Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Charles Watson (1714 – 16 August 1757) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and died in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Origins

He was the son of John Watson by his wife the sister of Sir

Charles Wager Admiral Sir Charles Wager (24 February 1666 – 24 May 1743) was an English Royal Navy officer and politician who served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1733 to 1742. Despite heroic active service and steadfast administration and diplomatic ...

(1666–1743), First Lord of the Admiralty. The armorials used by his son the 1st baronet (''Argent, on a chevron engrailled azure between three martlets sable as many crescents or'') are a differenced version of the arms of the Watson family,

Marquess of Rockingham Marquess of Rockingham, in the County of Northampton, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton. The Watson family ...

, and thus the family may have been a cadet branch of the latter.

Naval career

Watson entered the navy as a volunteer per order on in 1728. He was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1734 and promoted captain and given command of in 1738. He transferred to HMS ''Plymouth'' in May 1741 and to HMS ''Dragon'' in November 1742 which he commanded in the Battle of Toulon. In 1746 he transferred to HMS ''Princess Louisa'' which he commanded at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and in the

Second Battle of Cape Finisterre The second battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval battle, naval encounter fought during the War of the Austrian Succession on 25 October 1747 (N.S.). A Royal Navy, British fleet of fourteen ships of the line commanded by Rear admiral (Royal Navy ...

in October 1747. In January 1748 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Newfoundland and North American station with his flag in HMS ''Lion''. He became governor of Newfoundland and commander-in-chief of

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

. The position of governor of the colony had temporarily lapsed after the departure of Richard Edwards and therefore his successor, James Douglas, was not a governor of the island but commodore. No commodore nor governor was sent in 1747, but Charles Watson became the governor on arrival in 1748. As governor of Newfoundland he set about deporting Irish and Scots

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

from the colony. In 1754 he became Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. The English settlement at

Fort William, India Fort William, officially Vijay Durg, is a fort in Hastings, Calcutta (Kolkata). It was built during the early years of Britain's administration of Bengal. It sits on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the Rive ...

sought assistance from the Presidency of Fort St. George at

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, which sent Colonel

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

and Admiral Charles Watson. They re-captured

on 2 January 1757, but the Nawab marched again on Calcutta on 5 February 1757, and was surprised by a dawn attack by the English. This resulted in the Treaty of Alinagar on 7 February 1757. However the Nawab was subsequently bolstered by French support, and the Battle of Chandannagar in March, and then the

Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company, under the leadership of Robert Clive, over the Nawab of Bengal and his French Indies Company, French allies on 23 June 1757. The victory was made possible by the de ...

in June 1757, followed. Watson was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the White in 1757. Watson's quick rise through the ranks is thought to be attributed from his uncle, Sir Charles Wager, who was

first lord of the admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

. There is a memorial to Watson in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, London.

Marriage and children

He married Rebecca Buller, daughter of John Francis Buller (1695–1751) of Morval in Cornwall, in 1741. She was co-heiress of the manor of

Combe Martin Combe Martin () is a village, Civil parishes in England, civil parish and former Manorialism, manor on the North Devon coast about east of Ilfracombe. It is a small seaside resort with a sheltered cove on the northwest edge of the Exmoor Nati ...

, inherited jointly with her brother Francis Buller of

Antony House Antony House is an early 18th-century property in the care of the National Trust. It is located between the town of Torpoint and the village of Antony in the county of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a Grade I listed building. The hou ...

in Cornwall from her father.Combe Martin Archives, North Devon Record Office, ref: Combe Martin 787M
Their son and heir was: * Sir Charles Watson, 1st Baronet, of Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, created a baronet in 1760.

References

External links

Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''Memorial described at ''UK National Maritime Museum - Maritime Memorials''Admiral Watson's Monument in Calcutta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Charles 1714 births 1757 deaths Governors of Newfoundland Colony Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War

Origins

Naval career

Marriage and children

See also

References

External links