John Watts (merchant)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Watts was an English merchant and shipowner, active in the East India Company
and Virginia Company
and Lord Mayor of London
in 1606.
, Hertfordshire
, he was owner of the Margaret and John, one of the ships paid by the city of London in 1588 to sail against the Spanish armada
. Watts himself served in her as a volunteer, and was in action. In 1590 the same ship was one of a fleet of merchantmen coming home from the Mediterranean which fought and beat off the Spanish galleys near Cadiz
; Watts was not then aboard, but throughout the war he equipped privateer
s. One them in July 1601 took into Plymouth
a prize coming from the Indies laden with China silks, satins, and taffetas. At this time he was an alderman of London (Tower ward), and had been suspected of being a supporter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
.
He was one of the founders of the East India Company, and on 11 April 1601 was elected governor of it, during the imprisonment of Sir Thomas Smythe. he served as a Sheriff of the City of London for 1597. On the accession of James I he was knighted 26 July 1603 and was Lord Mayor of London
in 1606–1607, at which time he was described in a letter to the king of Spain as ‘the greatest pirate that has ever been in this kingdom’. During the following years he was an active member of the Virginia Company. In the city of London Watts was a member of the Clothworkers' Company.
Watts died at his seat in Hertfordshire in September 1616, and was buried on the 7th of the month at Ware.
in the Rhé expedition, and under Count Mansfeldt in the Palatinate; he married Mary, daughter of Thomas Bayning, and aunt of Paul Bayning, 1st Viscount Bayning, and left numerous issue. His eldest son (grandson of the lord mayor), who also became Sir John Watts, served an apprenticeship in arms under his father. He was knighted in 1642, and received a commission to raise a troop of arms for the king. Having been expelled from the governorship of Chirk Castle
, he attached himself to Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham, and was one of the defenders of Colchester Castle
(August 1648). He compounded for delinquency by paying a fine, and was discharged on 11 May 1649; however, he was forced to sell to Sir John Buck his manor of Mardocks in Ware. After the Restoration he was made receiver for Essex and Hertfordshire. He died about 1680, and was buried in the church of Hertingfordbury.
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and Virginia Company
Virginia Company
The Virginia Company refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I on 10 April1606 with the purposes of establishing settlements on the coast of North America...
and Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1606.
Life
The son of Thomas Watts of BuntingfordBuntingford
Buntingford is a small market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the River Rib and on the Roman road Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, he was owner of the Margaret and John, one of the ships paid by the city of London in 1588 to sail against the Spanish armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
. Watts himself served in her as a volunteer, and was in action. In 1590 the same ship was one of a fleet of merchantmen coming home from the Mediterranean which fought and beat off the Spanish galleys near Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
; Watts was not then aboard, but throughout the war he equipped privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s. One them in July 1601 took into Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
a prize coming from the Indies laden with China silks, satins, and taffetas. At this time he was an alderman of London (Tower ward), and had been suspected of being a supporter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
.
He was one of the founders of the East India Company, and on 11 April 1601 was elected governor of it, during the imprisonment of Sir Thomas Smythe. he served as a Sheriff of the City of London for 1597. On the accession of James I he was knighted 26 July 1603 and was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1606–1607, at which time he was described in a letter to the king of Spain as ‘the greatest pirate that has ever been in this kingdom’. During the following years he was an active member of the Virginia Company. In the city of London Watts was a member of the Clothworkers' Company.
Watts died at his seat in Hertfordshire in September 1616, and was buried on the 7th of the month at Ware.
Family
By his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir James Hawes, knt. (lord mayor in 1574), he left four sons and four daughters. The eldest son, John, served in the Cadiz expedition and was knighted for his good service in 1625; he subsequently served under George Villiers, 1st Duke of BuckinghamGeorge Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
in the Rhé expedition, and under Count Mansfeldt in the Palatinate; he married Mary, daughter of Thomas Bayning, and aunt of Paul Bayning, 1st Viscount Bayning, and left numerous issue. His eldest son (grandson of the lord mayor), who also became Sir John Watts, served an apprenticeship in arms under his father. He was knighted in 1642, and received a commission to raise a troop of arms for the king. Having been expelled from the governorship of Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle is a castle located at Chirk, Wrexham, Wales.The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley...
, he attached himself to Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham, and was one of the defenders of Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle in Colchester, Essex is an example of a largely complete Norman castle. It is a Grade I listed building.-Construction:At one and a half times the size of the Tower of London's White Tower, Colchester's keep is the largest ever built in Britain and the largest surviving example in...
(August 1648). He compounded for delinquency by paying a fine, and was discharged on 11 May 1649; however, he was forced to sell to Sir John Buck his manor of Mardocks in Ware. After the Restoration he was made receiver for Essex and Hertfordshire. He died about 1680, and was buried in the church of Hertingfordbury.