till 1911, Watson was the president of the

Society of Friends of Russian Freedom The Society of Friends of Russian Freedom was an organization of British and American political activists and reformers who supported the Russian opposition movement against Tsarist autocracy broadly defined, at the end of the 19th and the beginn ...

. He contributed much to the society's printed organ ''Free Russia''. He published "The History of English Rule and Policy in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

" in 1897, and joined the

South Africa Conciliation Committee The South Africa Conciliation Committee was a British anti-war organisation Opposition to the Second Boer War, opposed to the Second Boer War. The committee was formed in 1899 in response to the outbreak of the war, for the "dissemination of accur ...

. In 1995 a blue commemorative plaque was erected outside his home.

Works

*"A Plan for Making the society more extensively useful, as an educational institution" (1868) *''The Villages around Metz'' (1870) *''Cædmon, the first English poet'' (1875) *"The history of English rule and policy in South Africa" (1879) J. Forster, Newcastle upon Tyne. *''A Visit to Wazan'' (1880) *"The Proper Limits of Obedience to the Law" (1887) *''The History of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1793-1896)'' (1897) * "Northumbrian Story and Song" in ''Lectures Delivered to the Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on Northumbrian History, Literature, and Art'' (1898) *''The National Liberal Federation: From Its Commencement to the General Election of 1906'' (1907) Robert Spence Watson (1907) ''The National Liberal Federation: From Its Commencement to the General Election of 1906''"> Robert Spence Watson (1907) ''The National Liberal Federation: From Its Commencement to the General Election of 1906''
T. Fisher Unwin, London * ''Joseph Skipsey: His Life and Work'' (1909) T. Fisher Unwin, London.

References

Sources

* Percy Corder (1914) ''The Life of Robert Spence Watson'', Headley Bros., London * ''John Morley, Joseph Cowen and Robert Spence Watson. Liberal Divisions in Newcastle Politics, 1873 - 1895'', by E I Waitt, Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD at the University of Manchester, October 1972. Copies at Manchester University, Newcastle Central and Gateshead public libraries.

* ttp://www.watsonburton.com/page/robertspencewatson.cfm Entry on Robert Spence Watson, on the website of Watson Burton the law firm of which he was a founding partner

External links

Parliamentary Archives, Papers of Robert Spence Watson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Robert Spence English Quakers English solicitors Politicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Writers from Newcastle upon Tyne Presidents of the Liberal Party (UK) British travel writers 1837 births 1911 deaths Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom 19th-century English lawyers