Claude Watney (4 November 18667 November 1919) was a British brewery director and motor dealer. He was member of 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 ...

of brewers, director of the brewing firm

Watney Combe & Reid Watney Combe & Reid was a leading brewery in London. At its peak in the 1930s it was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange. It produced Watney's Red Barrel. History The Watney family were the ma ...

, and a motor dealer and enthusiast. In 1903 he had a showroom in London selling Panhard and Mercedes motor cars. He owned a Pipe vehicle, and his wife Ada was also an enthusiastic motorist. He was a member of the committee of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, which became the Royal Automobile Club.

Early life

Claude Watney was born in London, England, on 4 November 1866, the second son of the brewer and politician

James Watney junior James Watney Jr. (19 May 1832 – 2 November 1886) was a prominent member of the Watney family and a Conservative Member of Parliament for East Surrey. Family and early life Born in 1832, Watney was the eldest son of the brewer James Watney a ...

and his wife, Blanche Maria Georgiana Burrell.Foster, Joseph. (1893
''Oxford Men and their Colleges''.
Oxford & London: James Parker. p. 638. via Wikisource.org He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

, and New College, University of Oxford.

Career

Watney entered the family brewing firm early in his life when it was Watney & Co. His brother, Vernon Watney, was at that time chairman of the firm. When the firm merged with Combe & Co. and Reid's Brewery Company to become Watney Combe Reid, he remained a director of the enlarged entity. By the time of his death in 1919 he was deputy chairman."Death of Mr. Claude Watney", ''The Times'', 8 November 1919, p. 15.

Motoring

Watney was keenly interested in motor cars, and in June 1903 John Scott Montagu wrote in '' The Car Illustrated'' about

Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident with ...

, Watney and other

Old Etonians Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

he was at school with who were involved in the motor trade, despite having no need to work for money. The magazine noted that Watney had showrooms in

Wardour Street Wardour Street () is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It is a one-way street that runs north from Leicester Square, through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street. Throughout the 20th century the street became a c ...

, selling

Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed b ...

and Mercedes motor cars. The 1904 ''Motoring Annual and Motorist's Year Book'' described Watney as owning a

Pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circul ...

motor car (a Belgian model) and being an "all-round sportsman" with his horses "famed for their mettle and speed". He was a member of the committee of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland which became the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a ...

Personal life

Watney married

Ada Annie Watney Ada Annie Watney (née Nunn, later Weguelin) (1868-1938) was a founding member and committee member in the Ladies' Automobile Club (as Mrs Bernard Weguelin). It was reported in 1904 that she had driven nearly 60,000 miles in six years. Early life ...

(1868–1938),Ada Annie Watney (née Nunn, later Weguelin).
National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 15 June 2020. in 1895. She had an English father and a Portuguese motherMrs Claude Watney 1909.

Royal Collection Trust The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

. Retrieved 18 June 2020. and was described in the American press as a former ballet dancer. She had already been married to the banking heir Sherman Martin when they were both very young. Martin's family disapproved of the union and wished a divorce, for which Ada was said by the press to have asked $10,000, but he died in 1894 still married. A 1909 photo caption described Ada as "of medium height, fair complexion, golden-brown hair and grey-blue eyes" and "very fond of fishing, riding and driving, and is a very keen motorist". In the late 1890s, Watney moved to 20 Charles Street, Mayfair, London, which became the family home. By 1901, he employed 12 servants.Claude Watney England and Wales Census, 1901.
Family Search. Retrieved 15 June 2020. During the First World War, it was announced that Ada had turned part of the house into a nursing home for officers "furnished and equipped with every requirement of modern surgery, and fully staffed by trained sisters and nurses"."A nursing home for officers", ''The Times'', 6 August 1914, p. 9. It had the capacity to treat 18 officers and each was free to choose their own surgeon. Watney also owned High Elms Manor, later Garston Manor, in Garston, Hertfordshire, which was placed for sale in 1911."Preliminary"
''The Times'', 13 May 1911, p. 18. He also acquired Mervil Hill, a house in Hambledon, Surrey, that had been owned since 1904 by the astronomer John Franklin-Adams. The house was used as a convalescent home for soldiers during the First World War, and in 1929 it was transferred by Ada, by then a widow, to the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who turned it into St Dominic's School, a "residential school for delicate boys".

Death

Watney died at his home of 20 Charles Street on 7 November 1919. His funeral was held at Woking cemetery, where his father was also buried."Mr. Claude Watney", ''The Times'', 10 November 1919, p. 20. He left an estate of £573,088 including a collection of

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

prints which were sold at auction by

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, t ...

.''Art Prices Current'', William Dawson & Sons, p. 36. His widow subsequently married the motorist Bernard Weguelin.

References

External links

*https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Claude_Watney {{DEFAULTSORT:Watney, Claude 1866 births 1919 deaths People educated at Eton College People from London

Claude Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

Alumni of New College, Oxford Burials at Brookwood Cemetery 19th-century English businesspeople Masters of the Worshipful Company of Brewers